# 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season

The 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I-AA level, began in August 1981 and concluded with the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 19, 1981, at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The Idaho State Bengals won their first I-AA championship, defeating the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in the Pioneer Bowl, 34−23.

## Conference changes and new programs

* Prior to the 1981 season, the Mid-Continent Conference reclassified from Division II to Division I-AA with its four members, Eastern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Western Illinois, and Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State). Northern Michigan and Youngstown State, which had been members of the Mid-Continent in the 1980 season, departed the league before the shift; Northern Michigan remained in Division II, and Youngstown State transitioned to I-AA as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference.
| School | 1980 Conference | 1981 Conference |
| Eastern Illinois | Mid-Continent (D-II) | Mid-Continent (I-AA) |
| Northern Iowa | Mid-Continent (D-II) | Mid-Continent (I-AA) |
| Portland State | I-AA Independent | D-II Independent |
| Southwest Missouri State | Mid-Continent (D-II) | Mid-Continent (I-AA) |
| Tennessee State | I-A Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Western Illinois | Mid-Continent (D-II) | Mid-Continent (I-AA) |
| Youngstown State | Mid-Continent (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |

## Conference standings

1981 Association of Mid-Continent Universities football standings :
| 1981 Association of Mid-Continent Universities football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Northern Iowa + 2 –1 –07 –4 –0 Eastern Illinois + 2 –1 –06 –5 –0 Western Illinois + 2 –1 –05 –6 –0 Southwest Missouri State 0 –3 –03 –5 –2 + – Conference co-champions | 1981 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Idaho State $^ 6 –1 –012 –1 –0 No. 5 Boise State ^ 6 –1 –010 –3 –0 Montana 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 Nevada 4 –3 –07 –4 –0 Weber State 4 –3 –07 –4 –0 Northern Arizona 2 –5 –04 –7 –0 Montana State 1 –6 –03 –7 –0 Idaho 0 –7 –03 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Committee poll | 1981 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 South Carolina State $^ 5 –0 –010 –3 –0 Florida A&M 4 –1 –07 –4 –0 Bethune–Cookman 3 –2 –06 –4 –0 Howard 2 –3 –06 –5 –0 Delaware State 1 –4 –02 –9 –0 North Carolina A&T 0 –5 –03 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |
| 1981 Southern Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Furman $ 5 –2 –08 –3 –0 VMI 3 –1 –16 –3 –1 East Tennessee State 4 –2 –06 –5 –0 Chattanooga 3 –2 –17 –3 –1 The Citadel 3 –2 –17 –3 –1 Western Carolina 3 –4 –04 –7 –0 Appalachian State 1 –5 –13 –7 –1 Marshall 1 –5 –02 –9 –0 Davidson 0 –2 –04 –6 –0 $ – Conference championThis conference was a hybrid of I-AA and I-A programs. Davidson was classified as I-AA. The rest of the teams were I-A. | 1981 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Eastern Kentucky $^ 8 –0 –012 –2 –0 No. 9 Murray State 5 –3 –08 –3 –0 Youngstown State 5 –3 –07 –4 –0 Tennessee Tech 4 –4 –06 –5 –0 Middle Tennessee 4 –4 –06 –5 –0 Western Kentucky 4 –4 –06 –5 –0 Akron 4 –4 –05 –5 –0 Austin Peay 3 –5 –05 –5 –0 Morehead State 0 –8 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1981 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Jackson State $^ 5 –1 –09 –2 –1 Grambling State 4 –1 –16 –4 –1 Texas Southern 3 –2 –14 –5 –1 Alcorn State 3 –3 –05 –5 –0 Mississippi Valley State 2 –4 –04 –6 –1 Southern 2 –4 –03 –8 –0 Prairie View A&M 1 –5 –02 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1981 Yankee Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Rhode Island +^ 4 –1 –06 –6 –0 No. T–10 UMass + 4 –1 –06 –3 –0 Boston University 3 –2 –06 –5 –0 No. T–10 New Hampshire 2 –3 –07 –3 –0 Connecticut 1 –4 –04 –7 –0 Maine 1 –4 –03 –7 –1 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |
| 1981 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 Lafayette   –  9 –2 –0 No. 7 Delaware ^   –  9 –3 –0 No. 6 Tennessee State ^   –  9 –3 –0 Southeastern Louisiana   –  8 –3 –0 Lehigh   –  8 –3 –0 Nicholls State   –  5 –5 –1 Northwestern State   –  4 –6 –0 Bucknell   –  4 –6 –0 Northeastern   –  3 –7 –0 James Madison   –  3 –8 –0 ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |

## Conference champions

* Conference champions
* Big Sky Conference – Idaho State
* Mid-Continent Conference – Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, Northern Iowa
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – South Carolina State
* Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Jackson State
* Yankee Conference – Massachusetts and Rhode Island

## Postseason

After holding four-team playoffs after the first three I-AA seasons, the NCAA increased the bracket size to eight this postseason. It grew to twelve in 1982 and sixteen in 1986. The eight-team field was determined via automatic bids to five conference champions (Idaho State, South Carolina State, Eastern Kentucky, Jackson State, and Rhode Island), a bid to the top-ranked independent team (Tennessee State), and two at-large bids (Boise State and Delaware).

### NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket

| First Round December 5 Campus sites | First Round December 5 Campus sites | First Round December 5 Campus sites | Semifinals December 12 Campus sites | Semifinals December 12 Campus sites | Semifinals December 12 Campus sites | National Championship Game Pioneer Bowl December 19 Memorial Stadium—Wichita Falls, TX | National Championship Game Pioneer Bowl December 19 Memorial Stadium—Wichita Falls, TX | National Championship Game Pioneer Bowl December 19 Memorial Stadium—Wichita Falls, TX |
| 7 | Delaware | 28 | | | | | | |
| 1 | Eastern Kentucky* | 35 | | | | | | |
| 1 | Eastern Kentucky* | 35 | 1 | Eastern Kentucky | 23 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Boise State* | 17 | | | |
| 4 | Boise State | 19 | 4 | Boise State* | 17 | | | |
| 5 | Jackson State* | 7 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Jackson State* | 7 | | | | 1 | Eastern Kentucky | 23 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Idaho State | 34 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | 0 | | | | | | | 2 | Idaho State | 34 |
| 2 | Idaho State* | 51 | | | | | | |
| 2 | Idaho State* | 51 | 2 | Idaho State* | 41 | | | |
| | | | 3 | South Carolina State | 12 | | | |
| 6 | Tennessee State | 25 | 3 | South Carolina State | 12 | | | |
| 3 | South Carolina State* | 26* | | | | | | |
* Next to team name denotes host institution
* Next to score denotes overtime
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