# 1982 NCAA Division II football season

The 1982 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began in August 1982, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 11, 1982, at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, Texas. During the game's five-year stretch in McAllen, the "City of Palms", it was referred to as the Palm Bowl.
Southwest Texas State defeated UC Davis in the championship game, 34–9, to win their second overall and second consecutive Division II national title.

## Conference changes and new programs

* One team upgraded from Division II to Division I-AA prior to the season.
* The Far Western Football Conference changed its name to the Northern California Athletic Conference. Its membership remained the same.
* The Lone Star Conference became a full Division II member conference.
* The Western Football Conference was formed by five football-playing schools in California.
| School | 1981 Conference | 1982 Conference |
| Alabama State | Independent | SWAC (I-AA) |
| Cal Poly | CCAA | Western |
| Cal Poly Pomona | CCAA | Western |
| Cal State Northridge | CCAA | Western |
| Central Florida | D-III Independent | D-II Independent |
| Portland State | Independent | Western |
| Santa Clara | Independent | Western |
| Valdosta State | New program | Gulf South |

## Conference standings

1981 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings :
| 1981 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Northern No. 8 Virginia Union xy$^ 6 –1 –08 –3 –0 Hampton 5 –2 –08 –2 –0 Norfolk State 5 –2 –06 –4 –0 Elizabeth City State 3 –4 –05 –5 –0 Virginia State 2 –5 –02 –8 –0 Saint Paul's (VA) 0 –7 –02 –8 –0 Southern North Carolina Central xy 6 –1 –07 –4 –0 Johnson C. Smith 6 –1 –07 –3 –0 Livingstone 3 –4 –05 –5 –0 Fayetteville State 2 –5 –02 –8 –0 Winston-Salem State 2 –5 –02 –8 –0 Bowie State 1 –6 –02 –8 –0 Championship: Virginia Union 33, North Carolina Central 26 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll | 1982 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Hillsdale $^ 6 –0 –012 –1 –0 Grand Valley State 5 –1 –07 –3 –0 Northwood 4 –2 –06 –4 –0 Wayne State (MI) 2 –4 –03 –7 –0 Ferris State 2 –4 –02 –6 –0 Michigan Tech 1 –5 –01 –8 –0 Saginaw Valley State 1 –5 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1982 Gulf South Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Jacksonville State $^ 7 –0 –010 –2 –0 Mississippi College 6 –1 –08 –3 –0 North Alabama 4 –3 –07 –3 –0 Delta State 3 –4 –06 –4 –0 Livingston 3 –4 –06 –4 –0 Valdosta State 2 –4 –06 –5 –1 Troy State 2 –5 –02 –8 –0 Tennessee–Martin 0 –6 –05 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll |
| 1982 Heartland Collegiate Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Ashland $ 6 –1 –08 –2 –0 Butler 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 Evansville 5 –2 –06 –4 –0 Franklin (IN) 5 –2 –06 –4 –0 Indiana Central 3 –4 –04 –6 –0 Saint Joseph's (IN) 2 –5 –04 –6 –0 Valparaiso 1 –6 –03 –7 –0 Georgetown (KY) 1 –6 –02 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1982 Lone Star Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Southwest Texas State $^ 7 –0 –014 –0 –0 Angelo State 4 –3 –07 –3 –0 East Texas State 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Abilene Christian 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Stephen F. Austin 4 –3 –06 –5 –0 Texas A&I 2 –5 –05 –6 –0 Howard Payne 1 –6 –03 –7 –0 Sam Houston State 1 –6 –03 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll | 1982 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T NE Missouri State $^ 5 –0 –09 –2 –0 Central Missouri State 3 –2 –07 –3 –0 Missouri-Rolla 3 –2 –08 –3 –0 SE Missouri State 3 –2 –05 –5 –1 NW Missouri State 0 –4 –12 –7 –1 Lincoln (MO) 0 –4 –11 –8 –1 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant |
| 1982 North Central Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 North Dakota State $^ 7 –0 –012 –1 –0 North Dakota 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 South Dakota * 4 –2 –16 –5 –0 Northern Colorado 4 –3 –05 –3 –1 Nebraska–Omaha 3 –4 –06 –5 –0 South Dakota State * 2 –4 –14 –6 –0 Augustana (SD) 2 –5 –04 –7 –0 Morningside 0 –7 –02 –9 –0 St. Cloud State † 0 –0 –04 –5 –0 Mankato State † 0 –0 –02 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant * – South Dakota and South Dakota State split two head-to-head games, which counted as a tie for each team in the conference standings. † – ineligible for the conference title Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll | 1982 Northern California Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 UC Davis $^ 5 –0 –012 –1 –0 Sacramento State 3 –2 –08 –3 –0 Cal State Hayward 3 –2 –04 –5 –1 San Francisco State 2 –3 –04 –6 –0 Chico State 1 –4 –05 –5 –0 Humboldt State 1 –4 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll | 1982 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Moorhead State $^ 5 –0 –17 –2 –1 Minnesota Duluth 5 –1 –07 –2 –0 Minnesota Morris 3 –2 –14 –4 –2 Northern State 2 –4 –03 –6 –0 Southwest State (MN) 2 –4 –02 –7 –0 Bemidji State 2 –4 –02 –8 –0 Winona State 1 –5 –03 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1982 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T East Division No. 10 East Stroudsburg xy$ 6 –0 –09 –2 –0 West Chester 4 –1 –06 –4 –0 Millersville 4 –2 –05 –4 –0 Kutztown 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Mansfield 1 –3 –13 –6 –1 Bloomsburg 1 –4 –11 –7 –1 Cheyney 1 –5 –02 –6 –0 West Division Edinboro xy 5 –1 –09 –1 –0 Slippery Rock 4 –2 –07 –3 –0 Shippensburg 4 –2 –07 –3 –0 Clarion 3 –3 –07 –3 –0 IUP 3 –3 –04 –6 –0 Lock Haven 1 –5 –05 –5 –0 California (PA) 1 –5 –01 –9 –0 Championship: East Stroudsburg 24, Edinboro 22 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantCalifornia forfeited three wins, including conference wins over IUP and Lock Haven, and a non-conference tie with Mansfield.Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll | 1982 Western Football Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Cal Poly $ 4 –0 –06 –5 –0 Santa Clara 3 –1 –07 –4 –0 Cal State Northridge 2 –2 –04 –7 –0 Cal Poly Pomona 1 –3 –01 –10 –0 Portland State 0 –4 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1982 NCAA Division II independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 9 Southern Connecticut State   –  9 –1 –0 Eastern Washington   –  8 –2 –0 Saint Mary's   –  7 –2 –1 No. 6 Northern Michigan ^   –  8 –3 –0 Central State (OH)   –  7 –4 –0 Liberty   –  7 –4 –0 Towson State   –  7 –4 –0 Arkansas–Pine Bluff   –  5 –5 –1 American International   –  4 –6 –0 New Haven   –  4 –6 –0 Morgan State   –  4 –7 –0 Kentucky State   –  2 –9 –0 Sonoma State   –  2 –9 –0 Central Connecticut   –  1 –7 –1 UCF   –  0 –10 –0 ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll |

## Conference summaries

* Conference Champions
* Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Virginia Union
* Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Hillsdale
* Gulf South Conference – Jacksonville State
* Heartland Collegiate Conference – Ashland
* Lone Star Conference – Southwest Texas State
* Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Northeast Missouri State
* North Central Conference – North Dakota State
* Northern California Athletic Conference – UC Davis
* Northern Intercollegiate Conference – Minnesota State–Moorhead
* Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – East Stroudsburg
* Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Colorado Mesa
* South Atlantic Conference – Carson-Newman
* Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Fort Valley State

## Postseason

The 1982 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 10th single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, Texas, for the second time.

### Playoff bracket

| First round Campus sites | First round Campus sites | First round Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Championship McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium McAllen, TX | Championship McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium McAllen, TX | Championship McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium McAllen, TX |
| Southwest Texas State | Southwest Texas State | 27 | | | | | | |
| Fort Valley State | Fort Valley State | 6 | | | | | | |
| Fort Valley State | Fort Valley State | 6 | Southwest Texas State | Southwest Texas State | 19 | | | |
| | | | Jacksonville State | Jacksonville State | 14 | | | |
| Jacksonville State | Jacksonville State | 34 | Jacksonville State | Jacksonville State | 14 | | | |
| Northeast Missouri State | Northeast Missouri State | 21 | | | | | | |
| Northeast Missouri State | Northeast Missouri State | 21 | | | | Southwest Texas State | Southwest Texas State | 34 |
| | | | | | | UC Davis | UC Davis | 9 |
| North Dakota State | North Dakota State | 21 | | | | | | | UC Davis | UC Davis | 9 |
| Virginia Union | Virginia Union | 20 | | | | | | |
| Virginia Union | Virginia Union | 20 | North Dakota State | North Dakota State | 14 | | | |
| | | | UC Davis | UC Davis | 19 | | | |
| UC Davis | UC Davis | 42 | UC Davis | UC Davis | 19 | | | |
| Northern Michigan | Northern Michigan | 21 | | | | | | |