# 1980 NAIA Division II football season

The 1980 NAIA Division II football season, as part of the 1980 college football season in the United States and the 25th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 11th season of play of the NAIA's lower division for football.
The season was played from August to November 1980 and culminated in the 1980 NAIA Division II Football National Championship, played at the Lincoln Bowl in Tacoma, Washington.
The Pacific Lutheran Lutes defeated the Wilmington Quakers) in the championship game, 38–10, to win their first NAIA national title.

## Conference realignment
### Conference changes

* This was the final season for the Tri-State Conference. Its three remaining members, from Iowa and South Dakota, would all become independents.

## Conference standings

1980 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings :
| 1980 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Elmhurst + 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 No. 17 Illinois Wesleyan + 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 Augustana (IL) 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 Carthage 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 Millikin 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 North Central (IL) 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 North Park 2 –6 –03 –6 –0 Wheaton (IL) 1 –7 –02 –7 –0 Carroll (WI) 1 –7 –01 –8 –0 + – Conference co-championsRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1980 Frontier Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Carroll (MT) + 4 –2 –06 –4 –0 Western Montana + 4 –2 –04 –5 –0 Montana Tech 3 –3 –04 –6 –0 Rocky Mountain 1 –5 –01 –7 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1980 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 William Jewell +^ 7 –0 –111 –1 –1 No. 7 Baker +^ 7 –0 –19 –1 –1 Graceland 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 Missouri Valley 5 –3 –07 –4 –0 Ottawa 4 –4 –07 –4 –0 Culver–Stockton 3 –5 –04 –6 –0 MidAmerica Nazarene 2 –6 –04 –7 –0 Central Methodist 2 –6 –02 –8 –0 Tarkio 0 –8 –00 –10 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1980 Hoosier–Buckeye Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 9 Anderson (IN) + 7 –1 –08 –1 –0 No. 2 Wilmington (OH) +^ 7 –1 –010 –2 –0 No. 5 Hanover +^ 7 –1 –08 –2 –0 Findlay 5 –3 –05 –4 –0 Defiance 4 –4 –04 –5 –0 Earlham 2 –6 –03 –6 –0 Bluffton 2 –6 –02 –6 –1 Taylor 2 –6 –02 –7 –0 Manchester (IN) 0 –8 –00 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1980 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Milton $ 4 –0 –15 –3 –1 Concordia (IL) 3 –2 –03 –6 –0 Northeastern Illinois 3 –2 –03 –6 –0 Eureka 2 –2 –13 –5 –1 Lakeland 2 –3 –04 –6 –0 Concordia (WI) 1 –4 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1980 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 12 Bethany (KS) $ 7 –1 –09 –1 –0 Kansas Wesleyan 6 –2 –06 –4 –0 St. Mary of the Plains 6 –2 –06 –4 –0 Southwestern (KS) 4 –4 –04 –5 –0 Bethel (KS) 3 –4 –13 –5 –1 Friends 3 –5 –04 –5 –0 Sterling 2 –5 –12 –6 –1 McPherson 2 –6 –02 –7 –0 Tabor 2 –6 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1980 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Concordia–Moorhead $ 7 –1 –08 –2 –0 No.16 Gustavus Adolphus 6 –2 –07 –3 –0 Saint John's (MN) 5 –3 –05 –3 –0 Hamline 5 –3 –05 –4 –0 St. Olaf 4 –4 –06 –4 –0 Augsburg 4 –4 –05 –5 –0 St. Thomas (MN) 2 –5 –13 –6 –1 Bethel (MN) 2 –6 –02 –8 –0 Macalester 0 –7 –11 –7 –1 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1980 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 13 Hastings $ 4 –1 –08 –1 –0 Midland 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Concordia (NE) 3 –2 –05 –5 –0 Doane 3 –2 –04 –6 –0 Nebraska Wesleyan 2 –3 –03 –6 –0 Dana 0 –5 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference championHastings and Doane played twice; each game counted as ½ of a game in the conference standings.Rankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1980 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Valley City State $^ 6 –0 –010 –1 –0 No. 18 Dickinson State 4 –2 –07 –2 –0 Jamestown 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 Mayville State 3 –3 –06 –3 –0 Minot State 3 –3 –05 –4 –0 North Dakota Science 1 –5 –02 –7 –0 Bismarck JC 0 –6 –02 –5 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1980 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Linfield $^ 5 –0 –09 –1 –0 No. 1 Pacific Lutheran ^ 4 –1 –011 –1 –0 Willamette 2 –2 –13 –4 –1 Whitworth 2 –3 –02 –7 –0 Lewis & Clark 1 –3 –14 –4 –1 Pacific (OR) 0 –5 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Whitworth forfeited two gamesRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1980 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 11 South Dakota Tech $ 6 –0 –08 –1 –0 Black Hills State 5 –1 –05 –4 –0 Sioux Falls 4 –2 –05 –5 –0 Dakota State 3 –3 –05 –4 –0 Huron 2 –5 –03 –7 –0 South Dakota–Springfield 1 –5 –02 –8 –0 Dakota Wesleyan 0 –6 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1980 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Redlands $ 5 –0 –06 –4 –0 Claremont-Mudd 4 –1 –06 –3 –0 Whittier 3 –2 –05 –5 –0 Occidental 2 –3 –04 –6 –0 La Verne 1 –4 –02 –8 –0 Pomona-Pitzer 0 –5 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1980 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 McMurry $^ 9 –1 –09 –2 –0 No. 15 Austin 8 –2 –08 –2 –0 Sul Ross 6 –4 –06 –4 –0 Trinity (TX) 4 –6 –04 –6 –0 Tarleton State 3 –7 –03 –7 –0 Lubbock Christian 0 –10 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1980 Tri-State Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Northwestern (IA) 2 –0 –06 –3 –0 Westmar 1 –1 –07 –3 –0 Yankton 0 –2 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1980 NAIA Division II independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 10 Peru State   –  9 –1 –0 No. 20 Azusa Pacific   –  8 –2 –0 No. 14 Cal Lutheran   –  7 –2 –1 No. 19 Oklahoma Panhandle State   –  7 –3 –0 Waynesburg   –  5 –3 –0 Westminster (PA)   –  5 –3 –0 Simon Fraser   –  5 –4 –0 Chadron State   –  5 –5 –0 Loras   –  5 –5 –0 Geneva   –  4 –5 –0 Iowa Wesleyan   –  4 –6 –0 Texas Lutheran   –  4 –6 –0 Benedictine (KS)   –  3 –7 –0 Rankings from NAIA Division II poll |

## Conference champions

| Conference | Champion | Record |
| Frontier | Carroll (MT) Montana Western | 4–2 |
| Heart of America | William Jewell Baker (KS) | 7–0–1 |
| Hoosier-Buckeye | Anderson (IN) Hanover Wilmington (OH) | 7–1 |
| Kansas | Bethany | 7–1 |
| Minnesota | Concordia–Moorhead | 7–1 |
| Nebraska | Hastings | 4–1 |
| North Dakota | Valley City State | 4–0 |
| Northwest | Linfield | 5–0 |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Tech | 6–0 |
| Texas | McMurry | 9–1 |

## Postseason

| Quarterfinals Campus sites | Quarterfinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Championship Tacoma, WA | Championship Tacoma, WA |
| Linfield | 20 | | | | |
| Pacific Lutheran* | 35 | | | | |
| Pacific Lutheran* | 35 | Pacific Lutheran* | 32 | | |
| | | Valley City State | 0 | | |
| Valley City State | 16 | Valley City State | 0 | | |
| McMurry (TX)* | 7 | | | | |
| McMurry (TX)* | 7 | | | Pacific Lutheran* | 38 |
| | | | | Wilmington (OH) | 10 |
| Baker | 17 | | | | | Wilmington (OH) | 10 |
| William Jewell* | 20 | | | | |
| William Jewell* | 20 | William Jewell* | 17 | | |
| | | Wilmington (OH) | 31 | | |
| Hanover | 49 | Wilmington (OH) | 31 | | |
| Wilmington (OH)* (4OT) | 56 | | | | |