# 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season

The 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season was the first season of Division I-AA college football. Division I-AA was created in January 1978 when Division I was subdivided into Division I-A and Division I-AA for football only. It was anticipated that 65 Division I football schools would transition to Division I-AA. Instead, just eight programs (seven teams from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, which had just joined Division I a year before, plus independent Northwestern State) voluntarily opted for Division I-AA for the 1978 season. They were joined by 35 schools that had reclassified from Division II.
The season began in August 1978 and concluded with the Division I-AA Football Championship Game, played on December 16 at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The Florida A&M Rattlers won the first I-AA championship, defeating the UMass Minutemen 35–28 in the Pioneer Bowl. Florida A&M of 1978 remains the only HBCU program to play in (and win) the I-AA/FCS national championship game.

## Initial membership

* The Southwestern Athletic was the only conference competing in the 1977 NCAA Division I football season to join Division I-AA in 1978.
* Four conferences, the Big Sky, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Ohio Valley, and Yankee, transitioned from Division II to Division I, classifying their football programs in Division I-AA.
* Of the eight programs moving to Division I-AA as independents, one came from Division I and seven came from Division II.
| School | 1977 Conference | 1978 Conference |
| Alcorn State | SWAC (D-I) | SWAC (I-AA) |
| Austin Peay | Ohio Valley (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
| Boise State | Big Sky (D-II) | Big Sky (I-AA) |
| Boston University | Yankee (D-II) | Yankee (I-AA) |
| Bucknell | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Connecticut | Yankee (D-II) | Yankee (I-AA) |
| Delaware State | MEAC (D-II) | MEAC (I-AA) |
| East Tennessee State | Ohio Valley (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
| Eastern Kentucky | Ohio Valley (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
| Florida A&M | SIAC (D-II) | I-AA Independent |
| Grambling State | SWAC (D-I) | SWAC (I-AA) |
| Howard | MEAC (D-II) | MEAC (I-AA) |
| Idaho ^ | Big Sky (D-II) | Big Sky (I-AA) |
| Idaho State | Big Sky (D-II) | Big Sky (I-AA) |
| Jackson State | SWAC (D-I) | SWAC (I-AA) |
| Lafayette | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Lehigh | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Maine | Yankee (D-II) | Yankee (I-AA) |
| Middle Tennessee State | Ohio Valley (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
| Montana | Big Sky (D-II) | Big Sky (I-AA) |
| Montana State | Big Sky (D-II) | Big Sky (I-AA) |
| Morehead State | Ohio Valley (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
| Murray State | Ohio Valley (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
| New Hampshire | Yankee (D-II) | Yankee (I-AA) |
| Northeastern | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Nevada | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| North Carolina A&T | MEAC (D-II) | MEAC (I-AA) |
| Northern Arizona | Big Sky (D-II) | Big Sky (I-AA) |
| Northwestern State | D-I Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Portland State | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Prairie View A&M | SWAC (D-I) | SWAC (I-AA) |
| Rhode Island | Yankee (D-II) | Yankee (I-AA) |
| South Carolina State | MEAC (D-II) | MEAC (I-AA) |
| Southern | SWAC (D-I) | SWAC (I-AA) |
| Tennessee Tech | Ohio Valley (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
| Texas Southern | SWAC (D-I) | SWAC (I-AA) |
| UMass | Yankee (D-II) | Yankee (I-AA) |
| Weber State | Big Sky (D-II) | Big Sky (I-AA) |
| Western Kentucky | Ohio Valley (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
    ^ Idaho was previously in Division I for football, but also a member of the Big Sky Conference (D-II for football only)

## Conference standings

1978 Big Sky Conference football standings :
| 1978 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Northern Arizona $ 6 –0 –08 –2 –0 No. T–9 Montana State 4 –2 –08 –2 –0 Montana 4 –2 –05 –6 –0 Boise State 3 –3 –07 –4 –0 Weber State 2 –4 –04 –7 –0 Idaho 2 –4 –02 –9 –0 Idaho State 0 –6 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NCAA Division I-AA AP Poll | 1978 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 South Carolina State $ 5 –0 –18 –2 –1 North Carolina A&T 4 –2 –06 –6 –0 Delaware State 3 –3 –03 –7 –0 Morgan State 2 –3 –14 –6 –1 Howard 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Maryland Eastern Shore 2 –4 –03 –8 –0 North Carolina Central 2 –4 –03 –8 –0 $ – Conference championThe conference was a hybrid of NCAA Division I-AA and Division II programs. Morgan State, Maryland-Eastern Shore, and North Carolina Central were classified as NCAA Division II. All the other teams were Division I-AA.Rankings from Associated Press poll | 1978 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. T–4 Western Kentucky $ 7 –0 –08 –2 –0 No. 8 Eastern Kentucky 6 –1 –08 –2 –0 Tennessee Tech 4 –3 –05 –6 –0 Austin Peay 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Murray State 2 –5 –04 –7 –0 Morehead State 2 –5 –02 –6 –1 East Tennessee State 2 –5 –04 –7 –0 Middle Tennessee 1 –6 –01 –9 –1 $ – Conference championRankings from Associated Press poll |
| 1978 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Grambling State $ 5 –0 –19 –1 –1 No. 2 Jackson State ^ 5 –1 –010 –2 –0 Mississippi Valley State 3 –2 –16 –3 –1 Alcorn State 2 –3 –15 –4 –1 Southern 2 –4 –04 –7 –0 Texas Southern 1 –4 –13 –7 –1 Prairie View A&M 1 –5 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantThe conference was a hybrid of NCAA Division I-AA and II programs. Mississippi Valley State and Prairie View were classified as NCAA Division II for the 1978 season. All the other teams were Division I-AA.Rankings from Associated Press poll | 1978 Yankee Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. T–4 UMass $^ 5 –0 –09 –4 –0 No. 7 Rhode Island 3 –2 –07 –3 –0 Connecticut 3 –2 –04 –7 –0 Boston University 2 –3 –06 –4 –0 New Hampshire 1 –3 –16 –4 –1 Maine 0 –4 –13 –7 –1 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from Associated Press poll | 1978 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Florida A&M ^   –  12 –1 –0 No. 1 Nevada ^   –  11 –1 –0 No. 9 Lehigh   –  8 –3 –0 Northeastern   –  6 –5 –0 Bucknell   –  5 –5 –0 Northwestern State   –  5 –6 –0 Portland State   –  5 –6 –0 Lafayette   –  4 –7 –0 ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from Associated Press poll |

## Conference champions

* Conference champions
* Big Sky Conference – Northern Arizona
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – South Carolina State
* Ohio Valley Conference – Western Kentucky
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Grambling State
* Yankee Conference – UMass

## Postseason
### NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket

The bracket consisted of three regional selections (West, East, and South) plus an at-large team. Florida A&M (FAMU) of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) was the at-large selection. While the SIAC was a Division II conference, FAMU had successfully petitioned the NCAA for Division I classification (Division I-AA in football), which took effect on September 1, 1978.
| Semifinals December 9 Campus sites | Semifinals December 9 Campus sites | Semifinals December 9 Campus sites | National Championship Game December 17 Pioneer Bowl Memorial Stadium–Wichita Falls, TX | National Championship Game December 17 Pioneer Bowl Memorial Stadium–Wichita Falls, TX | National Championship Game December 17 Pioneer Bowl Memorial Stadium–Wichita Falls, TX |
| AtLg | Florida A&M | 15 | | | |
| South | Jackson State* | 10 | | | |
| South | Jackson State* | 10 | AtLg | Florida A&M | 35 |
| | | | East | UMass | 28 |
| East | UMass | 44 | East | UMass | 28 |
| West | Nevada* | 21 | | | |
* Denotes host institution