# 1986 NAIA Division II football season

The 1986 NAIA Division II football season, as part of the 1986 college football season in the United States and the 31st season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 17th season of play of the NAIA's lower division for football.
The season was played from August to November 1986 and culminated in the 1986 NAIA Division II Football National Championship, played at Maxwell Field on the campus of Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon.
Linfield defeated Baker in the championship game, 17–0, to win their third NAIA national title.

## Conference standings

1986 Columbia Football League standings :
| 1986 Columbia Football League standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Northern Division No. 5 Pacific Lutheran x^ 6 –0 –08 –1 –0 No. 19 Central Washington 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 Puget Sound 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 No. 18 Simon Fraser 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 Whitworth 1 –4 –12 –6 –1 Western Washington 1 –5 –02 –7 –0 Eastern Oregon 0 –5 –10 –8 –1 Southern Division No. 1 Linfield x^ 6 –0 –012 –0 –0 No. 13 Western Oregon 5 –1 –07 –2 –0 Oregon Tech 4 –2 –05 –4 –0 Southern Oregon 2 –4 –04 –5 –0 Willamette 2 –4 –04 –5 –0 Pacific (OR) 1 –5 –02 –7 –0 Lewis & Clark 1 –5 –01 –8 –0 x – Division champion/co-champions^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll for Central Washington, Simon Fraser, and Western Oregon and NAIA Division II poll for Pacific Lutheran and Linfield | 1986 Frontier Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Carroll (MT) $^ 6 –0 –09 –1 –0 Western Montana 3 –3 –04 –4 –0 Rocky Mountain 3 –3 –04 –5 –0 Montana Tech 0 –6 –00 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1986 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Baker $^ 7 –0 –09 –2 –0 Culver–Stockton 4 –3 –04 –5 –1 Missouri Valley 4 –3 –04 –6 –0 William Jewell 4 –3 –04 –6 –0 Central Methodist 3 –4 –04 –6 –0 Tarkio 2 –5 –05 –5 –0 MidAmerica Nazarene 2 –5 –04 –5 –0 Graceland 2 –5 –04 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1986 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 13 Lakeland $ 5 –0 –09 –1 –0 Concordia (WI) 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Eureka 3 –2 –03 –5 –1 Concordia (IL) 2 –3 –03 –6 –0 Northeastern Illinois 1 –4 –03 –7 –0 Principia 1 –4 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1986 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 12 Bethany (KS) $ 8 –1 –08 –1 –0 No. 15 Bethel (KS) 7 –2 –07 –2 –0 No. 19 Southwestern (KS) 7 –2 –07 –3 –0 Kansas Wesleyan 6 –3 –06 –4 –0 Sterling 6 –3 –06 –4 –0 St. Mary of the Plains 4 –5 –04 –6 –0 Tabor 3 –6 –03 –6 –0 Friends 2 –7 –02 –7 –0 Ottawa 2 –7 –02 –8 –0 McPherson 0 –9 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1986 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 14 Nebraska Wesleyan $ 5 –0 –07 –3 –0 Hastings 3 –2 –06 –4 –0 Dana 3 –2 –06 –4 –0 Doane 3 –2 –05 –5 –0 Concordia (NE) 1 –4 –04 –6 –0 Midland 0 –5 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1986 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Dickinson State $^ 5 –0 –09 –1 –0 Valley City State 4 –1 –06 –3 –0 Minot State 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Jamestown 2 –3 –05 –4 –0 Mayville State 1 –4 –02 –7 –0 NDSCS–Wahpeton 0 –5 –01 –5 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1986 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Huron $^ 5 –0 –09 –1 –1 South Dakota Tech 3 –2 –03 –6 –0 Dakota Wesleyan 2 –3 –04 –6 –0 Black Hills State 2 –3 –03 –6 –0 Sioux Falls 2 –3 –03 –7 –0 Dakota State 1 –4 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1986 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 Tarleton State $ 6 –0 –09 –1 –1 Austin 2 –4 –06 –4 –0 McMurry 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Sul Ross 2 –4 –03 –6 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1986 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Wisconsin–La Crosse +* 7 –1 –010 –2 –0 Wisconsin–River Falls + 7 –1 –08 –2 –0 No. T–15 Wisconsin–Stevens Point +^ 7 –1 –08 –4 –0 Wisconsin–Whitewater 4 –3 –16 –3 –1 Wisconsin–Platteville 3 –5 –06 –5 –0 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 3 –5 –04 –6 –0 Wisconsin–Stout 2 –5 –12 –8 –1 Wisconsin–Oshkosh 2 –6 –04 –6 –0 Wisconsin–Superior 0 –8 –01 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – NAIA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll for Wisconsin–La Crosse and NCAA Division III poll for Wisconsin–Stevens Point | 1986 NAIA Division II independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 9 Hanover   –  8 –1 –0 No. 16 Northwestern (IA)   –  8 –2 –0 No. 19 Oklahoma Panhandle State   –  7 –2 –0 No. 11 Benedictine (KS)   –  7 –3 –0 No. 18 Union (KY)   –  7 –3 –0 Bluffton   –  6 –3 –0 No. 17 Westminster (PA)   –  6 –3 –0 No. 20 Wilmington (OH)   –  6 –3 –0 Westmar   –  6 –3 –1 Evangel   –  6 –4 –0 St. Ambrose   –  6 –4 –0 St. Francis (IL)   –  6 –4 –0 Findlay   –  5 –4 –0 Geneva   –  4 –6 –0 Waynesburg   –  4 –6 –0 Chadron State   –  3 –6 –0 Cumberland (KY)   –  3 –7 –0 Iowa Wesleyan   –  3 –7 –0 Peru State   –  3 –7 –0 Tiffin   –  2 –8 –0 Azusa Pacific   –  0 –7 –2 Texas Lutheran   –  1 –9 –0 Azusa Pacific forfeited 5 winsRankings from NAIA Division II poll |

## Conference champions

| Conference | Champion | Record |
| Columbia | Northern Division: Pacific Lutheran Southern Division: Linfield | 6–0 6–0 |
| Frontier | Carroll (MT) | 6–0 |
| Heart of America | Baker | 6–0 |
| Illini-Badger | Lakeland | 5–0 |
| Kansas | Bethany | 8–1 |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Wesleyan | 5–0 |
| North Dakota | Dickinson State | 5–0 |
| South Dakota | Huron (SD) | 5–0 |
| Texas | Tarleton State | 6–0 |
| WSUC | Wisconsin–La Crosse Wisconsin–River Falls Wisconsin–Stevens Point | 7–1 |

## Postseason

| Quarterfinals Campus sites | Quarterfinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Championship McMinnville, OR | Championship McMinnville, OR |
| Wisconsin–La Crosse | 35 | | | | |
| Hanover* | 33 | | | | |
| Hanover* | 33 | Wisconsin–La Crosse* | 14 | | |
| | | Baker | 16 | | |
| Huron (SD) | 20 | Baker | 16 | | |
| Baker* | 49 | | | | |
| Baker* | 49 | | | Baker | 0 |
| | | | | Linfield* | 17 |
| Carroll (MT) | 21 | | | | | Linfield* | 17 |
| Dickinson State* | 16 | | | | |
| Dickinson State* | 16 | Carroll (MT) | 7 | | |
| | | Linfield* | 53 | | |
| Linfield (OT) | 27 | Linfield* | 53 | | |
| Pacific Lutheran* | 21 | | | | |