# 1982 NAIA Division II football season

The 1982 NAIA Division II football season, as part of the 1982 college football season in the United States and the 27th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 13th season of play of the NAIA's lower division for football.
The season was played from August to November 1982 and culminated in the 1982 NAIA Division II Football National Championship, played at Maxwell Field on the campus of Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon.
Linfield defeated William Jewell in the championship game, 33–15, to win their first NAIA national title.

## Conference standings

1982 Frontier Conference football standings :
| 1982 Frontier Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Carroll (MT) + 4 –2 –05 –5 –0 Western Montana 4 –2 –05 –5 –0 Montana Tech 3 –3 –04 –6 –0 Rocky Mountain 1 –5 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1982 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 William Jewell $^ 6 –1 –010 –2 –0 No. 20 Graceland 5 –2 –07 –2 –0 Baker 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 Missouri Valley 5 –2 –06 –3 –0 MidAmerica Nazarene 3 –4 –05 –5 –0 Tarkio 3 –4 –04 –5 –0 Central Methodist 1 –6 –02 –7 –0 Culver–Stockton 0 –7 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1982 Hoosier–Buckeye Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 10 Findlay + 7 –1 –08 –1 –0 No. 8 Wilmington (OH) +^ 7 –1 –08 –2 –0 No. 17 Hanover 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 Defiance 4 –4 –05 –4 –0 Anderson (IN) 4 –4 –04 –5 –0 Taylor 3 –5 –04 –5 –0 Bluffton 3 –5 –03 –6 –0 Manchester (IN) 2 –6 –02 –7 –0 Earlham 0 –8 –00 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1982 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Northeastern Illinois $ 4 –0 –05 –5 –0 No. 19 Concordia (WI) 3 –1 –07 –2 –0 Concordia (IL) 2 –2 –04 –4 –0 Lakeland 1 –3 –03 –6 –0 Eureka 0 –4 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1982 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Southwestern (KS) + 8 –1 –09 –2 –0 Kansas Wesleyan + 8 –1 –08 –2 –0 Sterling 7 –2 –07 –2 –0 Friends 5 –4 –05 –4 –0 Bethany (KS) 5 –4 –05 –5 –0 Ottawa 4 –5 –04 –6 –0 Tabor 4 –5 –04 –6 –0 Bethel (KS) 3 –6 –03 –6 –0 St. Mary of the Plains 1 –8 –01 –9 –0 McPherson 0 –9 –00 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1982 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Saint John's (MN) $^ 8 –0 –09 –1 –0 No. 12 St. Thomas (MN) 6 –2 –08 –2 –0 Gustavus Adolphus 6 –2 –06 –4 –0 Concordia–Moorhead 5 –3 –06 –4 –0 Hamline # 5 –3 –06 –4 –0 Augsburg 2 –5 –12 –7 –1 Bethel (MN) 1 –6 –11 –8 –1 Macalester 1 –7 –02 –8 –0 St. Olaf 1 –7 –02 –8 –0 Carleton * 0 –0 –06 –2 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant # – Hamline initially forfeited 5 conference wins—over Augsburg, St. Olaf, Macalester, Concordia–Moorhead, and Bethel (MN)—because a player was ruled ineligible under NAIA rules, but the player was later ruled eligible under MIAC code, and the wins were restored to Hamline. * – ineligible for conference titleRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1982 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Midland $ 4 –1 –05 –4 –0 Concordia (NE) 3 –2 –07 –3 –0 Doane 3 –2 –07 –4 –0 Hastings 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Nebraska Wesleyan 2 –3 –04 –5 –0 Dana 0 –5 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1982 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 11 Dickinson State + 5 –1 –08 –1 –0 Valley City State + 5 –1 –06 –2 –0 Jamestown 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 Mayville State 3 –3 –06 –3 –0 Minot State 3 –3 –04 –4 –0 North Dakota Science 1 –5 –03 –5 –1 Bismarck JC 0 –6 –03 –6 –0 + – Conference co-championsRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1982 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Linfield $^ 5 –0 –012 –0 –0 No. 13 Pacific Lutheran 4 –1 –07 –2 –0 Whitworth 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Pacific (OR) 2 –3 –02 –7 –0 Lewis & Clark 1 –4 –02 –7 –0 Willamette 0 –5 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1982 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 14 South Dakota Tech $ 7 –0 –07 –2 –0 No. 9 Sioux Falls 6 –1 –09 –1 –0 Yankton 5 –2 –08 –2 –0 Dakota State 4 –3 –05 –5 –0 Huron 3 –4 –05 –5 –0 Black Hills State 2 –5 –02 –7 –0 Dakota Wesleyan 1 –6 –01 –9 –0 South Dakota–Springfield 0 –7 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1982 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Sul Ross $^ 8 –0 –08 –1 –0 No. 15 Austin 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 Tarleton State 4 –4 –04 –4 –0 McMurry 2 –6 –02 –8 –0 Lubbock Christian 0 –8 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1982 NAIA Division II independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Northwestern (IA) ^   –  12 –1 –0 No. 5 Cal Lutheran ^   –  9 –2 –0 No. 7 Westminster (PA) ^   –  9 –2 –0 No. 18 Chadron State   –  6 –2 –0 Loras   –  7 –3 –0 Azusa Pacific   –  5 –3 –0 Benedictine (KS)   –  6 –4 –0 No. 16 Oklahoma Panhandle State   –  7 –5 –0 Waynesburg   –  4 –4 –1 Geneva   –  4 –5 –0 Texas Lutheran   –  4 –5 –0 Iowa Wesleyan   –  2 –8 –0 Simon Fraser   –  2 –8 –0 Peru State   –  1 –8 –0 Westmar   –  0 –9 –1 ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |

## Conference champions

| Conference | Champion | Record |
| Frontier | Carroll (MT) Montana Western | 4–2 |
| Heart of America | William Jewell | 6–1 |
| Hoosier-Buckeye | Findlay Wilmington (OH) | 7–1 |
| Kansas | Southwestern (KS) Kansas Wesleyan | 8–1 |
| Nebraska | Midland Lutheran | 4–1 |
| North Dakota | Dickinson State Valley City State | 5–1 |
| Pacific Northwest | Linfield | 5–0 |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Tech | 7–0 |
| Texas | Sul Ross | 8–0 |

## Postseason

| Quarterfinals Campus sites | Quarterfinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Championship McMinnville, OR | Championship McMinnville, OR |
| Saint John's (MN) | 28 | | | | |
| Northwestern (IA)* | 33 | | | | |
| Northwestern (IA)* | 33 | Northwestern (IA) | 10 | | |
| | | William Jewell* | 23 | | |
| William Jewell | 44 | William Jewell* | 23 | | |
| Sul Ross* | 43 | | | | |
| Sul Ross* | 43 | | | William Jewell | 15 |
| | | | | Linfield* | 33 |
| Wilmington (OH) | 7 | | | | | Linfield* | 33 |
| Westminster (PA)* | 14 | | | | |
| Westminster (PA)* | 14 | Westminster (PA) | 9 | | |
| | | Linfield* | 37 | | |
| Cal Lutheran | 16 | Linfield* | 37 | | |
| Linfield* | 20 | | | | |