# 1977 NAIA Division II football season

The 1977 NAIA Division II football season was the 22nd season of college football sponsored by the NAIA and the eighth season of play of the NAIA's lower division for football.
The season was played from August to November 1977 and culminated in the 1977 NAIA Division II Football National Championship, played on the campus of California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California.
The Westminster Titans defeated the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen in the championship game, 17–9, to win their third, and second consecutive, NAIA national title.

## Conference changes

* The Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association began play this season, with five members from Texas. The TIAA would remain an NAIA conference until 1996, after which its remaining membership joined the NCAA Division III American Southwest Conference for the 1997 season.
| Team | 1976 conference | 1977 conference |
| Tarleton State | Lone Star (NAIA Division I) | TIAA (NAIA Division II) |
| Sul Ross State | Lone Star (NAIA Division I) | TIAA (NAIA Division II) |

## Conference standings

1977 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings :
| 1977 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Illinois Wesleyan + 6 –2 –06 –3 –0 Millikin + 6 –2 –06 –3 –0 North Central (IL) 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 Carthage 4 –4 –05 –4 –0 Wheaton (IL) 4 –4 –05 –4 –0 Elmhurst 4 –4 –05 –4 –0 Augustana (IL) 4 –4 –04 –5 –0 Carroll (WI) 3 –5 –04 –5 –0 North Park 0 –8 –00 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1977 Frontier Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 20 Western Montana $ 4 –0 –06 –2 –1 Carroll (MT) 3 –1 –04 –4 –0 Eastern Montana 2 –2 –02 –7 –0 Rocky Mountain 1 –3 –03 –6 –0 Montana Tech 0 –4 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1977 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 18 Grand Valley State $ 4 –1 –07 –3 –0 Wayne State (MI) 3 –2 –07 –4 –0 Hillsdale 2 –3 –06 –4 –0 Northwood 2 –3 –05 –4 –0 Saginaw Valley State 2 –3 –06 –5 –0 Ferris State 2 –3 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1977 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Missouri Valley $ 6 –0 –08 –2 –0 No. 13 Baker 4 –2 –08 –2 –0 No. T–14 Graceland 4 –2 –08 –2 –0 Ottawa 3 –3 –05 –4 –0 William Jewell 3 –3 –05 –5 –0 Central Methodist 1 –5 –03 –5 –0 Tarkio 0 –6 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1977 Hoosier–Buckeye Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Defiance + 6 –1 –16 –2 –1 Findlay + 6 –1 –16 –2 –1 Hanover 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 Wilmington (OH) 6 –2 –06 –3 –0 Taylor 4 –4 –05 –4 –0 Anderson (IN) 3 –5 –03 –6 –0 Bluffton 2 –6 –03 –6 –0 Earlham 2 –6 –03 –6 –0 Manchester (IN) 0 –8 –00 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1977 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Northeastern Illinois $ 4 –0 –06 –4 –0 Milton 3 –1 –06 –4 –0 Eureka 2 –2 –06 –4 –0 Lakeland 1 –3 –02 –7 –0 Concordia (IL) 0 –4 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1977 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 Bethany (KS) $ 8 –0 –09 –1 –0 Bethel (KS) 7 –1 –07 –2 –0 Southwestern (KS) 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 Friends 5 –3 –05 –4 –0 Sterling 3 –5 –03 –6 –0 Tabor 3 –5 –03 –6 –0 Kansas Wesleyan 2 –5 –12 –7 –1 St. Mary of the Plains 0 –6 –20 –7 –2 McPherson 0 –7 –10 –8 –1 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1977 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Saint John's (MN) $^ 7 –0 –07 –2 –0 Concordia–Moorhead 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 Gustavus Adolphus 5 –2 –06 –4 –0 St. Thomas (MN) 3 –3 –14 –5 –1 Augsburg 3 –4 –03 –6 –0 St. Olaf 2 –4 –15 –4 –1 Hamline 2 –5 –02 –7 –0 Macalester 0 –7 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1977 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 19 Midland $ 5 –0 –08 –2 –0 Doane 3½ –1½ –05 –5 –0 Hastings 2½ –2½ –06 –3 –0 Dana 2 –3 –04 –4 –0 Nebraska Wesleyan 2 –3 –02 –7 –0 Concordia (NE) 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 |
| 1977 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Valley City State $ 6 –0 –09 –0 –0 No. 12 Jamestown 4 –2 –07 –2 –0 Wahpeton Science 4 –2 –06 –2 –0 Dickinson State 3 –3 –04 –5 –0 Mayville State 3 –3 –03 –5 –0 Minot State 1 –5 –02 –7 –0 Bismarck JC 0 –6 –00 –7 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1977 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Linfield $^ 6 –0 –08 –1 –0 Pacific Lutheran 5 –1 –08 –2 –0 Willamette 4 –2 –05 –4 –0 Lewis & Clark 3 –3 –04 –4 –0 College of Idaho 2 –4 –02 –6 –0 Whitworth 1 –5 –02 –7 –0 Pacific (OR) 0 –6 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1977 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Dakota State $ 5 –0 –010 –0 –0 South Dakota Tech 4 –1 –06 –3 –0 Black Hills State 3 –2 –07 –3 –0 Huron 2 –3 –03 –6 –0 Dakota Wesleyan 1 –4 –05 –5 –0 South Dakota–Springfield 0 –5 –0 ? – ? – ? $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1977 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Redlands $ 5 –0 –06 –3 –0 No. T–14 Whittier 4 –1 –08 –2 –0 Occidental 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 La Verne 2 –3 –04 –5 –0 Claremont-Mudd 1 –4 –01 –7 –0 Pomona-Pitzer 0 –5 –00 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRedlands forfeited two non-conference wins.Rankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1977 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Tarleton State $ 4 –0 –07 –3 –0 Trinity (TX) 3 –1 –09 –2 –0 McMurry 2 –2 –06 –4 –0 Austin 1 –3 –01 –8 –0 Sul Ross 0 –4 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1977 Tri-State Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Northwestern (IA) $ 2 –0 –06 –4 –0 Westmar 1 –1 –02 –8 –0 Sioux Falls 0 –2 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference championNorthwestern (IA) and Sioux Falls played twice, but only the first meeting counted in the conference stnadings. |
| 1977 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Northern Division No. 9 West Virginia Wesleyan xy 3 –1 –07 –3 –0 Salem x 3 –1 –07 –3 –0 Shepherd x 3 –1 –06 –4 –0 West Liberty State 1 –3 –03 –6 –1 Fairmont State 0 –4 –04 –5 –0 Southern Division No. 4 Concord xy$^ 4 –0 –09 –2 –1 West Virginia Tech 3 –1 –04 –5 –0 West Virginia State 2 –2 –03 –8 –0 Glenville State 1 –3 –01 –8 –0 Bluefield State 0 –4 –02 –7 –0 Championship: Concord 33, West Virginia Wesleyan 17 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Conference standings based on power ratingsRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1977 NAIA Division II independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Westminster (PA) ^   –  11 –0 –0 No. 17 Illinois College   –  7 –1 –0 No. 2 Cal Lutheran ^   –  9 –2 –0 No. 10 Chadron State   –  8 –2 –0 No. 16 Franklin (IN)   –  8 –2 –0 No. 11 Waynesburg   –  7 –2 –0 Benedictine (KS)   –  7 –4 –0 Georgetown (KY)   –  6 –4 –0 Peru State   –  5 –5 –0 Azusa Pacific   –  4 –5 –0 Texas Lutheran   –  4 –6 –0 Simon Fraser   –  3 –5 –1 Iowa Wesleyan   –  2 –7 –0 Geneva   –  1 –8 –0 Oklahoma Panhandle State   –  1 –8 –0 ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |

## Conference champions

| Conference | Champion | Record |
| Hoosier-Buckeye | Findlay Defiance | 6–1–1 |
| Illini-Badger | Northeastern Illinois | 4–0 |
| Kansas | Bethany | 8–0 |
| Minnesota | Saint John's (MN) | 7–0 |
| Nebraska | Midland Lutheran | 5–0 |
| North Dakota | Valley City State | 4–0 |
| Pacific Northwest | Linfield | 6–0 |
| South Dakota | Dakota State | 6–0 |
| SCIAC | Redlands | 5–0 |
| Texas | Tarleton State | 4–0 |
| WVIAC | Concord | 7–1–1 |

## Postseason

| Semifinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Championship Thousand Oaks, CA | Championship Thousand Oaks, CA |
| Westminster (PA)* | 14 | | |
| Concord | 13 | | |
| Concord | 13 | Westminster (PA) | 17 |
| | | Cal Lutheran* | 9 |
| Linfield | 28 | Cal Lutheran* | 9 |
| Cal Lutheran* | 29 | | |