# 1987 NCAA Division II football season

The 1987 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began in August 1987, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 12, 1987, at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Troy State Trojans defeated the Portland State Vikings, 31–17, to win their second Division II national title.
The Harlon Hill Trophy was awarded to Johnny Bailey, running back from Texas A&I.

## Conference changes and new programs

* One program departed Division II for Division I-AA prior to the season.
| School | 1986 Conference | 1987 Conference |
| Central State (OH) | Independent | NAIA Independent |
| Howard Payne | Lone Star | NAIA Independent |
| Towson State | Independent | I-AA Independent |

## Conference standings

1987 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings :
| 1987 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Northern No. 15 Hampton xy 6 –1 –09 –3 –0 Virginia State 6 –1 –07 –3 –1 Virginia Union 4 –3 –07 –3 –0 Norfolk State 2 –5 –04 –7 –0 Elizabeth City State 1 –6 –03 –8 –0 Saint Paul's (VA) 0 –7 –00 –11 –0 Southern No. 12 Winston-Salem State xy$^ 7 –0 –09 –3 –0 Fayetteville State 4 –1 –26 –2 –2 Johnson C. Smith 4 –2 –14 –5 –2 North Carolina Central 3 –4 –06 –5 –0 Bowie State 2 –4 –14 –6 –1 Livingstone 2 –5 –02 –8 –0 Championship: Winston-Salem State 22, Hampton 12 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll | 1987 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Northern Michigan $^ 4 –0 –010 –2 –0 Grand Valley State 4 –1 –07 –4 –0 Hillsdale 2 –3 –06 –5 –0 Saginaw Valley State 2 –3 –05 –5 –0 Ferris State 2 –3 –04 –7 –0 Wayne State (MI) 0 –4 –04 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll | 1987 Gulf South Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Troy State $^ 8 –0 –012 –1 –1 Mississippi College 5 –3 –06 –5 –0 North Alabama 4 –3 –17 –3 –1 Valdosta State 4 –4 –06 –4 –0 Delta State 3 –4 –16 –4 –1 Jacksonville State 3 –4 –15 –4 –1 Livingston 3 –4 –15 –5 –1 Tennessee–Martin 3 –5 –05 –6 –0 West Georgia 1 –7 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll |
| 1987 Heartland Collegiate Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Butler $ 4 –0 –18 –1 –1 Ashland 3 –1 –17 –2 –1 Indianapolis 3 –2 –06 –4 –0 Valparaiso 2 –3 –03 –6 –0 Saint Joseph's (IN) 1 –3 –15 –4 –1 Evansville 0 –4 –14 –5 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1987 Lone Star Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Texas A&I + 4 –1 –09 –2 –0 No. 9 Angelo State +^ 4 –1 –08 –3 –0 No. 13 Eastern New Mexico 3 –2 –09 –2 –0 Abilene Christian 2 –3 –05 –6 –0 West Texas State 2 –3 –05 –6 –0 East Texas State 0 –5 –02 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll | 1987 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Central Missouri State + 4 –0 –17 –3 –1 SE Missouri State + 4 –0 –16 –4 –1 NE Missouri State 3 –2 –04 –7 –0 Missouri–Rolla 2 –3 –05 –5 –0 NW Missouri State 1 –4 –03 –8 –0 Lincoln (MO) 0 –5 –02 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions |
| 1987 North Central Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Mankato State $^ 8 –1 –09 –3 –0 St. Cloud State 6 –3 –07 –4 –0 North Dakota State 6 –3 –06 –4 –0 Nebraska–Omaha 5 –4 –07 –4 –0 South Dakota 5 –4 –07 –4 –0 North Dakota 5 –4 –06 –4 –0 South Dakota State 4 –5 –05 –5 –0 Morningside 3 –6 –04 –7 –0 Northern Colorado 2 –7 –03 –8 –0 Augustana (SD) 1 –8 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll | 1987 Northern California Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 10 UC Davis $ 5 –0 –08 –2 –0 Chico State 3 –2 –03 –6 –0 Humboldt State 2 –2 –13 –7 –1 Sonoma State 2 –3 –05 –6 –0 Cal State Hayward 2 –3 –02 –8 –0 San Francisco State 0 –4 –11 –8 –1 $ – Conference championRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll | 1987 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Minnesota Morris $ 5 –1 –07 –3 –0 No. 14 Southwest State (MN) 4 –1 –17 –4 –1 No. 16 Moorhead State ^ 4 –2 –09 –3 –0 Northern State 4 –2 –07 –4 –0 Winona State 2 –4 –03 –8 –0 Bemidji State 0 –5 –12 –7 –1 Minnesota Duluth 0 –6 –00 –11 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Minnesota Duluth forfeited 8 wins including 5 conference wins, over Minnesota Morris, Moorhead State, Northern State, Winona State, and Bemidji State.Rankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1987 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T East Division No. 2 West Chester xy 6 –0 –09 –2 –0 No. 14 Bloomsburg 4 –2 –08 –3 –0 Millersville 4 –2 –07 –3 –0 Kutztown 3 –3 –03 –7 –0 East Stroudsburg 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Mansfield 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Cheyney 0 –6 –02 –8 –0 West Division No. 6 IUP xy$^ 6 –0 –010 –2 –0 No. 16 Clarion 5 –1 –07 –3 –0 California (PA) 3 –3 –06 –5 –0 Shippensburg 3 –3 –04 –6 –0 Slippery Rock 3 –3 –04 –6 –0 Edinboro 1 –5 –03 –8 –0 Lock Haven 0 –6 –02 –9 –0 Championship: IUP 21, West Chester 9 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll | 1987 Western Football Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Portland State $^ 6 –0 –011 –2 –1 Cal State Northridge 4 –2 –07 –4 –0 Cal Poly 3 –3 –07 –3 –0 Santa Clara 3 –3 –06 –5 –0 Southern Utah State 2 –4 –05 –6 –0 Sacramento State 2 –4 –04 –7 –0 Cal Lutheran 1 –5 –05 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll | 1987 NCAA Division II independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 16 New Haven   –  8 –2 –0 Saint Mary's   –  8 –3 –0 No. 11 UCF ^   –  9 –4 –0 Springfield   –  5 –3 –1 Central Connecticut   –  4 –4 –1 American International   –  3 –5 –2 Liberty   –  3 –7 –0 Kentucky State   –  2 –8 –1 Michigan Tech   –  2 –7 –0 Southern Connecticut State   –  1 –9 –0 ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll |

## Conference summaries

* Conference Champions
* Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Winston-Salem State
* Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Northern Michigan
* Gulf South Conference – Troy State
* Heartland Collegiate Conference – Butler
* Lone Star Conference – Angelo State and Texas A&I
* Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Central Missouri State and Southeast Missouri State
* North Central Conference – Minnesota State–Mankato
* Northern California Athletic Conference – UC Davis
* Northern Intercollegiate Conference – Minnesota–Morris
* Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Indiana (PA)
* Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Colorado Mesa
* South Atlantic Conference – Gardner–Webb
* Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Alabama A&M and Tuskegee
* Western Football League – Portland State

## Postseason

The 1987 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 15th single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, for the second time.

### Playoff bracket

| First round Campus sites | First round Campus sites | First round Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Championship Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL | Championship Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL | Championship Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL |
| Portland State | Portland State | 27 | | | | | | |
| Mankato State | Mankato State | 21 | | | | | | |
| Mankato State | Mankato State | 21 | Portland State | Portland State | 13 | | | |
| | | | Northern Michigan | Northern Michigan | 7 | | | |
| Northern Michigan | Northern Michigan | 23* | Northern Michigan | Northern Michigan | 7 | | | |
| Angelo State | Angelo State | 20 | | | | | | |
| Angelo State | Angelo State | 20 | | | | Portland State | Portland State | 17 |
| | | | | | | Troy State | Troy State | 31 |
| UCF | UCF | 12 | | | | | | | Troy State | Troy State | 31 |
| IUP | IUP | 10 | | | | | | |
| IUP | IUP | 10 | UCF | UCF | 10 | | | |
| | | | Troy State | Troy State | 31 | | | |
| Troy State | Troy State | 45 | Troy State | Troy State | 31 | | | |
| Winston-Salem State | Winston-Salem State | 14 | | | | | | |