# 1991 NAIA Division I football season

The 1991 NAIA Division I football season was the 36th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 22nd season of play of the NAIA's top division for football.
The season was played from August to November 1991 and culminated in the 1991 NAIA Champion Bowl playoffs and the 1991 NAIA Champion Bowl, played this year on December 14, 1991 at McPherson Stadium in Wilberforce, Ohio, on the campus of Central State University.
The Central Arkansas Bears defeated the Central State Marauders, the defending national champions, in the Champion Bowl, 19–16, to win their third NAIA national title. It was the Bears' first non-shared national title.

## Conference changes

* This is the final season that the NAIA officially recognizes a football champion from the South Atlantic Conference. The SAC, and its eight members, would become an NCAA Division II conference by the 1993 season.

## Conference standings

1991 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings :
| 1991 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. T–7 Central Arkansas $^ 5 –0 –19 –2 –2 No. 12 Harding 4 –1 –17 –3 –1 No. 18 Southern Arkansas 4 –2 –07 –4 –0 Ouachita Baptist 3 –3 –05 –5 –0 Henderson State 2 –4 –02 –7 –1 Arkansas–Monticello 1 –5 –02 –8 –0 Arkansas Tech 1 –5 –01 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1991 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Moorhead State $^ 5 –0 –010 –2 –0 No. 9 Southwest State (MN) 5 –1 –09 –1 –0 Minnesota Duluth 4 –1 –06 –4 –0 Northern State 3 –3 –06 –5 –0 Bemidji State 1 –4 –02 –7 –0 Minnesota Morris 1 –5 –02 –9 –0 Winona State 0 –5 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1991 Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Northeastern State $^ 5 –0 –010 –1 –0 No. 14 NW Oklahoma State 4 –1 –08 –2 –0 No. 15 SW Oklahoma State 3 –2 –06 –4 –1 East Central 2 –3 –05 –4 –1 SE Oklahoma State 1 –4 –04 –5 –0 Langston 0 –5 –02 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1991 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Western State (CO) $^ 6 –0 –010 –2 –0 No. 11 Fort Hays State 4 –2 –08 –3 –0 Colorado Mines 3 –3 –06 –4 –0 Chadron State 3 –3 –05 –5 –1 Mesa State 3 –3 –03 –7 –0 No. 16 Adams State 2 –4 –06 –4 –0 Fort Lewis 0 –6 –02 –8 –0 New Mexico Highlands * 0 –0 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant * – ineligible for conference titleRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1991 South Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Carson–Newman $^ 7 –0 –010 –1 –0 No. 13 Catawba 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 No. 20 Lenoir–Rhyne 4 –3 –06 –5 –0 No. 17 Wingate 3 –4 –06 –4 –0 Elon 3 –4 –06 –5 –0 Gardner–Webb 3 –4 –06 –5 –0 Presbyterian 3 –4 –04 –7 –0 Mars Hill 1 –6 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1991 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Shepherd $^ 7 –0 –08 –3 –0 No. 10 Concord 6 –1 –08 –2 –0 No. 19 West Virginia State 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 West Liberty State 3 –3 –14 –5 –1 Glenville State 3 –4 –04 –5 –1 West Virginia Wesleyan 3 –4 –04 –5 –0 Fairmont State 1 –5 –11 –8 –1 West Virginia Tech 0 –7 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant West Virginia Tech forfeited four victories, including two conference wins, over Fairmont State and West Virginia Wesleyan.Rankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1991 NAIA Division I independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Central State (OH) ^   –  11 –2 –0 No. T–7 Iowa Wesleyan ^   –  10 –2 –0 Western New Mexico   –  4 –4 –0 ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll |

## Rankings

Final NAIA Division I poll rankings:
| Rank | Team (first place votes) | Record (thru Nov. 16) | Points |
| 1 | Northeastern State (8) | 10–0 | 252 |
| 2 | Central State (OH) (2) | 9–1 | 246 |
| 3 | Carson–Newman (3) | 7–3 | 231 |
| 4 | Moorhead State | 8–1 | 219 |
| 5 | Western State (CO) | 9–1 | 207 |
| 6 | Shepherd | 8–2 | 187 |
| T–7 | Central Arkansas | 6–2–2 | 175 |
| T–7 | Iowa Wesleyan | 10–1 | 175 |
| 9 | Southwest State (MN) | 8–1 | 155 |
| 10 | Concord | 8–2 | 139 |
| 11 | Fort Hays State | 8–3 | 132 |
| 12 | Harding | 7–3–1 | 106 |
| 13 | Catawba | 7–3 | 104 |
| 14 | Northwestern Oklahoma State | 8–2 | 98 |
| 15 | Southwestern Oklahoma State | 6–3–1 | 68 |
| 16 | Adams State | 6–4 | 52 |
| 17 | Wingate | 6–4 | 48 |
| 18 | Southern Arkansas | 6–5 | 44 |
| 19 | West Virginia State | 6–4 | 31 |
| 20 | Lenoir–Rhyne | 6–5 | 28 |

## Conference champions

| Conference | Champion | Record |
| Arkansas | Central Arkansas | 5–0–1 |
| NIC | Minnesota–Duluth | 4–1 |
| Oklahoma | Northeastern State | 5–0 |
| South Atlantic | Carson–Newman | — |
| WVIAC | Shepherd | 7–0 |

## Postseason

| Quarterfinals November 23, 1991 Campus sites | Quarterfinals November 23, 1991 Campus sites | Quarterfinals November 23, 1991 Campus sites | Semifinals December 7, 1991 Campus sites | Semifinals December 7, 1991 Campus sites | Semifinals December 7, 1991 Campus sites | 1991 Champion Bowl December 14, 1991 Wilberforce, OH | 1991 Champion Bowl December 14, 1991 Wilberforce, OH | 1991 Champion Bowl December 14, 1991 Wilberforce, OH |
| Iowa Wesleyan | Iowa Wesleyan | 14 | | | | | | |
| Moorhead State* | Moorhead State* | 47 | | | | | | |
| Moorhead State* | Moorhead State* | 47 | Moorhead State | Moorhead State | 18 | | | |
| | | | Central Arkansas* | Central Arkansas* | 38 | | | |
| Central Arkansas | Central Arkansas | 30 | Central Arkansas* | Central Arkansas* | 38 | | | |
| Northeastern State* | Northeastern State* | 14 | | | | | | |
| Northeastern State* | Northeastern State* | 14 | | | | Central Arkansas | Central Arkansas | 19 |
| | | | | | | Central State (OH)* | Central State (OH)* | 16 |
| Carson–Newman | Carson–Newman | 21 | | | | | | | Central State (OH)* | Central State (OH)* | 16 |
| Western State (CO)* | Western State (CO)* | 38 | | | | | | |
| Western State (CO)* | Western State (CO)* | 38 | Western State (CO) | Western State (CO) | 13 | | | |
| | | | Central State (OH)* | Central State (OH)* | 20 | | | |
| Shepherd | Shepherd | 22 | Central State (OH)* | Central State (OH)* | 20 | | | |
| Central State (OH)* | Central State (OH)* | 34 | | | | | | |