# 1978 NAIA Division II football season

The 1978 NAIA Division II football season, as part of the 1978 college football season in the United States and the 23rd season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the ninth season of play of the NAIA's lower division for football.
The season was played from August to November 1978 and culminated in the 1978 NAIA Division II Football National Championship, played at Donnell Stadium in Findlay, Ohio.
Concordia–Moorhead defeated Findlay in the championship game, 7–0, to win their second NAIA national title.

## Conference changes

* This is the final season that the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is officially recognized as an NAIA football conferences. The SIAC has since become an NCAA Division III conference.

## Conference standings

1978 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings :
| 1978 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 11 Elmhurst + 7 –1 –08 –1 –0 Millikin + 7 –1 –08 –1 –0 North Central (IL) 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 Carroll (WI) 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 Wheaton (IL) 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 Augustana (IL) 3 –5 –04 –5 –0 Illinois Wesleyan 3 –5 –04 –5 –0 Carthage 1 –7 –01 –8 –0 North Park 0 –8 –00 –9 –0 + – Conference co-championsRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1978 Frontier Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Carroll (MT) $^ 4 –0 –09 –1 –0 Montana Tech 2 –1 –12 –4 –2 Eastern Montana 2 –1 –12 –6 –1 Rocky Mountain 1 –3 –01 –8 –0 Western Montana 0 –4 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1978 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Missouri Valley $^ 6 –0 –09 –2 –0 No. 18 Baker 4 –2 –08 –2 –0 Ottawa 4 –2 –07 –3 –0 Central Methodist 4 –2 –06 –4 –0 William Jewell 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Graceland 1 –5 –03 –6 –0 Tarkio 0 –6 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1978 Hoosier–Buckeye Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Findlay $^ 8 –0 –011 –1 –0 Hanover 6 –2 –06 –2 –1 Defiance 5 –3 –05 –4 –0 Wilmington (OH) 4 –4 –05 –4 –0 Anderson (IN) 4 –4 –05 –4 –0 Manchester (IN) 4 –4 –04 –5 –0 Bluffton 2 –6 –02 –7 –0 Taylor 2 –6 –02 –7 –0 Earlham 1 –7 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1978 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 19 Milton $ 4 –0 –07 –2 –0 Lakeland 3 –1 –07 –3 –0 Northeastern Illinois 2 –2 –03 –7 –0 Eureka 1 –3 –04 –6 –0 Concordia (IL) 0 –4 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1978 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 Bethany (KS) $^ 8 –0 –010 –1 –0 Southwestern (KS) 7 –1 –07 –2 –0 Friends 5 –3 –05 –4 –0 McPherson 5 –3 –05 –4 –0 Tabor 4 –4 –04 –6 –0 Sterling 3 –5 –03 –6 –0 St. Mary of the Plains 3 –5 –03 –7 –0 Kansas Wesleyan 1 –7 –01 –9 –0 Bethel (KS) 0 –8 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1978 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Concordia–Moorhead * + 7 –1 –011 –1 –0 St. Olaf +^ 7 –1 –09 –2 –0 No. 15 Gustavus Adolphus 6 –2 –08 –2 –0 No. T–20 Saint John's (MN) 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 St. Thomas (MN) 4 –4 –05 –4 –0 Hamline 3 –4 –15 –4 –1 Augsburg 2 –5 –13 –6 –1 Bethel (MN) 1 –7 –02 –8 –0 Macalester 0 –8 –00 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – NAIA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1978 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 13 Hastings $ 4½ –½ –08 –1 –0 Nebraska Wesleyan 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Concordia (NE) 3 –2 –04 –5 –1 Doane 2½ –2½ –06 –4 –0 Dana 1 –4 –02 –7 –0 Midland 1 –4 –01 –8 –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 | 1978 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 10 Valley City State $ 6 –0 –08 –0 –1 No. 12 Jamestown 5 –1 –08 –1 –0 Dickinson State 4 –2 –05 –4 –0 Minot State 3 –3 –03 –4 –1 Wahpeton Science 2 –4 –02 –6 –0 Mayville State 1 –5 –01 –6 –1 Bismarck JC 0 –6 –01 –6 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1978 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Linfield $^ 5 –0 –09 –1 –0 Pacific Lutheran 3 –2 –05 –3 –0 Pacific (OR) 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Willamette 2 –3 –03 –6 –0 Whitworth 1 –4 –03 –6 –0 Lewis & Clark 1 –4 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1978 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. T–20 Dakota State $ 6 –0 –08 –2 –0 South Dakota Tech 5 –1 –07 –2 –1 Dakota Wesleyan 3 –2 –15 –4 –1 Black Hills State 3 –2 –16 –3 –1 Huron 2 –4 –02 –7 –0 South Dakota–Springfield 1 –5 –01 –7 –1 Sioux Falls 0 –6 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1978 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Redlands $ 5 –0 –09 –1 –0 Claremont-Mudd 4 –1 –06 –3 –0 Whittier 3 –2 –06 –3 –0 Occidental 2 –3 –04 –6 –0 La Verne 1 –4 –01 –7 –0 Pomona-Pitzer 0 –5 –00 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1978 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Tarleton State $^ 7 –0 –18 –1 –1 McMurry 5 –3 –07 –3 –0 Trinity (TX) 2 –4 –24 –4 –2 Austin 2 –5 –13 –6 –1 Sul Ross 2 –6 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1978 Tri-State Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Northwestern (IA) $^ 2 –0 –09 –2 –0 Westmar 2 –1 –08 –2 –0 Yankton 0 –3 –01 –8 –1 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1978 NAIA Division II independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 9 Cal Lutheran   –  8 –2 –0 Waynesburg   –  6 –2 –0 No. 16 Chadron State   –  7 –2 –2 No. 14 Westminster (PA)   –  6 –2 –1 No. 17 Illinois College   –  6 –2 –1 Peru State   –  5 –3 –2 Simon Fraser   –  4 –5 –0 Azusa Pacific   –  3 –6 –0 Benedictine (KS)   –  3 –6 –0 Texas Lutheran   –  3 –6 –0 Geneva   –  3 –7 –0 Oklahoma Panhandle State   –  2 –7 –0 Iowa Wesleyan   –  0 –9 –0 Rankings from NAIA Division II poll |

## Conference champions

| Conference | Champion | Record |
| Frontier | Carroll (MT) | 4–0 |
| Heart of America | Missouri Valley | 6–0 |
| Hoosier-Buckeye | Findlay | 8–0 |
| Illini-Badger | Milton | 4–0 |
| Kansas | Bethany | 8–0 |
| Minnesota | Concordia–Moorhead St. Olaf | 7–1 |
| Nebraska | Hastings | 4–0–1 |
| North Dakota | Valley City State | 4–0 |
| Pacific Northwest | Linfield | 5–0 |
| South Dakota | Dakota State | 6–0 |
| SCIAC | Redlands | 5–0 |
| Texas | Tarleton State | 7–0–1 |

## Postseason

| Quarterfinals Campus sites | Quarterfinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Championship Findlay, OH | Championship Findlay, OH |
| Missouri Valley* | 30 | | | | |
| Bethany (KS) | 16 | | | | |
| Bethany (KS) | 16 | Missouri Valley | 9 | | |
| | | Findlay* | 27 | | |
| Findlay* | 13 | Findlay* | 27 | | |
| Tarleton State | 6 | | | | |
| Tarleton State | 6 | | | Findlay* | 0 |
| | | | | Concordia–Moorhead | 7 |
| Concordia–Moorhead* | 49 | | | | | Concordia–Moorhead | 7 |
| Northwestern (IA) | 0 | | | | |
| Northwestern (IA) | 0 | Concordia–Moorhead | 24 | | |
| | | Linfield* | 23 | | |
| Linfield* | 32 | Linfield* | 23 | | |
| Carroll (MT) | 6 | | | | |