# 1974 NAIA Division I football season

The 1974 NAIA Division I football season was the 19th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA and the fifth season of the league's two-division structure.
The season was played from August to November 1974 and culminated in the 1974 NAIA Division I Champion Bowl, played on December 14, 1974, on the campus of Texas A&I University in Kingsville, Texas. Texas A&I defeated Elon in the Champion Bowl, 34–23, to win their third NAIA national title.

## Conference realignment
### Conferences changes

* This was the first season for the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference. The second conference to bear this name, it was formed by six former members of the Oklahoma Collegiate Conference, which disbanded after the prior season. All six initial members were public colleges from Oklahoma.
* This was the final season of football for the Carolinas Conference. Before the start of the following season, the league's five members would subsequently join the new, football-only South Atlantic Conference.

### Membership changes

| Team | 1973 conference | 1974 conference |
| Central State | Oklahoma Collegiate | Oklahoma Intercollegiate |
| East Central Oklahoma State | Oklahoma Collegiate | Oklahoma Intercollegiate |
| Northeastern Oklahoma State | Oklahoma Collegiate | Oklahoma Intercollegiate |
| Northwestern Oklahoma State | Oklahoma Collegiate | Oklahoma Intercollegiate |
| Southeastern Oklahoma State | Oklahoma Collegiate | Oklahoma Intercollegiate |
| Southwestern Oklahoma State | Oklahoma Collegiate | Oklahoma Intercollegiate |

## Conference standings

1974 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings :
| 1974 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Henderson State $^ 6 –0 –011 –2 –0 No. 13 Ouachita Baptist 4 –1 –17 –2 –1 Harding 3 –2 –15 –4 –1 Southern Arkansas 3 –3 –07 –4 –0 State College of Arkansas 2 –2 –26 –3 –2 Arkansas–Monticello 1 –5 –03 –7 –0 Arkansas Tech 0 –6 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1974 Carolinas Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4/15 Elon $^ 4 –0 –010 –2 –0 Lenoir Rhyne 2 –1 –07 –3 –1 Catawba 1 –2 –15 –4 –1 Mars Hill 1 –3 –07 –4 –0 Guilford 0 –2 –17 –3 –1 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll and AP small college poll | 1974 Evergreen Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Eastern Washington $ 4 –2 –04 –5 –0 Oregon College 3 –2 –13 –4 –1 Central Washington 3 –2 –13 –5 –1 Eastern Oregon 3 –3 –05 –4 –0 Southern Oregon 3 –3 –05 –4 –0 Oregon Tech 2 –2 –23 –3 –2 Western Washington 1 –5 –01 –7 –1 $ – Conference champion |
| 1974 Great Plains Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Northern Colorado $ 5 –0 –08 –1 –0 Pittsburg State 4 –1 –04 –7 –0 Washburn 3 –2 –08 –3 –0 Southern Colorado 1 –4 –03 –6 –0 Emporia State 1 –4 –02 –7 –0 Fort Hays State 1 –4 –01 –9 –0 Kearney State * 0 –0 –07 –2 –0 $ – Conference champion * – ineligible for conference standings | 1974 Gulf South Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Jacksonville State $ 7 –1 –07 –4 –0 Delta State 7 –2 –08 –3 –0 No. 8 Livingston 5 –3 –08 –3 –0 Southeastern Louisiana 5 –3 –06 –4 –0 Troy State 4 –4 –06 –4 –0 North Alabama 4 –4 –04 –6 –0 Nicholls State 4 –5 –05 –6 –0 Northwestern State 1 –6 –01 –10 –0 Tennessee–Martin 1 –7 –02 –9 –0 Mississippi College 0 –7 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1974 Lone Star Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1/3 Texas A&I $^ 9 –0 –013 –0 –0 No. 5 Stephen F. Austin 7 –2 –09 –2 –0 Abilene Christian 6 –3 –07 –4 –0 Southwest Texas State 6 –3 –06 –4 –0 East Texas State 5 –4 –07 –4 –0 Howard Payne 4 –5 –05 –6 –0 Sam Houston State 4 –5 –04 –7 –0 Angelo State 3 –4 –04 –6 –0 Sul Ross 1 –8 –01 –9 –0 Tarleton State 0 –9 –01 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll and AP small college poll |
| 1974 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 11 South Carolina State $ 5 –1 –08 –4 –0 Howard 4 –1 –18 –2 –1 North Carolina Central 4 –1 –17 –2 –2 Morgan State 4 –2 –05 –5 –0 North Carolina A&T 2 –4 –05 –6 –0 Maryland Eastern Shore 1 –5 –02 –6 –0 Delaware State 0 –6 –03 –6 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1974 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Concordia–Moorhead + 5 –2 –07 –2 –0 No. 20 Saint John's (MN) + 5 –2 –07 –2 –0 Minnesota–Duluth 4 –2 –17 –2 –1 Hamline 4 –2 –14 –5 –1 St. Thomas (MN) 4 –3 –05 –4 –0 Gustavus Adolphus 4 –3 –04 –6 –0 Augsburg 3 –4 –05 –5 –0 St. Olaf 1 –6 –03 –6 –0 Macalester 1 –6 –02 –8 –0 + – Conference co-championsMacalester's win over Gustavus Adolphus counted in the conference standings for Macalester, but not for Gustavus Adolphus.Rankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1974 Nebraska College Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Kearney State $ 3 –0 –07 –2 –0 Chadron State 2 –1 –06 –3 –0 Wayne State (NE) 1 –2 –04 –6 –0 Peru State 0 –3 –04 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1974 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Michigan Tech $ 6 –0 –09 –0 –0 St. Cloud State 5 –1 –05 –5 –0 Winona State 3 –3 –05 –4 –0 Moorhead State 3 –3 –04 –5 –0 Southwest State (MN) 2 –4 –04 –5 –0 Minnesota Morris 2 –4 –03 –7 –0 Bemidji State 0 –6 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1974 Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 14 SW Oklahoma State $ 4 –1 –06 –3 –0 SE Oklahoma State 3 –2 –05 –5 –0 NW Oklahoma State 2 –2 –07 –3 –0 Central State (OK) 2 –3 –05 –5 –0 East Central 2 –3 –04 –7 –0 Northeastern State 1 –3 –04 –5 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1974 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T East Division West Chester xy 5 –0 –08 –2 –0 No. 6 Millersville 5 –1 –08 –1 –0 East Stroudsburg 4 –2 –05 –5 –0 Kutztown 3 –3 –04 –5 –0 Cheyney 2 –4 –05 –4 –0 Mansfield 0 –4 –11 –7 –1 Bloomsburg 0 –5 –11 –7 –1 West Division No. 13 Slippery Rock xy$^ 5 –0 –19 –1 –1 Clarion 4 –1 –16 –2 –1 Indiana (PA) 4 –2 –06 –4 –0 Shippensburg 3 –3 –06 –4 –0 Edinboro 2 –2 –25 –2 –2 California (PA) 1 –5 –01 –7 –0 Lock Haven 0 –6 –01 –8 –0 Championship: Slippery Rock 20, West Chester 7 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from AP small college poll for Slippery Rock and NAIA Division I poll for Millersville |
| 1974 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Western State (CO) $ 5 –1 –06 –3 –0 Westminster (UT) 3 –3 –06 –3 –0 Adams State 3 –3 –05 –4 –0 Fort Lewis 3 –3 –04 –5 –0 Southern Utah 3 –3 –03 –6 –0 Western New Mexico 2 –4 –04 –5 –0 Colorado Mines 2 –4 –03 –6 –0 New Mexico Highlands * 0 –0 –04 –5 –0 $ – Conference champion * – ineligible for conference standings | 1974 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Grambling State + 5 –1 –011 –1 –0 No. 14 Alcorn State +^ 5 –1 –09 –2 –0 No. 10 Jackson State 4 –2 –07 –3 –0 No. 12 Southern 3 –3 –08 –3 –0 Texas Southern 3 –3 –06 –4 –0 Mississippi Valley State 1 –5 –05 –5 –0 Prairie View A&M 0 –6 –00 –10 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from AP small college poll for Grambling State and Alconrn State and NAIA Division I poll for Jackson State and Southern | 1974 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Northern Division Fairmont State xy$ 4 –0 –07 –4 –0 No. 15 Salem 3 –1 –07 –2 –0 West Liberty State 2 –2 –05 –4 –0 Shepherd 1 –2 –02 –9 –0 West Virginia Wesleyan 0 –4 –01 –8 –0 Southern Division Concord xy 3 –1 –06 –5 –0 Bluefield State 3 –1 –05 –4 –0 Glenville State 3 –1 –05 –4 –0 West Virginia Tech 1 –3 –05 –4 –0 West Virginia State 0 –4 –01 –8 –0 Championship: Fairmont State 30, Concord 6 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantConference standings based on power ratingsRankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1974 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 17 Wisconsin–Platteville + 7 –1 –08 –2 –0 No. 18 Wisconsin–Whitewater + 7 –1 –08 –3 –0 No. 16 Wisconsin–La Crosse + 7 –1 –07 –3 –0 Wisconsin–River Falls 5 –3 –07 –3 –0 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 4 –4 –06 –4 –0 Wisconsin–Oshkosh 2 –6 –03 –7 –0 Wisconsin–Stevens Point 2 –6 –03 –7 –0 Wisconsin–Stout 1 –7 –02 –8 –0 Wisconsin–Superior 1 –7 –01 –9 –0 + – Conference co-championsWisconsin–La Crosse forfeited one non-conference game.Rankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1974 NAIA Division I independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Cameron ^   –  9 –3 –0 No. 19 Eastern New Mexico   –  7 –4 –0 Wofford   –  7 –4 –0 Kentucky State   –  6 –4 –0 Presbyterian   –  6 –5 –0 New Mexico Highlands   –  4 –5 –0 Langston   –  1 –9 –0 ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll |

## Postseason

| Semifinals November 30–December 7, 1974 | Semifinals November 30–December 7, 1974 | Semifinals November 30–December 7, 1974 | 1974 NAIA Champion Bowl December 7, 1974 Kingsville, TX | 1974 NAIA Champion Bowl December 7, 1974 Kingsville, TX | 1974 NAIA Champion Bowl December 7, 1974 Kingsville, TX |
| Henderson State | Henderson State | 7 | | | |
| Elon* | Elon* | 21 | | | |
| Elon* | Elon* | 21 | Elon | Elon | 23 |
| | | | Texas A&I* | Texas A&I* | 34 |
| Cameron | Cameron | 18 | Texas A&I* | Texas A&I* | 34 |
| Texas A&I* | Texas A&I* | 21 | | | |