# 1992 NAIA Division I football season

The 1992 NAIA Division I football season was the 37th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 23rd season of play of the NAIA's top division for football.
The season was played from August to November 1992 and culminated in the 1992 NAIA Champion Bowl playoffs and the 1992 NAIA Champion Bowl, played this year on December 12, 1992 at Ernest W. Spangler Stadium in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, on the campus of Gardner–Webb College.
The Central State (OH) defeated the Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in the Champion Bowl, 19–16, to win their second NAIA national title. It was the Marauders' third consecutive appearance in the Champion Bowl, going 1–1 in the previous two.

## Conference standings

1992 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings :
| 1992 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Central Arkansas $^ 6 –0 –09 –2 –1 No. T–7 Harding ^ 4 –2 –07 –4 –0 No. 16 Arkansas–Monticello 4 –2 –06 –4 –0 Henderson State 3 –3 –04 –6 –1 Arkansas Tech 2 –4 –04 –5 –1 Ouachita Baptist 1 –5 –02 –9 –0 Southern Arkansas 1 –5 –01 –10 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1992 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 14 Northern State $ 5 –1 –06 –5 –0 No. 13 Southwest State (MN) 4 –1 –16 –3 –1 Minnesota Duluth 4 –1 –15 –5 –1 Moorhead State 3 –3 –04 –5 –0 Bemidji State 2 –4 –02 –8 –0 Winona State 0 –6 –02 –9 –0 Minnesota Morris 1 –5 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1992 Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 SW Oklahoma State +^ 4 –1 –08 –2 –0 No. 10 East Central + 4 –1 –06 –3 –0 No. 11 Northeastern State 3 –2 –05 –2 –2 No. 12 SE Oklahoma State 3 –2 –06 –4 –0 NW Oklahoma State 1 –4 –01 –8 –1 Langston 0 –5 –04 –6 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1992 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Shepherd $^ 7 –0 –08 –4 –0 No. T–7 Concord ^ 6 –1 –07 –3 –1 No. 15 Glenville State 5 –2 –06 –4 –0 No. 17 West Virginia State 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Fairmont State 3 –4 –04 –6 –0 West Liberty State 2 –5 –03 –7 –0 West Virginia Wesleyan 1 –6 –03 –7 –0 West Virginia Tech 0 –7 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1992 South Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Gardner–Webb $^ 7 –0 –012 –2 –0 No. 5 Carson–Newman ^ 6 –1 –08 –3 –0 No. 9 Elon 5 –2 –08 –2 –0 Catawba 3 –4 –04 –6 –0 Presbyterian 3 –4 –04 –7 –0 No. 18 Lenoir–Rhyne 2 –5 –05 –5 –0 Mars Hill 1 –6 –02 –8 –1 Wingate 1 –6 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1992 NAIA Division I independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Central State (OH) ^   –  12 –1 –0 No. 20 St. Francis (IL)   –  4 –5 –0 No. 19 Western New Mexico   –  4 –5 –0 ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll |

## Conference champions

| Conference | Champion | Record |
| AIC | Central Arkansas | 6–0 |
| Northern Sun | Northern State (SD) | 5–1 |
| Oklahoma | East Central Southwestern Oklahoma State | 4–1 |
| WVIAC | Shepherd | 7–0 |

## Rankings

Final NAIA Division I poll rankings:
| Rank | Team (first place votes) | Record (thru Nov. 15) | Points |
| 1 | Central State (OH) (8) | 9–1 | 216 |
| 2 | Central Arkansas (2) | 8–1–1 | 210 |
| 3 | Gardner–Webb | 10-1 | 198 |
| 4 | Southwestern Oklahoma State | 8–1 | 185 |
| 5 | Carson–Newman | 8–2 | 166 |
| 6 | Shepherd | 7–3 | 156 |
| T–7 | Concord (1) | 7–2–1 | 144 |
| T–7 | Harding | 7–3 | 144 |
| 9 | Elon | 7–3 | 140 |
| 10 | East Central | 6–3 | 131 |
| 11 | Northeastern State | 5–2–2 | 114 |
| 12 | Southeastern Oklahoma State | 6–4 | 89 |
| 13 | Southwest State (MN) | 6–3–1 | 79 |
| 14 | Northern State | 6–5 | 74 |
| 15 | Glenville State | 6–4 | 69 |
| 16 | Arkansas–Monticello | 6–4 | 63 |
| 17 | West Virginia State | 6–4 | 58 |
| 18 | Lenoir–Rhyne | 5–5 | 32 |
| 19 | Western New Mexico | 4–5 | 22 |
| 20 | St. Francis (IL) | 4–5 | 13 |

## Postseason

| Quarterfinals November 21, 1992 Campus sites | Quarterfinals November 21, 1992 Campus sites | Quarterfinals November 21, 1992 Campus sites | Semifinals December 5, 1992 Campus sites | Semifinals December 5, 1992 Campus sites | Semifinals December 5, 1992 Campus sites | 1992 Champion Bowl December 12, 1992 Boiling Springs, NC | 1992 Champion Bowl December 12, 1992 Boiling Springs, NC | 1992 Champion Bowl December 12, 1992 Boiling Springs, NC |
| Central Arkansas | Central Arkansas | 14 | | | | | | |
| SW Oklahoma State* | SW Oklahoma State* | 2 | | | | | | |
| SW Oklahoma State* | SW Oklahoma State* | 2 | Central Arkansas | Central Arkansas | 23 | | | |
| | | | Central State (OH)* | Central State (OH)* | 30 | | | |
| Central State (OH) | Central State (OH) | 34 | Central State (OH)* | Central State (OH)* | 30 | | | |
| Harding* | Harding* | 0 | | | | | | |
| Harding* | Harding* | 0 | | | | Central State (OH) | Central State (OH) | 19 |
| | | | | | | Gardner–Webb* | Gardner–Webb* | 16 |
| Shepherd | Shepherd | 6 | | | | | | | Gardner–Webb* | Gardner–Webb* | 16 |
| Carson–Newman* | Carson–Newman* | 3 | | | | | | |
| Carson–Newman* | Carson–Newman* | 3 | Shepherd | Shepherd | 7 | | | |
| | | | Gardner–Webb* | Gardner–Webb* | 22 | | | |
| Concord | Concord | 21 | Gardner–Webb* | Gardner–Webb* | 22 | | | |
| Gardner–Webb* | Gardner–Webb* | 28 | | | | | | |