1982 NCAA Division I-AA football season

American college football season August 2023 December 2025 1982 File:NCAA primary logo 1980.svg 92 August–November November 27–December 18 December 18, 1982 Memorial StadiumWichita Falls, Texas Eastern Kentucky The 1982 NCAA Division I-AA football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I-AA level, began in August 1982 and concluded with the 1982 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game in the Pioneer Bowl on December 18, at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The Eastern Kentucky Colonels won their second I-AA championship, defeating the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens, 17−14.1982 NCAA Division I Football Championship http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_champs_records/2012/d1/2012FCSfbchamp.pdf NCAA.org December 29, 2013 14https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9vNVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QuIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6712%2C5404771 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon Associated Press Breaks seal Colonels' win December 19, 1982 10F https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CVkvAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9toFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1778%2C4200526 Beaver County Times Pennsylvania E. Kentucky 17, Delaware 14 December 19, 1982 C14 Conference changes and new programs Upon the expiration of the four-year limit for compliance with Division I-A football criteria (set in January 1978), 41 NCAA Division I-A teams were reclassified from Division I-A to Division I-AA:https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/437232551/ The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts on August 28, 1982 · 32 Ivy League — all eight members. Yale met the requirements to stay in I-A, but voluntarily chose to downgrade to I-AA to remain with the rest of the Ivy League. Southern Conference — all eight members Southland Conference — five members. McNeese State and Southwestern Louisiana met the requirements to remain in I-A; McNeese State voluntarily chose to downgrade to I-AA to remain with the rest of the Southland, while Southwestern Louisiana remained in Division I-A as an Independent. Missouri Valley Conference — five members, with New Mexico State, Tulsa, and Wichita State remaining in I-A but also remaining in the conference. This was the onset of a four-year period in which the MVC functioned as a hybrid I-A/I-AA conference. Mid-American Conference — eight members, with only Central Michigan and Toledo maintaining I-A status. Several of the demoted schools appealed the demotion, with the result that all eight MAC members involuntarily reclassified to I-AA for 1982 were returned to I-A as of 1983.https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/101713298/ The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio on August 27, 1982 · Page 19 Independent Cincinnati was reclassified to I-AA along with the MAC schools but filed an injunction against the NCAA to postpone their demotion until after the 1982 season, and was successful in remaining in I-A.https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/101716134/ The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio on September 24, 1982 · Page 23 The successful appeals of Cincinnati (effective 1982) and the MAC schools (effective 1983) meant that 40 Division I-A members joined I-AA in 1982, of which 32 remained in 1983. School 1981 Conference 1982 Conference Alabama State D-II Independent Independent (I-AA) Appalachian State Southern (I-A) Southern (I-AA) Arkansas State Southland (I-A) Southland (I-AA) Ball State MAC (I-A) MAC (I-AA) Bowling Green MAC (I-A) MAC (I-AA) Brown Ivy (I-A) Ivy (I-AA) Chattanooga Southern (I-A) Southern (I-AA) Colgate I-A Independent I-AA Independent Columbia Ivy (I-A) Ivy (I-AA) Cornell Ivy (I-A) Ivy (I-AA) Dartmouth Ivy (I-A) Ivy (I-AA) Drake Missouri Valley (I-A) Missouri Valley (I-AA) East Tennessee State Southern (I-A) Southern (I-AA) Eastern Michigan MAC (I-A) MAC (I-AA) Furman Southern (I-A) Southern (I-AA) Harvard Ivy (I-A) Ivy (I-AA) Holy Cross I-A Independent I-AA Independent Illinois State Missouri Valley (I-A) Missouri Valley (I-AA) Indiana State Missouri Valley (I-A) Missouri Valley (I-AA) Kent State MAC (I-A) MAC (I-AA) Lamar Southland (I-A) Southland (I-AA) Northeast Louisiana I-A Independent Southland (I-AA) Louisiana Tech Southland (I-A) Southland (I-AA) Marshall Southern (I-A) Southern (I-AA) McNeese State Southland (I-A) Southland (I-AA) Miami (OH) MAC (I-A) MAC (I-AA) North Texas State I-A Independent I-AA Independent Northern Illinois MAC (I-A) MAC (I-AA) Ohio MAC (I-A) MAC (I-AA) Penn Ivy (I-A) Ivy (I-AA) Princeton Ivy (I-A) Ivy (I-AA) Richmond I-A Independent I-AA Independent Southern Illinois Missouri Valley (I-A) Missouri Valley (I-AA) Texas–Arlington Southland (I-A) Southland (I-AA) The Citadel Southern (I-A) Southern (I-AA) VMI Southern (I-A) Southern (I-AA) West Texas State Missouri Valley (I-A) Missouri Valley (I-AA) Western Carolina Southern (I-A) Southern (I-AA) Western Kentucky Ohio Valley I-AA Independent Western Michigan MAC (I-A) MAC (I-AA) William & Mary I-A Independent I-AA Independent Yale Ivy (I-A) Ivy (I-AA) Conference standings Conference champions List of NCAA Division I-AA/FCS football seasons Conference championsBig Sky Conference – Montana (tiebreaker over Idaho, Montana State) Ivy League – Dartmouth, Harvard, and Penn Mid-Continent Conference – Eastern Illinois Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – South Carolina State Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky Southern Conference– Furman Southland Conference – Louisiana Tech Southwestern Athletic Conference – Jackson State Yankee Conference – Boston University, Connecticut, Maine, and Massachusetts Postseason The playoffs expanded from eight to twelve teams this season; four years later, in 1986, the field was expanded to sixteen teams. NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket The top four teams were seeded, and received first-round byes.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28120691/blue_hens_get_berth_earn_opening_bye/ Blue Hens Get Berth; Earn Opening Bye AP The Daily Times Salisbury, Maryland 10 November 22, 1982 February 6, 2019 newspapers.com First RoundNovember 27Campus sites QuarterfinalsDecember 4Campus sites SemifinalsDecember 11Campus sites National Championship GameDecember 18Memorial StadiumWichita Falls, Texas Idaho* 21 Montana 7 Eastern Illinois* 16 Jackson State 13 Furman* 0 South Carolina State 17 Colgate* 21 Boston University 7 (1) Eastern Kentucky* 38 Idaho 30 (4) Tennessee State* 20 Eastern Illinois 19 (2) Louisiana Tech* 38 South Carolina State 3 (3) Delaware* 20 Colgate 13 (1) Eastern Kentucky* 13 (4) Tennessee State 7 (2) Louisiana Tech* 0 (3) Delaware 17 (1) Eastern Kentucky 17 (3) Delaware 14 * Next to team name denotes host institutionhttps://www.newspapers.com/clip/28236801/playoffs_ncaa_div_iaa/ Playoffs, NCAA Div. I-AA Detroit Free Press 4D November 27, 1982 February 9, 2019 newspapers.com References