1986 NCAA Division I-A football season

American college football season August 2023 December 2025 1986 File:NCAA primary logo 1980.svg image_caption 105http://www.jhowell.net/cf/cf1986.htm 1986 NCAA Division IA Football Power Ratings Jhowell.net 1999-05-11 2012-08-03 Oklahoma 18 Penn State (AP, Coaches, FWAA) Miami (FL) quarterback Vinny Testaverde The 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Penn State winning the national championship. Coached by Joe Paterno, they defeated Miami (FL) 14–10 in the Fiesta Bowl. This Fiesta Bowl was the first in the game's history to decide the national championship, launching it into the top tier of bowls. Miami came into the game No. 1 and Penn State No. 2. In a move that would come to symbolize the game for years to come, Miami arrived wearing combat fatigues while Penn State arrived wearing suits and ties. Despite all the hype surrounding the Hurricanes, Penn State's defense harassed and harried Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde throughout the Fiesta Bowl. The Hurricanes committed seven turnovers, including five interceptions thrown by Testaverde – the last of which, in the end zone with 18 seconds left, won the game for the Nittany Lions. Conference and program changes The Missouri Valley Conference ended the hybrid nature of the conference which featured Division I-AA programs Drake, Illinois State, Indiana State, Southern Illinois, and West Texas State. Two of the league's members, Tulsa and Wichita State, became independents and remained in Division I-A. School 1985 Conference 1986 Conference Northern Illinois Huskies MAC I-A Independent Tulsa Golden Hurricane Missouri Valley I-A Independent Wichita State Shockers Missouri Valley I-A Independent Rule changes Kickoffs are moved from the 40-yard line to the 35-yard line, mirroring a change made in 1974 by the NFL, and receivers may not line up closer than 10 yards from the spot of the kickoff. The definition of "Roughing the passer" is expanded to prohibit throwing passers to the ground after the ball is released. The definition of a "catch" is clarified to require players maintain control of a ball when returning to the ground, and an incomplete pass will be called if there is doubt in the official's mind that the catch was made. The penalty for batting loose balls forward in the field of play or anywhere in the end zone now includes loss of down. Clipping that occurs behind the scrimmage line will be enforced from the previous spot. The loss of down penalty for ineligible man downfield penalties is removed. Conference standings I-AA team wins over I-A teams Italics denotes I-AA teams. no no August 30 no 11 (I-AA) Louisiana Tech Tulsa Skelly Stadium Tulsa, Oklahoma no 22–17 25,667 FCS wins vs. FBS teams: All-time victories, upsets, wins vs. ranked teams https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/fcs-wins-vs-fbs-teams-all-time-victories-upsets NCAA.com September 7, 2025 October 2, 2025 August 30 no Cal State Fullerton 2 (I-AA) Nevada Mackay Stadium Reno, Nevada no 3–49 13,062 September 13 no Akron Kent State Dix Stadium Kent, Ohio Wagon Wheel no 17–7 19,000 September 13 no 7 (I-AA) Arkansas State Memphis State Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee Paint Bucket Bowl no 30–10 36,510 September 13 no Marshall Ohio Peden Stadium Athens, Ohio Battle for the Bell no 21–7 16,400 September 13 no Northern Iowa Kansas State KSU Stadium Manhattan, Kansas no 17–0 28,820 September 20 no Cal State Fullerton Idaho Kibbie Dome Moscow, Idaho no 17–25 12,500 September 20 no Morehead State Wichita State Cessna Stadium Wichita, Kansas no 36–35 13,252 September 20 no Southwest Texas State Rice Rice Stadium Houston, Texas no 31–6 10,000 September 27 no Western Illinois Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium DeKalb, Illinois no 10–0 26,364 October 18 no Holy Cross Army Michie Stadium West Point, New York no 17–14 40,884 October 18 no North Texas State TCU Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, Texas no 24–20 16,021 October 18 no 17 (I-AA) Penn Navy Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, Maryland no 30–26 23,959 November 1 no 10 (I-AA) William & Mary Virginia Scott Stadium Charlottesville, Virginia no 41–37 35,100 November 8 no Illinois State Wichita State Cessna Stadium Wichita, Kansas no 17–10 4,233 November 15 no 12 (I-AA) Delaware Navy Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, Maryland no 27–14 30,089 Note: Arkansas State at Ole Miss tied 10–10. Furman at Georgia Tech tied 17–17. Regular season September Defending champion Oklahoma was No. 1 in the preseason AP Poll, followed by No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Miami, No. 4 UCLA, and No. 5 Alabama. Alabama beat No. 9 Ohio State 16–10 in the Kickoff Classic on August 27 and Miami won 34–14 at South Carolina on August 30, but no new poll was taken the following week. September 6: No. 1 Oklahoma hosted No. 4 UCLA and overwhelmed the Bruins 38–3. No. 2 Michigan had not begun its season. No. 3 Miami won 23–15 at Florida, No. 5 Alabama defeated Vanderbilt 42–10, and No. 6 Penn State beat Temple 45–15. The next AP Poll featured No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Miami, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Alabama, and No. 5 Penn State. September 13: No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 5 Penn State were idle. No. 2 Miami dominated Texas Tech 61–11, No. 3 Michigan won 24–23 at Notre Dame in Lou Holtz's first game as the Fighting Irish head coach, and No. 4 Alabama beat Southern Mississippi 31–17. The top five remained the same in the next poll. September 20: No. 1 Oklahoma had its second consecutive blowout win, 63–0 over Minnesota. No. 2 Miami was idle. No. 3 Michigan beat Oregon State 31–12, but still slipped a few spots in the next poll. No. 4 Alabama won 21–7 at No. 13 Florida. No. 5 Penn State also fell to a lower ranking despite a win (26–14 at Boston College). No. 6 Nebraska, which defeated Illinois 59–14, moved into the top five: No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Miami, No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Nebraska, and No. 5 Michigan. September 27: In a highly anticipated matchup, No. 1 Oklahoma faced off against No. 2 Miami, the only team which had defeated them in 1985. The Sooners were no luckier this year than last, as Vinny Testaverde led the Hurricanes to a 28–16 victory. This was a major blow for the Sooners, who would finish the 1986 season ranked first in all four major defensive statistical categories – a feat not to be duplicated until 2012, by Alabama – but remained stuck behind Miami in the polls for the rest of the year. No. 3 Alabama was idle. No. 4 Nebraska beat Oregon 48–14, No. 5 Michigan squeaked past No. 20 Florida State 20–18, and No. 6 Penn State won 42–17 over East Carolina. The top five in the next poll was No. 1 Miami, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Nebraska, No. 4 Michigan, and No. 5 Penn State. October October 4: No. 1 Miami shut out Northern Illinois 34–0, No. 2 Alabama beat Notre Dame 28–10, No. 3 Nebraska won 27–24 in a back-and-forth game at South Carolina, No. 4 Michigan defeated Wisconsin 34–17, and No. 5 Penn State beat Rutgers 31–6. The top five remained the same in the next poll. October 11: No. 1 Miami won 58–14 at West Virginia, No. 2 Alabama blanked Memphis 37–0, No. 3 Nebraska beat Oklahoma State 30–10, and No. 4 Michigan defeated Michigan State 27–6. No. 5 Penn State needed a late comeback to beat Cincinnati 23–17, and No. 6 Oklahoma, which bounced back with a 47–12 victory over Texas, moved ahead of the Nittany Lions in the next poll: No. 1 Miami, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Nebraska, No. 4 Michigan, and No. 5 Oklahoma. October 18: No. 1 Miami won 45–13 at Cincinnati, No. 2 Alabama defeated Tennessee 56–28, and No. 3 Nebraska beat Missouri 48–17. A No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup the previous season between Iowa and Michigan had decided the race for the 1986 Rose Bowl; in the 1986 rematch, the No. 4-ranked Wolverines got revenge on the No. 8-ranked Hawkeyes with a 20–17 win. No. 5 Oklahoma shut out Oklahoma State 19–0, and the top five remained the same in the next poll. October 25: No. 1 Miami was idle, while No. 6 Penn State defeated No. 2 Alabama 23–3 in Tuscaloosa. The Hurricanes and the Nittany Lions both played relatively weak schedules with the exceptions of powerhouses Oklahoma and Alabama, and their upset victories bolstered their national championship aspirations.Looney, Douglas S. – A Midseason Run For Respect. Penn State made believers out of 'Bama and gave two minor bowls major hopes for New Year's Day. Sports Illustrated, November 3, 1986.Reilly, Rick – It Only Hurts For A Little While. Just ask Cincinnati or any number of other college football have-nots who, week after week, are willing to serve as fodder for powerhouses like Miami and Penn State, most of whom have discovered that a prerequisite for a trip to the top of the polls—and into a major bowl game—is a cream-puff schedule. Sports Illustrated, November 24, 1986 No. 3 Nebraska fell 20–10 at Colorado. No. 4 Michigan won 38–14 at Indiana. No. 5 Oklahoma achieved their second consecutive shutout, 38–0 at Iowa State, and No. 7 Auburn beat No. 13 Mississippi State 35–6. The top five in the next poll were No. 1 Miami, No. 2 Penn State, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Oklahoma, and No. 5 Auburn. November November 1: The top four teams all won easily. No. 1 Miami defeated No. 20 Florida State 41–23, No. 2 Penn State shut out West Virginia 19–0, No. 3 Michigan overwhelmed Illinois 69–13, and No. 4 Oklahoma crushed Kansas 64–3. However, No. 5 Auburn blew a 17–0 lead in an 18–17 loss at Florida. No. 6 Washington matched up against No. 7 Arizona State, and the Sun Devils won 34–21 to take over first place in the Pac-10. They had already beaten both USC and UCLA in Los Angeles, the first Pacific-10 conference team to do so in the same year. The top five in the next poll were No. 1 Miami, No. 2 Penn State, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Oklahoma, and No. 5 Arizona State. November 8: No. 1 Miami won 37–10 at Pittsburgh. No. 2 Penn State barely got past Maryland 17–15, with the Terrapins falling short on a last-minute two-point conversion attempt. The AP voters were more impressed by No. 3 Michigan's 31–7 victory at Purdue, and the Wolverines moved up in the next poll. No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 5 Arizona State won in lopsided shutouts, 77–0 over Missouri and 49–0 over California. (This was the latest episode in a difficult year for Cal coach Joe Kapp, who had unzipped his pants in front of the Seattle media following an embarrassing 50–18 loss against Washington in October and would be fired after the season.) The Sun Devils’ victory allowed them to clinch the Pac-10 title and a Rose Bowl berth. The next poll featured No. 1 Miami, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Oklahoma, and No. 5 Arizona State. November 15: No. 1 Miami beat Tulsa 23–10. Minnesota was a 25–point underdog in a road game against No. 2 Michigan; the Gophers had not defeated the Wolverines since 1977.Neff, Craig – Bo Tries On A Tie, Gets A Boot. Sports Illustrated, November 24, 1986 Nevertheless, Michigan trailed in the fourth quarter and scored a touchdown to tie the game at 17 with only two minutes to go. On the ensuing Minnesota possession, quarterback Rickey Foggie scrambled to put Chip Lohmiller in field goal position; Lohmiller connected for a 20–17 Gophers victory. No. 3 Penn State had another close one, stopping Notre Dame 24–19 after the Irish had driven to the Lions’ 6-yard line with a minute left. No. 4 Oklahoma blanked Colorado 28–0; the Sooners had outscored their last five opponents 226–3. No. 5 Arizona State defeated Wichita State 52–6, and No. 6 Nebraska overwhelmed Kansas 70–0. The next poll featured No. 1 Miami, No. 2 Penn State, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Arizona State, and No. 5 Nebraska. November 22: No. 1 Miami was idle. No. 2 Penn State finished an undefeated regular season with a 34–14 victory over Pittsburgh. No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 5 Nebraska met in Lincoln to decide the Big 8 title and an Orange Bowl berth. The Sooners entered the fourth quarter trailing by ten points, but came back to win 20–17 on a field goal with time running out. No. 4 Arizona State lost 34–17 at Arizona. No. 6 Michigan and No. 7 Ohio State, both undefeated in Big Ten play, met to determine who would be the Sun Devils’ Rose Bowl opponent. Quarterback Jim Harbaugh guaranteed a Michigan victory: "We don't care where we play the game. I hate to say it, but we could play it in the parking lot. We could play the game at 12 noon or midnight. We're going to be jacked up."Hersch, Hank – Short On Style, But Plenty Long On Substance. Sports Illustrated, December 1, 1986 This game also was decided by a late field goal, but this time it was an Ohio State miss which gave Michigan a 26–24 victory. No. 8 LSU, who had already clinched the SEC title and a Sugar Bowl berth, defeated Notre Dame 21–19. The next poll featured No. 1 Miami, No. 2 Penn State, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Michigan, and No. 5 LSU. November 27–29: No. 2 Penn State, No. 3 Oklahoma, and No. 4 Michigan had finished their seasons. No. 1 Miami finished undefeated with a 36–10 win over East Carolina, and No. 5 LSU completed their schedule by defeating Tulane 37–17. The last remaining major conference race was also decided this week, as No. 10 Texas A&M clinched the SWC title and a Cotton Bowl berth with a 16–3 victory at Texas. The top five remained the same in the final poll of the regular season. No. 1 and No. 2 Progress WEEKS No. 1 No. 2 Event PRE Oklahoma Michigan Miami 23, Florida 15 Sep 6 1–3 Oklahoma Miami Miami 28, Oklahoma 16 Sep 27 4–7 Miami Alabama Penn State 23, Alabama 3 Oct 25 8–9 Miami Penn State Penn State 17, Maryland 15 Nov 8 10 Miami Michigan Minnesota 20, Michigan 17 Nov 15 11–13 Miami Penn State Penn State 14, Miami 10 Jan 2 Notable rivalry games LSU 37, Tulane 17 Michigan 24, Notre Dame 23 Notre Dame 38, USC 37 Oklahoma 20, Nebraska 17 UCLA 45, USC 25 Arkansas 21, Texas 14 (4) Arizona State 17, (14) Arizona 34 Arkansas' victory over Texas was the Razorbacks' first win in Austin since 1966. Bowl games 1986–87 NCAA football bowl games With Arizona State having clinched the Rose Bowl berth on November 8, and the Fiesta Bowl and Citrus Bowl scrambling to bid for the No. 1 Miami (Florida) vs. No. 2 Penn State Game, the Cotton Bowl struck an agreement to take the loser of the Michigan-Ohio State game. All the bowl games attempted to line up participants before the official bids were extended on November 22. The Sugar Bowl agreed to take the loser of the Oklahoma-Nebraska game to match the SEC winner, and the Orange Bowl agreed to take the second place SWC team to match the Big 8 winner. The Citrus Bowl, which moved to January 1, got a second place SEC team in Auburn, and, what they hoped would be a good matchup, in 7–2 USC. The Trojans would lose to UCLA and Notre Dame after they were invited. National championship: Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Penn State 14, No. 1 Miami (FL) 10 New Year's Day bowls: Florida Citrus Bowl: No. 10 Auburn 16, USC 7 Rose Bowl: No. 7 Arizona State 22, No. 4 Michigan 15 Sugar Bowl: No. 6 Nebraska 30, No. 5 LSU 15 Cotton Bowl: No. 11 Ohio State 28, No. 8 Texas A&M 12 Orange Bowl: No. 3 Oklahoma 42, No. 9 Arkansas 8 Other bowls: Hall of Fame Bowl: Boston College 27, No. 17 Georgia 24 Gator Bowl: Clemson 27, No. 20 Stanford 21 Sun Bowl: No. 13 Alabama 28, No. 12 Washington 6 Holiday Bowl: No. 19 Iowa 39, San Diego State 38 Freedom Bowl: No. 15 UCLA 31, BYU 10 Peach Bowl: Virginia Tech 25, No. 18 NC State 24 All-American Bowl: Florida State 27, Indiana 13 Liberty Bowl: Tennessee 21, Minnesota 14 Aloha Bowl: No. 16 Arizona 30, North Carolina 21 Independence Bowl: Mississippi 20, Texas Tech 17 California Bowl: San Jose State 37, Miami (Ohio) 7 Bluebonnet Bowl: No. 14 Baylor 21, Colorado 9 Polls 1986 NCAA Division I-A football rankings Final AP Poll Penn State Miami (FL) Oklahoma Arizona State Nebraska Auburn Ohio State Michigan Alabama LSU Arizona Baylor Texas A&M UCLA Arkansas Iowa Clemson Washington Boston College Virginia Tech Final Coaches Poll Penn State Miami (FL) Oklahoma Nebraska Arizona St. Ohio St. Michigan Auburn Alabama Arizona LSU Texas A&M Baylor UCLA Iowa Arkansas Washington Boston College Clemson Florida St. Awards Heisman Trophy voting The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player Player School Position 1st 2nd 3rd Total Vinny Testaverde Miami (FL) QB 678 76 27 2,213 Paul Palmer Temple RB 28 207 174 672 Jim Harbaugh Michigan QB 25 136 111 458 Brian Bosworth Oklahoma LB 9 136 96 395 Gordie Lockbaum Holy Cross RB 32 39 68 242 Brent Fullwood Auburn RB 4 45 27 129 Cornelius Bennett Alabama LB 3 29 29 96 D. J. Dozier Penn State RB 0 23 31 77 Kevin Sweeney Fresno State QB 6 16 23 73 Chris Spielman Ohio State LB 5 9 27 60 Other major awards Maxwell (Player):Vinny Testaverde, Miami (Fl) Camp (Back): Vinny Testaverde, Miami (Fl) O'Brein Award (QB): Vinny Testaverde, Miami (Fl) Rockne (Lineman): N/A Lombardi (Defensive Front Seven): Cornelius Bennett, Alabama Butkus (Linebacker): Brian Bosworth, Oklahoma Outland (Interior): Jason Buck, BYU Coach of the Year: Joe Paterno, Penn State Attendances Average home attendance top 10: Rank Team Average 1 Michigan Wolverines 105,210 2 Tennessee Volunteers 91,902 3 Ohio State Buckeyes 89,368 4 Penn State Nittany Lions 85,100 5 Georgia Bulldogs 79,596 6 Clemson Tigers 79,400 7 LSU Tigers 78,067 8 Nebraska Cornhuskers 76,031 9 Florida Gators 75,455 10 Oklahoma Sooners 75,083 Sources:Football Records https://s3.amazonaws.com/fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/Attend.pdf ATTENDANCE RECORDSAssociated Press College Football Attendance Increased by 75,883 in 1986 Los Angeles Times January 11, 1987 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-01-11-sp-3851-story.html July 13, 2026 References