1978 NAIA Division II football season
Regular seasonAugust–November 1978
PostseasonNovember–December 1978
National ChampionshipDonnell Stadium
Findlay, OH
ChampionsConcordia–Moorhead (2)

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.[1]

Concordia–Moorhead defeated Findlay in the championship game, 7–0, to win their second NAIA national title.

Conference changes

Conference standings

1978 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 11 Elmhurst + 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0
Millikin + 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0
North Central (IL) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Carroll (WI) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Wheaton (IL) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Augustana (IL) 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Illinois Wesleyan 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Carthage 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
North Park 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1978 Frontier Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Carroll (MT) $^ 4 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0
Montana Tech 2 – 1 – 1 2 – 4 – 2
Eastern Montana 2 – 1 – 1 2 – 6 – 1
Rocky Mountain 1 – 3 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
Western Montana 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1978 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 5 Missouri Valley $^ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
No. 18 Baker 4 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Ottawa 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Central Methodist 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
William Jewell 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Graceland 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Tarkio 0 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1978 Hoosier–Buckeye Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Findlay $^ 8 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0
Hanover 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 1
Defiance 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Wilmington (OH) 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Anderson (IN) 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Manchester (IN) 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Bluffton 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Taylor 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Earlham 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1978 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 19 Milton $ 4 – 0 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Lakeland 3 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Northeastern Illinois 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Eureka 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Concordia (IL) 0 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1978 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 8 Bethany (KS) $^ 8 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0
Southwestern (KS) 7 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Friends 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
McPherson 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Tabor 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Sterling 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
St. Mary of the Plains 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Kansas Wesleyan 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
Bethel (KS) 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1978 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Concordia–Moorhead * + 7 – 1 – 0 11 – 1 – 0
St. Olaf +^ 7 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
No. 15 Gustavus Adolphus 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
No. T–20 Saint John's (MN) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
St. Thomas (MN) 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Hamline 3 – 4 – 1 5 – 4 – 1
Augsburg 2 – 5 – 1 3 – 6 – 1
Bethel (MN) 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
Macalester 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 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
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 13 Hastings $ 4½ – ½ – 0 8 – 1 – 0
Nebraska Wesleyan 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Concordia (NE) 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 1
Doane 2½ – 2½ – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Dana 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Midland 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Hastings 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
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 10 Valley City State $ 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 0 – 1
No. 12 Jamestown 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0
Dickinson State 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Minot State 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 4 – 1
Wahpeton Science 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0
Mayville State 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 6 – 1
Bismarck JC 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 6 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1978 Northwest Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Linfield $^ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0
Pacific Lutheran 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0
Pacific (OR) 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Willamette 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Whitworth 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Lewis & Clark 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1978 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. T–20 Dakota State $ 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
South Dakota Tech 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 1
Dakota Wesleyan 3 – 2 – 1 5 – 4 – 1
Black Hills State 3 – 2 – 1 6 – 3 – 1
Huron 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
South Dakota–Springfield 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 1
Sioux Falls 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1978 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Redlands $ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0
Claremont-Mudd 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Whittier 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Occidental 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
La Verne 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 7 – 0
Pomona-Pitzer 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1978 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 Tarleton State $^ 7 – 0 – 1 8 – 1 – 1
McMurry 5 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Trinity (TX) 2 – 4 – 2 4 – 4 – 2
Austin 2 – 5 – 1 3 – 6 – 1
Sul Ross 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1978 Tri-State Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 Northwestern (IA) $^ 2 – 0 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
Westmar 2 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Yankton 0 – 3 – 0 1 – 8 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1978 NAIA Division II independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   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 		Semifinals
Campus sites 		Championship
Findlay, OH
         
  Missouri Valley* 30
  Bethany (KS) 16
  Missouri Valley 9
  Findlay* 27
  Findlay* 13
  Tarleton State 6
  Findlay* 0
  Concordia–Moorhead 7
  Concordia–Moorhead* 49
  Northwestern (IA) 0
  Concordia–Moorhead 24
  Linfield* 23
  Linfield* 32
  Carroll (MT) 6

See also

References

  1. ^ "NAIA Championship History" (PDF). NAIA. pp. 4–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  2. ^ "NAIA Football Regular Season Records" (PDF). NAIA. p. 22. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
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