1984 NCAA Division I-AA season
Regular season
DurationAugust–November
Playoff
DurationNovember 24–December 15
Championship dateDecember 15, 1984
Championship siteJohnson Hagood Stadium
Charleston, South Carolina
ChampionMontana State
NCAA Division I-AA football seasons

The 1984 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 1984, and concluded with the 1984 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 15, 1984, at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina. The Montana State Bobcats won their first I-AA championship, defeating the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs by a score of 19−6.[1]

Conference changes and new programs

School 1983 Conference 1984 Conference
Eastern Washington D-II Independent I-AA Independent
Florida A&M MEAC I-AA Independent
Morgan State D-II Independent MEAC (I-AA)
Nicholls State I-AA Independent Gulf Star
Northwestern State I-AA Independent Gulf Star
Sam Houston State Lone Star (D-II) Gulf Star (I-AA)
Southeastern Louisiana I-AA Independent Gulf Star
Southwest Texas State Lone Star (D-II) Gulf Star (I-AA)
Stephen F. Austin Lone Star (D-II) Gulf Star (I-AA)

Conference standings

1984 Association of Mid-Continent Universities football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 18 Northern Iowa + 2 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
Eastern Illinois + 2 – 1 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Southwest Missouri State 1 – 1 – 1 6 – 3 – 1
Western Illinois 0 – 2 – 1 6 – 4 – 1
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1984 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Montana State $^ 6 – 1 – 0 12 – 2 – 0
Nevada 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Idaho 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Boise State 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Idaho State 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Weber State 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Northern Arizona 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Montana 0 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Poll
1984 Gulf Star Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Northwestern State + 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Nicholls State + 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Sam Houston State 3 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0
Southwest Texas State 2 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Stephen F. Austin 1 – 3 – 1 7 – 3 – 1
Southeastern Louisiana 0 – 4 – 1 2 – 8 – 1
  • + – Conference co-champions
1984 Ivy League football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Penn $ 7 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0
Yale 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Harvard 5 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Brown 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Princeton 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Cornell 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Dartmouth 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Columbia 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1984 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Bethune–Cookman $ 4 – 0 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Delaware State 3 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
South Carolina State 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 6 – 1
North Carolina A&T 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
Howard 0 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
Morgan State 0 – 0 – 0 0 – 11 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Morgan State games did not count as conference games.
1984 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Tulsa $ 5 – 0 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
No. 5 Indiana State ^ 3 – 1 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
Illinois State 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Wichita State 2 – 2 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
Drake 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
West Texas State 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Southern Illinois 0 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
  • The conference was a hybrid of NCAA Division I-A and I-AA programs. Tulsa and Wichita State were I-A and the other teams were I-AA.
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1984 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 8 Eastern Kentucky $^ 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
No. 7 Middle Tennessee ^ 5 – 2 – 0 11 – 3 – 0
No. 13 Murray State 5 – 2 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
Youngstown State 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Austin Peay 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Akron 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Morehead State 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
Tennessee Tech 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 11 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1984 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 17 Chattanooga $^ 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
No. 14 Western Carolina 5 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0
The Citadel 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
No. 16 Furman 3 – 3 – 0 8 – 3 – 0
East Tennessee State 2 – 4 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Marshall 2 – 4 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Appalachian State 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
VMI 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
Davidson 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1984 Southland Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 9 Louisiana Tech $^ 5 – 1 – 0 10 – 5 – 0
No. 10 Arkansas State ^ 4 – 1 – 1 8 – 4 – 1
Texas–Arlington 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Northeast Louisiana 3 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
No. 20 McNeese State 2 – 3 – 1 7 – 3 – 1
Lamar 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
North Texas State 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1984 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Alcorn State $^ 7 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0
No. 6 Mississippi Valley State ^ 6 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
Grambling State 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Southern 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Jackson State 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 1
Texas Southern 2 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Alabama State 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
Prairie View A&M 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 11 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from Div I-AA Football Committee poll
1984 Yankee Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Rhode Island +^ 4 – 1 – 0 10 – 3 – 0
No. 4 Boston University +^ 4 – 1 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
No. 11 New Hampshire 3 – 2 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
Maine 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Connecticut 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
UMass 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1984 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Tennessee State   –   11 – 0 – 0
Georgia Southern   –   8 – 3 – 0
No. 15 Holy Cross   –   8 – 3 – 0
No. 19 Delaware   –   8 – 3 – 0
No. 12 Richmond ^   –   8 – 4 – 0
Eastern Washington   –   7 – 2 – 1
James Madison   –   6 – 5 – 0
William & Mary   –   6 – 5 – 0
Bucknell   –   5 – 5 – 0
Colgate   –   5 – 5 – 0
Lafayette   –   5 – 5 – 0
Lehigh   –   5 – 6 – 0
Florida A&M   –   3 – 6 – 1
Northeastern   –   3 – 7 – 0
Western Kentucky   –   2 – 9 – 0
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Conference champions

See also: List of NCAA Division I-AA/FCS football seasons
Conference champions

Big Sky Conference – Montana State
Ivy League – Penn
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Bethune-Cookman
Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky
Southern Conference – Chattanooga
Southland Conference – Louisiana Tech
Southwestern Athletic Conference – Alcorn State
Yankee Conference – Boston University and Rhode Island

Postseason

The top four teams were seeded, and received first-round byes.[2] Undefeated Tennessee State was disqualified from the postseason due to the use of ineligible players.[3]

NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket

First Round
November 24
Campus sites 		Quarterfinals
December 1
Campus sites 		Semifinals
December 8
Campus sites 		National Championship Game
December 15
Neutral Site
                           
    Jackson, MS        
Ruston, LA
  (1) Alcorn State   21
  Louisiana Tech   66 Murfreesboro, TN
    Louisiana Tech   44  
  Mississippi Valley State   19     Louisiana Tech   21
  Terre Haute, IN
Richmond, KY     Middle Tennessee   13  
  (4) Indiana State   41
  Eastern Kentucky   10 Charleston, SC – Hagood Stadium
    Middle Tennessee   42***  
  Middle Tennessee   27     Louisiana Tech   6
  Kingston, RI
Richmond, VA     (3) Montana State   19
  (2) Rhode Island   23
  Richmond   35 Bozeman, MT
    Richmond   17  
  Boston University   33     (2) Rhode Island   20
  Bozeman, MT
Jonesboro, AR     (3) Montana State   32  
  (3) Montana State   31
  Arkansas State   37
    Arkansas State   14  
  Chattanooga   10  

*indicates overtime period

References

  1. ^ "1984 NCAA Division I Football Championship" (PDF). NCAA.org. p. 14. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  2. ^ "ISU gets first round bye". Palladium-Item. Richmond, Indiana. AP. November 19, 1984. p. A7. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Top-rated Tennessee State finds 14 players ineligible". Alabama Journal. Montgomery, Alabama. November 19, 1984. p. 17. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
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