1980 NCAA Division II football season


The 1980 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began in August 1980, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship in December 1980 at University Stadium in Albuquerque, NM. During the game's two-year stretch in New Mexico, it was referred to as the Zia Bowl.
Cal Poly defeated in the championship game, 21–13, to win their first Division II national title.

Conference changes and new programs

School1979 Conference1980 Conference
DelawareIndependentI-AA Independent
Nicholls StateIndependentI-AA Independent
Northern Colorado-North Central
Sonoma Statenew programIndependent
Southeastern LouisianaIndependentI-AA Independent

Conference standings

Conference summaries

Conference Champions

Association of Mid-Continent Universities – Eastern Illinois
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – North Carolina Central
Far Western Football Conference – UC Davis
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Hillsdale
Gulf South Conference – North Alabama
Lone Star Conference – Southwest Texas State
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Missouri–Rolla
North Central Conference – Northern Colorado
Northern Intercollegiate Conference – Minnesota–Duluth
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Clarion
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Adams State and CSU Pueblo
South Atlantic Conference – Elon and Mars Hill
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Alabama A&M

Postseason

The 1980 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the eighth single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at University Stadium in Albuquerque, NM for the second, and final, time.

Playoff bracket