1985 NCAA Division II football season


The 1985 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 1985, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 14, 1985, at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, Texas. During the game's five-year stretch in McAllen, the "City of Palms", it was referred to as the Palm Bowl. The North Dakota State Bison defeated the North Alabama Lions, 35–7, to win their second Division II national title.

Conference changes and new programs

Conference standings

Conference summaries

Conference Champions

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Hampton
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Hillsdale
Gulf South Conference – North Alabama
Lone Star Conference – Texas A&I
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Northeast Missouri State
North Central Conference – North Dakota State
Northern California Athletic Conference – UC Davis
Northern Intercollegiate Conference – Minnesota–Duluth
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Bloomsburg
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Colorado Mesa
South Atlantic Conference – Mars Hill
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Albany State and Fort Valley State

Postseason

The 1985 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 13th single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, Texas, for the fifth, and final, time.

Playoff bracket