1977 NCAA Division II football season

The 1977 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 1977 and concluded with the championship game on December 10 at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The Lehigh Engineers defeated the Jacksonville State Gamecocks 33–0 in the Pioneer Bowl to win their first Division II national title.

1977 NCAA Division II football season
Regular season	August – November 1977
Playoffs	November 26 – December 10, 1977
National Championship	Pioneer Bowl Memorial Stadium Wichita Falls, TX
Champion	Lehigh

This was the last season prior to the creation of Division I-AA, now named Division I-Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), which debuted in 1978.

Conference realignment

Conference changes

• This was the final season at the Division II level for the members of five conferences: the Big Sky Conference, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Southwestern Athletic Conference, and Yankee Conference. After the end of play, each conference and its members, alongside seven independent teams, would transition to the newly established Division I-AA level of college football.

Membership changes

School	1975 Conference	1976 Conference
Tennessee–Chattanooga	D-II Independent	Southern (I-A)

Conference standings

1977 Big Sky Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. T–5 Boise State $ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 No. T–5 Northern Arizona ^ 5 – 1 – 0 9 – 3 – 0 Montana State 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Weber State 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Idaho State 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 Idaho 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 Montana 1 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Boise State concluded its regular season after the NCAA Division II playoffs started; runner-up Northern Arizona was awarded playoff bid. Rankings from NCAA Division II AP Poll	1977 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Cal Poly $ 2 – 0 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Cal State Northridge 1 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 1 Cal Poly Pomona 0 – 2 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1977 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. T–10 Winston-Salem State $ 8 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0 Virginia Union 7 – 1 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 Virginia State 6 – 1 – 1 7 – 3 – 1 Hampton 5 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Norfolk State 4 – 3 – 1 5 – 6 – 1 Livingstone 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Elizabeth City State 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Fayetteville State 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Johnson C. Smith 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Shaw 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Saint Paul's (VA) 0 – 8 – 0 1 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NCAA Division II AP Poll
1977 Far Western Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 3 UC Davis $^ 5 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0 Chico State 3 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Cal State Hayward 2 – 2 – 1 6 – 3 – 1 San Francisco State 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Humboldt State 1 – 3 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 Sacramento State 0 – 4 – 1 0 – 10 – 1 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from Associated Press poll	1977 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 18 Grand Valley State $ 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Wayne State (MI) 3 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Hillsdale 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Northwood 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Saginaw Valley State 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Ferris State 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division II poll	1977 Gulf South Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 9 Jacksonville State $^ 7 – 1 – 0 11 – 3 – 0 Tennessee–Martin 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Troy State 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Southeastern Louisiana 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Mississippi College 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 North Alabama 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Delta State 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Nicholls State 2 – 6 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Livingston 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AP Poll
1977 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Saint Joseph's (IN) + 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Butler + 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Indiana Central 2 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Valparaiso 1 – 2 – 1 3 – 6 – 1 Evansville 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1977 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 4 South Carolina State $ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 1 North Carolina A&T 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Delaware State 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Morgan State 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 1 Howard 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Maryland Eastern Shore 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 North Carolina Central 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from Associated Press poll	1977 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T SE Missouri State + 4 – 1 – 1 7 – 3 – 1 Missouri-Rolla + 4 – 1 – 1 7 – 3 – 1 NE Missouri State 4 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 SW Missouri State 3 – 2 – 1 6 – 3 – 1 NW Missouri State 2 – 3 – 1 5 – 5 – 1 Central Missouri State 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Lincoln (MO) 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 10 – 0 + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
1977 North Central Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 1 North Dakota State $^ 6 – 0 – 1 9 – 2 – 1 Augustana (SD) 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Northern Iowa 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 South Dakota State 3 – 3 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 Nebraska–Omaha * 2 – 2 – 3 3 – 6 – 2 North Dakota 2 – 4 – 1 4 – 7 – 1 South Dakota * 2 – 4 – 1 4 – 7 – 0 Morningside 1 – 5 – 1 2 – 6 – 1 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant * – Nebraska–Omaha and South Dakota split two head-to-head games, which counted as a tie for each team in the conference standings. Rankings from AP Poll	1977 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Minnesota Morris $^ 7 – 0 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 Bemidji State 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Moorhead State 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Minnesota Duluth 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 St. Cloud State 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Michigan Tech 1 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Winona State 1 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Southwest State (MN) 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	1977 Ohio Valley Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Austin Peay $ 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Tennessee Tech 5 – 2 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 Eastern Kentucky 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Murray State 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Middle Tennessee 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 Morehead State 2 – 4 – 1 2 – 6 – 2 East Tennessee State 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 Western Kentucky 1 – 5 – 1 1 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion
1977 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T East Division No. 4 Millersville xy 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Kutztown 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 East Stroudsburg 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Bloomsburg 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Cheyney 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Mansfield 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 1 West Division No. 8 Clarion xy$ 5 – 0 – 1 9 – 0 – 1 Shippensburg 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Slippery Rock 3 – 2 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Lock Haven 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Indiana (PA) 2 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Edinboro 2 – 3 – 1 3 – 6 – 1 California (PA) 0 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Championship: Clarion 25, Millersville 24 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll	1977 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Division I Florida A&M x 5 – 0 – 0 11 – 0 – 0 Bethune–Cookman ^ 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 4 – 0 Albany State 2 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Morris Brown 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Alabama A&M 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 Tuskegee 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Division II Knoxville x 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Savannah State 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Clark (GA) 3 – 2 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Morehouse 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Lane 2 – 2 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Fort Valley State 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Miles 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Fisk 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant	1977 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Northern Division No. 9 West Virginia Wesleyan xy 3 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Salem x 3 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Shepherd x 3 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 West Liberty State 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 1 Fairmont State 0 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Southern Division No. 4 Concord xy$^ 4 – 0 – 0 9 – 2 – 1 West Virginia Tech 3 – 1 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 West Virginia State 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 Glenville State 1 – 3 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Bluefield State 0 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Championship: Concord 33, West Virginia Wesleyan 17 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Conference standings based on power ratings Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1977 Yankee Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 2 UMass $ 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Rhode Island 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 New Hampshire 3 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Boston University 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Maine 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Connecticut 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from Associated Press poll	1977 NCAA Division II independents football records Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 8 Lehigh ^   –   12 – 2 – 0 UNLV   –   9 – 2 – 0 Kentucky State   –   8 – 2 – 1 No. T–5 Nevada   –   8 – 3 – 0 Central Connecticut   –   7 – 3 – 0 Northern Michigan ^   –   7 – 3 – 0 Youngstown State   –   7 – 3 – 0 Portland State   –   7 – 4 – 0 Delaware   –   6 – 3 – 1 Akron   –   6 – 4 – 1 American International   –   5 – 4 – 1 West Chester   –   5 – 5 – 0 Central State (OH)   –   5 – 6 – 0 Arkansas–Pine Bluff   –   4 – 5 – 1 Bucknell   –   4 – 5 – 0 Cal State Los Angeles   –   4 – 5 – 0 Southern Connecticut State   –   4 – 6 – 0 Northeastern   –   3 – 6 – 1 Northern Colorado   –   3 – 7 – 0 Santa Clara   –   2 – 7 – 1 Eastern Illinois   –   1 – 10 – 0 ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from Associated Press poll

Conference summaries

See also: List of NCAA Division II football seasons

Conference Champions

Big Sky Conference – Boise State Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Winston-Salem State Far Western Football Conference – UC Davis Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Grand Valley State Gulf South Conference – Jacksonville State Indiana Collegiate Conference – St. Joseph's and Butler Lone Star Conference – Abilene Christian and Texas A&I Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Missouri–Rolla and Southeast Missouri State North Central Conference – North Dakota State Northern Intercollegiate Conference – Minnesota–Morris Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Clarion Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Western State (CO) South Atlantic Conference – Elon Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (Division II) – Florida A&M Yankee Conference – UMass

Postseason

1977 NCAA Division II Football Championship
Teams	8
Finals Site	Memorial Stadium Wichita Falls, TX
Champion	Lehigh (1st title, 1st title game)
Runner-up	Jacksonville State (1st title game)
Semifinalists	UC Davis North Dakota State
Winning coach	John Whitehead 1st championship

The 1977 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the fifth single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of Division II college football. The championship game was held at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas for the second time.

Playoff bracket

	First round Campus sites November 26					Semifinals Campus sites Knute Rockne Bowl Grantland Rice Bowl December 3					Championship Pioneer Bowl Memorial Stadium Wichita Falls, TX December 10
	UC Davis*		34
	Bethune–Cookman		16
						UC Davis*		30
						Lehigh		39
	Lehigh		30
	UMass*		23
											Lehigh		33
											Jacksonville State		0
	North Dakota State*		20
	Northern Michigan		6
						North Dakota State		7
						Jacksonville State*		31
	Jacksonville State		35
	Northern Arizona*		0

* Denotes host institution

• Northern Arizona was the Big Sky runner-up; champion Boise State had a scheduling conflict.

See also

• 1977 NCAA Division I football season
• 1977 NCAA Division III football season
• 1977 NAIA Division I football season
• 1977 NAIA Division II football season