1989 NCAA Division I-AA football season

The 1989 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 1989, and concluded with the 1989 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 16, 1989, at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The Georgia Southern Eagles won their third I-AA championship, defeating the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks by a score of 37−34.[1]

1989 NCAA Division I-AA season
Regular season
Number of teams88
DurationAugust–November
Payton AwardJohn Friesz (QB, Idaho)
Playoff
DurationNovember 25–December 16
Championship dateDecember 16, 1989
Championship sitePaulson Stadium
Statesboro, Georgia
ChampionGeorgia Southern
NCAA Division I-AA football seasons

Conference changes and new programs

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School 1988 Conference 1989 Conference
Davidson Colonial (I-AA) D-III Independent
Fordham Liberty (D-III) I-AA Independent
Louisiana Tech I-AA Independent I-A Independent
Samford D-III Independent I-AA Independent

Conference standings

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1989 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. T–4 Idaho $^ 8 0 0 9 3 0
No. 6 Montana ^ 7 1 0 11 3 0
No. 19 Nevada 5 3 0 7 4 0
Boise State 5 3 0 6 5 0
Eastern Washington 4 4 0 4 6 0
Northern Arizona 2 6 0 3 8 0
Montana State 2 6 0 4 7 0
Idaho State 2 6 0 3 7 0
Weber State 1 7 0 3 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Poll
1989 Colonial League football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. T–4 Holy Cross $ 4 0 0 10 1 0
Bucknell 2 2 0 5 5 0
Lafayette 2 2 0 5 5 0
Lehigh 1 3 0 5 6 0
Colgate 1 3 0 4 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1989 Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 9 Southwest Missouri State $^ 5 1 0 10 3 0
No. 15 Eastern Illinois ^ 4 2 0 9 4 0
No. 20 Northern Iowa 4 2 0 8 3 0
Illinois State 4 2 0 5 6 0
Indiana State 2 4 0 4 7 0
Western Illinois 1 5 0 4 7 0
Southern Illinois 1 5 0 2 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1989 Ivy League football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Yale + 6 1 0 8 2 0
Princeton + 6 1 0 7 2 1
Harvard 5 2 0 5 5 0
Dartmouth 4 3 0 5 5 0
Cornell 2 5 0 4 6 0
Penn 2 5 0 4 6 0
Brown 2 5 0 2 8 0
Columbia 1 6 0 1 9 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1989 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Delaware State $ 5 1 0 7 4 0
Howard 4 2 0 8 3 0
Florida A&M 3 3 0 6 5 0
Bethune–Cookman 3 3 0 5 5 0
South Carolina State 3 3 0 5 6 0
North Carolina A&T 2 4 0 5 6 0
Morgan State 2 4 0 4 6 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1989 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. T–10 Middle Tennessee $^ 6 0 0 9 4 0
No. 12 Eastern Kentucky ^ 5 1 0 9 3 0
Murray State 3 3 0 6 4 1
Tennessee State 3 3 0 5 5 1
Tennessee Tech 3 3 0 5 5 0
Austin Peay 1 5 0 1 10 0
Morehead State 0 6 0 1 10 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
  • Records adjusted for Morehead State forfeit of conference victories over Austin Peay and Tennessee Tech, and non-conference victories over Kentucky State and Samford
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1989 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Furman $^ 7 0 0 12 2 0
No. 7 Appalachian State ^ 5 2 0 9 3 0
Marshall 4 3 0 6 5 0
East Tennessee State 4 3 0 4 7 0
Chattanooga 2 4 1 3 7 1
Western Carolina 1 4 1 3 7 1
VMI 1 4 1 2 8 1
The Citadel 1 5 1 5 5 1
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1989 Southland Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Stephen F. Austin $^ 5 0 1 12 2 1
Northwestern State 3 1 2 4 5 2
SW Texas State 3 3 0 5 6 0
Northeast Louisiana 2 3 1 4 6 1
McNeese State 2 4 0 5 6 0
North Texas 2 4 0 5 6 0
Sam Houston State 2 4 0 3 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1989 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 13 Grambling State $^ 7 0 0 9 3 0
No. 17 Jackson State ^ 5 2 0 8 4 0
Alcorn State 5 2 0 7 3 0
Southern 4 3 0 6 4 1
Texas Southern 3 3 1 3 7 1
Alabama State 2 4 1 5 5 1
Prairie View A&M 1 6 0 1 9 0
Mississippi Valley State 0 7 0 1 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1989 Yankee Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 8 Maine +^ 6 2 0 9 3 0
No. 18 Connecticut + 6 2 0 8 3 0
No. 16 Villanova +^ 6 2 0 8 4 0
New Hampshire 5 3 0 7 3 0
Delaware 5 3 0 7 4 0
Boston University 4 4 0 4 7 0
UMass 3 5 0 5 5 1
Rhode Island 1 7 0 3 8 0
Richmond 0 8 0 1 10 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1989 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Georgia Southern ^     12 0 0
No. 14 Youngstown State ^     9 3 0
No. T–10 William & Mary ^     8 3 1
Liberty     7 3 0
Western Kentucky     6 5 0
James Madison     5 4 1
Lamar     5 5 0
Arkansas State     5 6 0
Nicholls State     5 6 0
Samford     4 7 0
Northeastern     3 7 0
Fordham     2 6 0
Towson     2 8 0
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Conference champions

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Conference Champions

Big Sky Conference – Idaho
Colonial League – Holy Cross
Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference – Southwest Missouri State
Ivy League – Princeton and Yale
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Delaware State
Ohio Valley Conference – Middle Tennessee State
Southern Conference – Furman
Southland Conference – Stephen F. Austin
Southwestern Athletic Conference – Jackson State
Yankee Conference – Connecticut, Maine, and Villanova

Postseason

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The top four teams were seeded, and thus assured of home games in the opening round.[2] The location of the final, the Georgia Southern Eagles' Paulson Stadium, had been predetermined via a three-year agreement the university reached with the NCAA in February 1989.[3]

NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket

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First Round
November 25
Campus sites
Quarterfinals
December 2
Campus sites
Semifinals
December 9
Campus sites
National Championship Game
December 16
Paulson Stadium
Statesboro, GA
        
Villanova 36
(1) Georgia Southern* 52
(1) Georgia Southern* 45
Middle Tennessee 3
Appalachian State 21
Middle Tennessee* 24
(1) Georgia Southern* 45
Montana 15
Eastern Illinois 38
(4) Idaho* 21
Eastern Illinois 19
Montana* 25
Jackson State 7
Montana* 48
(1) Georgia Southern 37
(3) Stephen F. Austin 34
William & Mary 10
(2) Furman* 24
(2) Furman* 42
Youngstown State 23
Youngstown State 28
Eastern Kentucky* 24
(2) Furman* 19
(3) Stephen F. Austin 21
Grambling State 56
(3) Stephen F. Austin* 59
(3) Stephen F. Austin* 55
Southwest Missouri State 25
Maine 35
Southwest Missouri State* 38

* Denotes host institution
Source:[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "1989 NCAA Division I Football Championship" (PDF). NCAA.org. p. 15. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  2. ^ Smith III, Willie T. (November 20, 1989). "Primed for the playoffs". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. p. 1D. Retrieved April 21, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Georgia Southern to host NCAA title". Rocky Mount Telegram. Rocky Mount, North Carolina. AP. February 24, 1989. p. 11. Retrieved April 21, 2019 – via newspapers.com.