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1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season
American college football season
American college football season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| year | 1978 |
| image | NCAA 70s logo.svg |
| number_of_teams | 38 |
| regular_season | August 2–November 25 |
| playoffs | December 9–December 16 |
| nc_date | December 16, 1978 |
| championship | Memorial Stadium |
| Wichita Falls, Texas | |
| champions | Florida A&M |
Wichita Falls, Texas The 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season was the first season of Division I-AA college football. Division I-AA was created in January 1978 when Division I was subdivided into Division I-A and Division I-AA for football only. It was anticipated that 65 Division I football schools would transition to Division I-AA. Instead, just eight programs (seven teams from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, which had just joined Division I a year before, plus independent Northwestern State) voluntarily opted for Division I-AA for the 1978 season. They were joined by 35 schools that had reclassified from Division II.
The season began in August 1978 and concluded with the Division I-AA Football Championship Game, played in the Pioneer Bowl on December 16 at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The Florida A&M Rattlers won the first I-AA championship, defeating the UMass Minutemen 35–28. Florida A&M of 1978 remains the only HBCU program to play in (and win) the I-AA/FCS national championship game.
Initial membership
- The Southwestern Athletic was the only conference competing in the 1977 NCAA Division I football season to join Division I-AA in 1978.
- Four conferences, the Big Sky, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Ohio Valley, and Yankee, transitioned from Division II to Division I, classifying their football programs in Division I-AA.
- Of the eight programs moving to Division I-AA as independents, one came from Division I and seven came from Division II.
| School | 1977 Conference | 1978 Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Alcorn State | SWAC (D-I) | SWAC (I-AA) |
| Austin Peay | Ohio Valley (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
| Boise State | Big Sky (D-II) | Big Sky (I-AA) |
| Boston University | Yankee (D-II) | Yankee (I-AA) |
| Bucknell | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Connecticut | Yankee (D-II) | Yankee (I-AA) |
| Delaware State | MEAC (D-II) | MEAC (I-AA) |
| Eastern Kentucky | Ohio Valley (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
| Florida A&M | SIAC (D-II) | I-AA Independent |
| Grambling State | SWAC (D-I) | SWAC (I-AA) |
| Howard | MEAC (D-II) | MEAC (I-AA) |
| Idaho ^ | Big Sky (D-II) | Big Sky (I-AA) |
| Idaho State | Big Sky (D-II) | Big Sky (I-AA) |
| Jackson State | SWAC (D-I) | SWAC (I-AA) |
| Lafayette | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Lehigh | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Maine | Yankee (D-II) | Yankee (I-AA) |
| Middle Tennessee State | Ohio Valley (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
| Montana | Big Sky (D-II) | Big Sky (I-AA) |
| Montana State | Big Sky (D-II) | Big Sky (I-AA) |
| Morehead State | Ohio Valley (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
| Murray State | Ohio Valley (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
| New Hampshire | Yankee (D-II) | Yankee (I-AA) |
| Northeastern | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Nevada | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| North Carolina A&T | MEAC (D-II) | MEAC (I-AA) |
| Northern Arizona | Big Sky (D-II) | Big Sky (I-AA) |
| Northwestern State | D-I Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Portland State | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Prairie View A&M | SWAC (D-I) | SWAC (I-AA) |
| Rhode Island | Yankee (D-II) | Yankee (I-AA) |
| South Carolina State | MEAC (D-II) | MEAC (I-AA) |
| Southern | SWAC (D-I) | SWAC (I-AA) |
| Tennessee Tech | Ohio Valley (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
| Texas Southern | SWAC (D-I) | SWAC (I-AA) |
| UMass | Yankee (D-II) | Yankee (I-AA) |
| Weber State | Big Sky (D-II) | Big Sky (I-AA) |
| Western Kentucky | Ohio Valley (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
:^ Idaho was previously in Division I for football, but also a member of the Big Sky Conference (D-II for football only)
Conference standings
Conference champions
| Conference champions |
|---|
Postseason
NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket
The bracket consisted of three regional selections (West, East, and South) plus an at-large team. Florida A&M (FAMU) of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) was the at-large selection. While the SIAC was a Division II conference, FAMU had successfully petitioned the NCAA for Division I classification (Division I-AA in football), which took effect on September 1, 1978. December 9 Campus sites December 17 Pioneer Bowl Memorial Stadium–Wichita Falls, TX | RD1-seed1=AtLg | RD1-team1= Florida A&M | RD1-score1= 15 | RD1-seed2= South | RD1-team2= Jackson State* | RD1-score2= 10 | RD1-seed3=East | RD1-team3= UMass | RD1-score3= 44 | RD1-seed4=West | RD1-team4= Nevada* | RD1-score4= 21 | RD2-seed1=AtLg | RD2-team1= Florida A&M | RD2-score1= 35 | RD2-seed2=East | RD2-team2= UMass | RD2-score2= 28
- Denotes host institution
Notes
:1.The Gold Bowl was a postseason game that was separate from the playoffs and took place on December 2.
References
References
- "Standings for the 1978 FCS Season".
- "1978 (Admin)".
- (January 13, 1978). "Big schools win battle". St. Petersburg Independent.
- Underwood, John. (January 23, 1978). "The NCAA splits its decision".
- "1978 NCAA Division I Football Championship".
- Climer, David. (July 22, 1978). "I-AA Finals Set At Pioneer Bowl". [[The Tennessean]].
- (December 4, 1978). "FAMU Gains I-AA Playoffs". [[Fort Lauderdale News]].
- Cooper, Barry. (August 31, 1978). "Florida A&M granted Division 1 status". [[Tallahassee Democrat]].
- "1978 (Admin)".
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