The 1980 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. The third season of I-AA football began in August 1980 and four teams were selected for the postseason, with the national semifinals played on December 13. The 1980 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was played in the Camellia Bowl on December 20 at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California.
In a game with multiple lead changes, the Boise State Broncos won their first (and only) I-AA championship, defeating the defending national champion Eastern Kentucky Colonels, 31−29. With less than a minute to play, the Broncos drove eighty yards for the winning touchdown, a 14-yard pass from quarterback Joe Aliotti to tight end Duane Dlouhy with twelve seconds remaining.
Conference changes and new programs School 1979 Conference 1980 Conference Akron Mid-Continent (D-II) Ohio Valley (I-AA) Bethune–Cookman SIAC (D-II) MEAC (I-AA) Delaware D-II Independent I-AA Independent Florida A&M I-AA Independent MEAC (I-AA) James Madison D-II Independent I-AA Independent Maryland Eastern Shore MEAC Dropped Program Nicholls State D-II Independent I-AA Independent Southeastern Louisiana D-II Independent I-AA Independent
Conference standings
Conference champions
Conference championsBig Sky Conference – Boise State Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – South Carolina State Ohio Valley Conference – Western Kentucky Southwestern Athletic Conference – Grambling State and Jackson State Yankee Conference – Boston University
Postseason NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket The bracket consisted of three regional selections (West, East, and South) plus Eastern Kentucky as an at-large selection.
* Denotes host institution
References