The 1983 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 1983, and concluded with the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 17, 1983, at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina. The Southern Illinois Salukis won their first I-AA championship, defeating the Western Carolina Catamounts by a score of 43−7.
Conference changes and new programs The eight members of the Mid-American Conference temporarily relegated to Division I-AA for the 1982 season returned to Division I-A in 1983. School 1982 Conference 1983 Conference Alabama State Independent (I-AA} SWAC Ball State MAC (I-AA) MAC (I-A) Bowling Green MAC (I-AA) MAC (I-A) Eastern Michigan MAC (I-AA) MAC (I-A) Kent State MAC (I-AA) MAC (I-A) Miami (OH) MAC (I-AA) MAC (I-A) North Texas State I-AA Independent Southland Northern Illinois MAC (I-AA) MAC (I-A) Ohio MAC (I-AA) MAC (I-A) Western Michigan MAC (I-AA) MAC (I-A)
Conference standings
Conference champions
Conference championsBig Sky Conference – Nevada Ivy League – Harvard and Penn Mid-Continent Conference – Eastern Illinois Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – South Carolina State Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky Southern Conference – Furman Southland Conference – North Texas State and Northeast Louisiana Southwestern Athletic Conference – Grambling State Yankee Conference – Boston University and Connecticut
Postseason The top four teams were seeded, and received first-round byes.
NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket
* indicates overtime period
References