The 1984 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 1984, and concluded with the 1984 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 15, 1984, at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina. The Montana State Bobcats won their first I-AA championship, defeating the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs by a score of 19−6.

Conference changes and new programs Prior to the season, the Gulf Star Conference was formed by three I-AA Independents and three reclassifying Division II institutions from Louisiana and Texas. Georgia Southern, which had revived their football program as a club team in 1982 after cutting it in 1941, went varsity this year. Morgan State rejoined the MEAC in 1984, but remained classified as Division II. All other MEAC teams were Division I-AA.

School 1983 Conference 1984 Conference Eastern Washington D-II Independent I-AA Independent Florida A&M MEAC I-AA Independent Georgia Southern Club Program I-AA Independent Morgan State Independent (D-II) MEAC Nicholls State I-AA Independent Gulf Star Northwestern State I-AA Independent Gulf Star Southeastern Louisiana I-AA Independent Gulf Star Sam Houston State Lone Star (D-II) Gulf Star (I-AA) Southwest Texas State Lone Star (D-II) Gulf Star (I-AA) Stephen F. Austin Lone Star (D-II) Gulf Star (I-AA)

Conference standings

Conference champions

Conference championsBig Sky Conference – Montana State Gulf Star Conference – Nicholls State and Northwestern State Ivy League – Penn Mid-Continent Conference – Eastern Illinois and Northern Iowa Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Bethune-Cookman Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky Southern Conference – Chattanooga Southland Conference – Louisiana Tech Southwestern Athletic Conference – Alcorn State Yankee Conference – Boston University and Rhode Island

Postseason The top four teams were seeded, and received first-round byes. Undefeated Tennessee State was disqualified from the postseason due to the use of ineligible players.

NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket

*indicates overtime period

References