American college football season
1983 NCAA Division I-AA season Duration August–November Duration November 27–December 17 Championship date December 17, 1983 Championship site Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, South Carolina Champion Southern Illinois
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.[1]
Conference changes and new programs [ ]
School
1982 Conference
1983 Conference
North Texas State
I-AA Independent
Southland
Conference standings [ ]
1983 Association of Mid-Continent Universities football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
No. 6 Eastern Illinois $^
3
–
0
–
0
9
–
3
–
0
Southwest Missouri State
2
–
1
–
0
6
–
5
–
0
Northern Iowa
1
–
2
–
0
6
–
5
–
0
Western Illinois
0
–
3
–
0
3
–
8
–
0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1983 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
No. 11 Nevada * $^
6
–
1
–
0
10
–
4
–
0
No. 12 Idaho State ^
5
–
2
–
0
8
–
4
–
0
Idaho
4
–
3
–
0
8
–
3
–
0
Boise State
4
–
3
–
0
6
–
5
–
0
Weber State
3
–
4
–
0
6
–
5
–
0
Montana
3
–
4
–
0
4
–
6
–
0
Northern Arizona
2
–
5
–
0
4
–
7
–
0
Montana State
1
–
6
–
0
1
–
10
–
0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant * – Nevada was given a win on the Fremont Cannon after UNLV was forced to forfeit the game after an investigation found that ineligible players had participated in the 1983 and 1984 seasons.
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Poll
1983 Ivy League football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Harvard +
5
–
1
–
1
6
–
2
–
2
Penn +
5
–
1
–
1
6
–
3
–
1
Brown
4
–
2
–
1
4
–
5
–
1
Dartmouth
4
–
2
–
1
4
–
5
–
1
Cornell
3
–
3
–
1
3
–
6
–
1
Princeton
2
–
5
–
0
4
–
6
–
0
Columbia
1
–
5
–
1
1
–
7
–
2
Yale
1
–
6
–
0
1
–
9
–
0
+ – Conference co-champions
1983 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
No. 18 South Carolina State $
4
–
0
–
0
7
–
3
–
0
Delaware State
3
–
1
–
0
7
–
3
–
1
Bethune–Cookman
1
–
3
–
0
4
–
4
–
1
North Carolina A&T
1
–
3
–
0
3
–
7
–
1
Howard
1
–
3
–
0
1
–
9
–
0
Florida A&M
0
–
0
–
0
7
–
4
–
0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Florida A&M games did not count as conference games Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1983 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Tulsa $
5
–
0
–
0
8
–
3
–
0
No. 1 Southern Illinois ^
4
–
1
–
0
13
–
1
–
0
No. 5 Indiana State ^
3
–
2
–
0
9
–
4
–
0
New Mexico State
3
–
2
–
0
5
–
6
–
0
Illinois State
2
–
2
–
1
6
–
4
–
1
Wichita State
3
–
3
–
0
3
–
8
–
0
Drake
1
–
6
–
0
1
–
10
–
0
West Texas State
0
–
5
–
1
0
–
10
–
1
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant The conference was a hybrid of NCAA Division I-A and I-AA programs. New Mexico State, Tulsa, and Wichita State were I-A and the other teams were I-AA. Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1983 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
No. 8 Eastern Kentucky $^
6
–
1
–
0
7
–
2
–
1
No. 16 Middle Tennessee
5
–
2
–
0
8
–
2
–
0
Akron
5
–
2
–
0
8
–
3
–
0
Murray State
4
–
3
–
0
7
–
4
–
0
Austin Peay
3
–
4
–
0
6
–
5
–
0
Youngstown State
2
–
5
–
0
4
–
7
–
0
Tennessee Tech
2
–
5
–
0
2
–
8
–
0
Morehead State
1
–
6
–
0
2
–
9
–
0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1983 Southern Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
No. 2 Furman $^
6
–
0
–
1
10
–
2
–
1
No. 9 Western Carolina ^
5
–
0
–
1
11
–
3
–
1
Chattanooga
5
–
2
–
0
7
–
4
–
0
Appalachian State
4
–
3
–
0
6
–
5
–
0
Marshall
3
–
4
–
0
4
–
7
–
0
VMI
1
–
5
–
0
2
–
9
–
0
The Citadel
1
–
6
–
0
3
–
8
–
0
East Tennessee State
1
–
6
–
0
3
–
8
–
0
Davidson
0
–
5
–
0
2
–
8
–
0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
1983 Southland Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
No. 13 Northeast Louisiana +
5
–
1
–
0
8
–
3
–
0
No. 4 North Texas State +^
5
–
1
–
0
8
–
4
–
0
McNeese State
3
–
3
–
0
6
–
5
–
0
Arkansas State
3
–
3
–
0
5
–
5
–
1
Texas–Arlington
2
–
4
–
0
5
–
6
–
0
Louisiana Tech
2
–
4
–
0
4
–
7
–
0
Lamar
1
–
5
–
0
2
–
9
–
0
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1983 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
No. 10 Grambling State $
6
–
0
–
1
8
–
1
–
2
No. 15 Jackson State
5
–
2
–
0
8
–
3
–
0
Southern
5
–
2
–
0
7
–
4
–
0
No. 19 Mississippi Valley State
4
–
2
–
1
7
–
2
–
1
Alcorn State
4
–
3
–
0
7
–
3
–
1
Texas Southern
2
–
5
–
0
4
–
6
–
0
Alabama State
0
–
6
–
0
2
–
9
–
0
Prairie View A&M
0
–
6
–
0
0
–
11
–
0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from Div I-AA Football Committee poll
1983 Yankee Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
No. T–13 Boston University +^
4
–
1
–
0
9
–
4
–
0
Connecticut +
4
–
1
–
0
5
–
6
–
0
No. 20 New Hampshire
3
–
2
–
0
7
–
3
–
0
Rhode Island
2
–
3
–
0
6
–
4
–
0
UMass
2
–
3
–
0
3
–
8
–
0
Maine
0
–
5
–
0
4
–
6
–
0
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
Conference champions [ ]
See also: List of NCAA Division I-AA/FCS football seasons
Conference champions
Big Sky Conference – Nevada
Ivy League – Harvard and Penn
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 .[2]
NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket [ ]
First Round November 26 Campus sites
Quarterfinals December 3 Campus sites
Semifinals December 10 Campus sites
National Championship Game December 17 Neutral Site
Carbondale, IL
Terre Haute, IN
(1) Southern Illinois
23
Indiana State
16**
Carbondale, IL
Indiana State
7
Eastern Illinois
13
(1) Southern Illinois
23
Reno, NV
Pocatello, ID
Nevada
7
(4) North Texas State
17
Idaho State
20
Charleston, SC – Hagood Stadium
Nevada
20*
Nevada
27
(1) Southern Illinois
43
Worcester, MA
Cullowhee, NC
Western Carolina
7
(2) Holy Cross
21
Western Carolina
24
Greenville, SC
Western Carolina
28
Colgate
23
Western Carolina
14
Greenville, SC
Richmond, KY
(3) Furman
7
(3) Furman
35
Eastern Kentucky
20
Boston University
16
Boston University
24
* indicates overtime period
References [ ]
Champion – Southern Illinois Salukis
Pre-NCAA
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NCAA Division I NCAA Division I-A/FBS NCAA Division I-AA/FCS NCAA College Division NCAA Division II NCAA Division III