1980 NCAA Division I-AA football season


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 the Camellia Bowl played on December 20 at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California.
In a game with multiple lead changes, the Boise State Broncos won their first 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

Conference standings

Conference champions

Conference champions

Big Sky ConferenceBoise State
Mid-Eastern Athletic ConferenceSouth Carolina State
Ohio Valley ConferenceWestern Kentucky
Southwestern Athletic ConferenceGrambling State and Jackson State
Yankee ConferenceBoston University

Postseason

NCAA Division I-AA Playoff bracket

The bracket consisted of three regional selections plus Eastern Kentucky as an at-large selection.
* Denotes host institution