1985 NAIA Division II football season
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NAIA Division II football season
| year = 1985
| image =
| image_caption =
| regular_season = August–November 1985
| playoffs = November–December 1985
| championship = Lincoln Bowl
Tacoma, WA
| champions = Wisconsin–La Crosse
}}
The 1985 NAIA Division II football season, as part of the 1985 college football season in the United States and the 30th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 16th season of play of the NAIA's lower division for football.
The season was played from August to November 1985 and culminated in the 1985 NAIA Division II Football National Championship, played at the Lincoln Bowl near the campus of Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.{{cite web|title=NAIA Championship History|url=http://www.naia.org/fls/27900/1NAIA/SportsInfo/Championships/FB_Championship.pdf?SPSID=640523|work=NAIA|access-date=December 4, 2015|pages=4–11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715022933/http://www.naia.org/fls/27900/1NAIA/SportsInfo/Championships/FB_Championship.pdf?SPSID=640523|archive-date=July 15, 2015|url-status=dead}}
Wisconsin–La Crosse defeated {{cfb link|year=1985|team=Pacific Lutheran Lutes|title=Pacific Lutheran}} in the championship game, 24–7, to win their first NAIA national title. The Eagles won all three of their playoff games on the road.
Conference realignment
=Conference changes=
- The Columbia Football League began play this season, with the combined football membership of the former Evergreen (NAIA Division I) and Pacific Northwest (NAIA Division II) conferences.{{cite web|title=NAIA Football Regular Season Records|url=https://www.naia.org/sports/fball/Records/FB_RegularSeason.pdf|work=NAIA|accessdate=11 December 2021|pages=20}} The new league had fourteen members from British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington.
- This was the final season for the Hoosier-Buckeye Conference. Most members would later join the NCAA Division III Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference (now known as the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference), which began play in 1990.{{cite web|title=NAIA Football Regular Season Records|url=https://www.naia.org/sports/fball/Records/FB_RegularSeason.pdf|work=NAIA|accessdate=12 December 2021|pages=21}}
=Membership changes=
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
| Team | 1984 conference | 1985 conference |
|---|---|---|
| style="text-align:center;" | Pacific Northwest | Columbia |
| style="text-align:center;"
| Linfield | Pacific Northwest | Columbia |
| style="text-align:center;" | Pacific Northwest | Columbia |
| style="text-align:center;" | Pacific Northwest | Columbia |
| style="text-align:center;" | Pacific Northwest | Columbia |
Conference standings
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1985 Columbia Football League standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1985 Frontier Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1985 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1985 Hoosier–Buckeye Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1985 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1985 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1985 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1985 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1985 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1985 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1985 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1985 NAIA Division II independents football records}} |
Conference champions
| class="wikitable" |
| Conference
! Champion ! Record |
|---|
| Columbia
| Northern Division: Pacific Lutheran | 6–0 |
| Frontier
|5–1 |
| Heart of America
| Baker | 6–1 |
| Hoosier-Buckeye
| Findlay | 6–0 |
| Kansas
| 8–1 |
| Nebraska
| 5–0 |
| North Dakota
| 5–0 |
| South Dakota
| 5–1 |
| Texas
| 4–2 |
| WSUC
|6–1–1 |
Postseason
{{8TeamBracket
| RD1 = Quarterfinals
Campus sites
| RD2 = Semifinals
Campus sites
| RD3 = Championship
Tacoma, WA
| seed-width =
| team-width = 180
| score-width =
| RD1-seed1 =
| RD1-team1 = {{cfb link|year=1985|team=Wisconsin–La Crosse Eagles|title=Wisconsin–La Crosse}}
| RD1-score1 =24
| RD1-seed2 =
| RD1-team2 = {{cfb link|year=1985|team=Carroll Fighting Saints|title=Carroll (MT)}}*
| RD1-score2 =0
| RD1-seed3 =
| RD1-team3 = {{cfb link|year=1985|team=Northwestern Red Raiders|title=Northwestern (IA)}}
| RD1-score3 =32
| RD1-seed4 =
| RD1-team4 = {{cfb link|year=1985|team=Benedictine Ravens|title=Benedictine}}*
| RD1-score4 =22
| RD1-seed5 =
| RD1-team5 = {{cfb link|year=1985|team=Linfield Wildcats|title=Linfield}}
| RD1-score5 =12
| RD1-seed6 =
| RD1-team6 = {{cfb link|year=1985|team=Pacific Lutheran Lutes|title=Pacific Lutheran}}*
| RD1-score6 =30
| RD1-seed7 =
| RD1-team7 = {{cfb link|year=1985|team=Saint Ambrose Fighting Bees|title=Saint Ambrose}}
| RD1-score7 =0
| RD1-seed8 =
| RD1-team8 = {{cfb link|year=1985|team=Findlay Oilers|title=Findlay}} ‡
| RD1-score8 =7
| RD2-seed1 =
| RD2-team1 = Wisconsin–La Crosse (3OT)
| RD2-score1 =35
| RD2-seed2 =
| RD2-team2 = Northwestern (IA) ‡‡
| RD2-score2 = 28
| RD2-seed3 =
| RD2-team3 = Pacific Lutheran*
| RD2-score3 =40
| RD2-seed4 =
| RD2-team4 = Findlay
| RD2-score4 =29
| RD3-seed1 =
| RD3-team1 = Wisconsin–La Crosse
| RD3-score1 = 24
| RD3-seed2 =
| RD3-team2 = Pacific Lutheran*
| RD3-score2 = 7
}}
- ‡ Game played at Bowling Green, Ohio
- ‡‡ Game played at Vermillion, South Dakota