1988 Chico State Wildcats football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 1988
| team = Chico State Wildcats
| sport = football
| image =
| image_size =
| conference = Northern California Athletic Conference
| short_conf = NCAC
| record = 3–7
| conf_record = 3–2
| head_coach = Mike Bellotti
| hc_year = 5th
| off_coach =
| oc_year =
| off_scheme =
| def_coach =
| dc_year =
| def_scheme =
| captain =
| stadium = University Stadium
}}
{{1988 Northern California Athletic Conference football standings}}
The 1988 Chico State Wildcats football team represented California State University, Chico as a member of the Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC) during the 1988 NCAA Division II football season. Led by Mike Bellotti in his fifth and final season as head coach, Chico State compiled an overall record of 3–7 with a mark of 3–2 in conference play, tying for second place in the NCAC. The team was outscored by its opponents 231 to 205 for the season. The Wildcats played home games at University Stadium in Chico, California.
Bellotti finished his tenure as Chico State with an overall record of 21–25–2, for a .458 winning percentage. He left Chico State to become the offensive coordinator at the University of Oregon, and later served as head football coach, from 1995 to 2008.
Schedule
{{CFB schedule
| rankyear = 1988
| rankdivision = NCAA Division II
| poll = NCAA Division II Football Committee
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 3
| w/l = l
| nonconf = y
| opponent = Santa Clara
| site_stadium = University Stadium
| site_cityst = Chico, CA
| score = 16–25
| attend = 4,000–4,127
| source = {{cite web |author= |title=Final 1988 Division II Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Santa Clara) |url=https://stats.ncaa.org/team/631/stats/12718 |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=April 24, 2022 }}
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 10
| w/l = l
| nonconf = y
| opponent = Sacramento State
| site_stadium = University Stadium
| site_cityst = Chico, CA
| score = 16–48
| attend = 3,500
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 17
| w/l = l
| nonconf = y
| away = y
| opponent = UC Santa Barbara
| site_stadium = Harder Stadium
| site_cityst = Santa Barbara, CA
| score = 16–17
| attend = 1,388
| source = {{cite news|title=Southland|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|location=Los Angeles, California|date=September 18, 1988|page=III-23|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10222421/southland_19880918/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 12, 2017}}{{Open access}}
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 24
| w/l = l
| nonconf = y
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Emporia State Hornets|title=Emporia State}}
| site_stadium = University Stadium
| site_cityst = Chico, CA
| score = 0–23
| attend = 1,200
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 1
| w/l = l
| nonconf = y
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Saint Mary's Gaels|title=Saint Mary's}}
| site_stadium = University Stadium
| site_cityst = Chico, CA
| score = 34–38
| attend = 2,500
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 8
| w/l = w
| away = y
| opponent = Humboldt State
| site_stadium = Redwood Bowl
| site_cityst = Arcata, CA
| score = 31–7
| attend = 4,500
| source = {{cite web |author= |title=Final 1988 Division II Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Humboldt State) |url=https://stats.ncaa.org/team/291/stats/12718 |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=September 22, 2024 }}
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 22
| w/l = w
| away = y
| opponent = San Francisco State
| site_stadium = Cox Stadium
| site_cityst = San Francisco, CA
| score = 31–9
| attend = 300
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 29
| w/l = w
| opponent = Cal State Hayward
| site_stadium = University Stadium
| site_cityst = Chico, CA
| score = 38–14
| attend = 500–1,200
| source = {{cite web |author= |title=Final 1988 Division II Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Cal State Hayward) |url=https://stats.ncaa.org/team/98/stats/12718 |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=May 16, 2022 }}
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 5
| w/l = l
| opponent = Sonoma State
| site_stadium = University Stadium
| site_cityst = Chico, CA
| score = 10–14
| attend = 1,500
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 12
| w/l = l
| away = y
| opponent = UC Davis
| opprank = 13
| site_stadium = Toomey Field
| site_cityst = Davis, CA
| score = 13–36
| attend = 7,400
}}
}}
{{cite web |author= |title=Final 1988 Division II Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Chico State) |url=https://stats.ncaa.org/team/95/stats/12718 |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=May 22, 2022 }}