1988 NAIA Division II football season
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NAIA Division II football season
| year = 1988
| image =
| image_caption =
| regular_season = August–November 1988
| playoffs = November–December 1988
| championship = Memorial Stadium
New Wilmington, PA
| champions = Westminster (PA) (4)
}}
The 1988 NAIA Division II football season, as part of the 1988 college football season in the United States and the 33rd season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 19th season of play of the NAIA division II for football.
The season was played from August to November 1988 and culminated in the 1988 NAIA Division II Football National Championship, played at the Memorial Stadium on the campus of Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.{{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 5, 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}}
The Westminster Titans defeated the {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Wisconsin–La Crosse Indians|title=Wisconsin–La Crosse Indians}} in the championship game, 21–14, to win their fourth NAIA national title.
Conference standings
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1988 Columbia Football Association standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1988 Frontier Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1988 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1988 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1988 Mid-South Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1988 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1988 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1988 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1988 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1988 Tri-State Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1988 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1988 NAIA Division II independents football records}} |
Conference champions
| class="wikitable" |
| Conference
! Champion ! Record |
|---|
| Columbia
| Mount Rainier League: Central Washington | 6–0 |
| Frontier
|6–0 |
| Heart of America
| Evangel | 7–0 |
| Illini-Badger
| 8–1 |
| Kansas
| Bethany | 9–0 |
| Mid-South
| 5–0 |
| Nebraska
| 5–0 |
| North Dakota
| 6–0 |
| South Dakota
| 5–0 |
| Tri-State
| 3–0 |
| WSUC
|7–1 |
Rankings
Final NAIA Division II poll rankings:
| class="wikitable" |
| Rank
! Team (first place votes) ! Record (thru Nov. 12) ! Points |
|---|
| 1
| Westminster (PA) (16) | 10–0 | 518 |
| 2
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Evangel Crusaders|title=Evangel}} | 9–0 | 486 |
| 3
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Carroll Fighting Saints|title=Carroll (MT)}} (3) | 9–0 | 474 |
| 4
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Central Washington Wildcats|title=Central Washington}} (1) | 9–0 | 466 |
| 5
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Northwestern Red Raiders|title=Northwestern (IA)}} (1) | 10–0 | 452 |
| 6
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Bethany Swedes|title=Bethany (KS)}} | 9–0 | 418 |
| 7
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Cumberland Indians|title=Cumberland (KY)}} | 10–0 | 404 |
| 8
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Sioux Falls Cougars|title=Sioux Falls}} | 9–0–1 | 370 |
| 9
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Austin Kangaroos|title=Austin}} | 9–1 | 340 |
| 10
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Baker Wildcats|title=Baker}} | 8–1 | 332 |
| 11
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Pacific Lutheran Lutes|title=Pacific Lutheran}} | 7–2 | 332 |
| 12
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls|title=Oregon Tech}} | 7–2 | 270 |
| 13
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Bluffton Beavers|title=Bluffton}} | 8–1 | 254 |
| 14
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Wisconsin–La Crosse Indians|title=Wisconsin–La Crosse}} | 8–2 | 241 |
| 15
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Wisconsin–River Falls Falcons|title=Wisconsin–River Falls}} | 7–3 | 211 |
| 16
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Dickinson State Blue Hawks|title=Dickinson State}} | 7–1 | 200 |
| 17
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Valley City State Vikings|title=Valley City State}} | 7–2 | 187 |
| 18
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Concordia Falcons|title=Concordia (WI)}} | 8–1 | 162 |
| 19
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Azusa Pacific Cougars|title=Azusa Pacific}} | 7–1 | 130 |
| 20
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Linfield Wildcats|title=Linfield}} | 7–2 | 129 |
| 21
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Nebraska Wesleyan Plainsmen|title=Nebraska Wesleyan}} | 7–2 | 118 |
| 22
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Greenville Panthers|title=Greenville}} | 8–1 | 117 |
| 23
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Wilmington Quakers|title=Wilmington (OH)}} | 7–2–1 | 79 |
| 24
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Georgetown Tigers|title=Georgetown (KY)}} | 7–3 | 77 |
| 25
| {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Wisconsin–Stevens Point Pointers|title=Wisconsin–Stevens Point}} | 7–4 | 29 |
{{cite news |author= |title=Final NAIA Division II poll |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/pittsburgh-post-gazette/125376851/ |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |location=Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |date=November 15, 1988 |page=26 |access-date=May 26, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}
Postseason
{{16TeamBracket
| RD1 = First Round
Campus sites
| RD2 = Quarterfinals
Campus sites
| RD3 = Semifinals
Campus sites
| RD4 = Championship
New Wilmington, PA
| team-width = 170
| RD1-seed01 =
| RD1-team01 = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Pacific Lutheran Lutes|title=Pacific Lutheran}}
| RD1-score01 = 35
| RD1-seed02 =
| RD1-team02 = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Oregon Tech Owls|title=Oregon Tech}}*
| RD1-score02 = 56
| RD1-seed03 =
| RD1-team03 = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Central Washington Wildcats|title=Central Washington}}
| RD1-score03 = 7
| RD1-seed04 =
| RD1-team04 = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Carroll Fighting Saints|title=Carroll (MT)}}*
| RD1-score04 = 28
| RD1-seed05 =
| RD1-team05 = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Sioux Falls Cougars|title=Sioux Falls}}
| RD1-score05 = 9
| RD1-seed06 =
| RD1-team06 = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Northwestern Red Raiders|title=Northwestern (IA)}}*
| RD1-score06 = 14
| RD1-seed07 =
| RD1-team07 = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Valley City State Vikings|title=Valley City State}}
| RD1-score07 = 6
| RD1-seed08 =
| RD1-team08 = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Wisconsin–La Crosse Eagles|title=Wisconsin–La Crosse}}*
| RD1-score08 =31
| RD1-seed09 =
| RD1-team09 = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves|title=Nebraska Wesleyan}}
| RD1-score09 =14
| RD1-seed10 =
| RD1-team10 = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Evangel Crusaders|title=Evangel}}*
| RD1-score10 = 45
| RD1-seed11 =
| RD1-team11 = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Baker Wildcats|title=Baker}}
| RD1-score11 =19
| RD1-seed12 =
| RD1-team12 = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Bethany Swedes|title=Bethany}}*
| RD1-score12 =21
| RD1-seed13 =
| RD1-team13 = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Bluffton Beavers|title=Bluffton}}
| RD1-score13 = 30
| RD1-seed14 =
| RD1-team14 = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Cumberland Indians|title=Cumberland (KY)}}*
| RD1-score14 = 14
| RD1-seed15 =
| RD1-team15 = {{cfb link|year=1988|team=Austin Kangaroos|title=Austin}}
| RD1-score15 = 12
| RD1-seed16 =
| RD1-team16 = Westminster (PA)*
| RD1-score16 = 34
| RD2-seed01 =
| RD2-team01 = Oregon Tech
| RD2-score01 =70
| RD2-seed02 =
| RD2-team02 = Carroll (MT)*
| RD2-score02 =35
| RD2-seed03 =
| RD2-team03 = Northwestern (IA)*
| RD2-score03 =33
| RD2-seed04 =
| RD2-team04 = Wisconsin–La Crosse
| RD2-score04 =45
| RD2-seed05 =
| RD2-team05 = Evangel*
| RD2-score05 =22
| RD2-seed06 =
| RD2-team06 = Bethany
| RD2-score06 =10
| RD2-seed07 =
| RD2-team07 = Bluffton
| RD2-score07 = 7
| RD2-seed08 =
| RD2-team08 = Westminster (PA)*
| RD2-score08 =40
| RD3-seed01 =
| RD3-team01 = Oregon Tech*
| RD3-score01 =24
| RD3-seed02 =
| RD3-team02 = Wisconsin–La Crosse
| RD3-score02 =37
| RD3-seed03 =
| RD3-team03 = Evangel
| RD3-score03 = 9
| RD3-seed04 =
| RD3-team04 = Westminster (PA)*
| RD3-score04 =26
| RD4-seed01 =
| RD4-team01 = Wisconsin–La Crosse
| RD4-score01 = 14
| RD4-seed02 =
| RD4-team02 = Westminster (PA)*
| RD4-score02 = 21
}}