1994 NCAA Division I-AA football season

{{Infobox NCAA Division I-AA season

| year = 1994

| image = File:NCAA primary logo 1980.svg

| image_caption =

| number_of_teams = 117

| regular_season = August–November

| playoffs = November 26–December 17

| nc_date = December 17, 1994

| championship = Marshall University Stadium
Huntington, West Virginia

| champions = Youngstown State

| payton = Steve McNair (QB, Alcorn State)

| buchanan =

}}

The 1994 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 1994, and concluded with the 1994 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 17, 1994, at Marshall University Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia. The defending champion Youngstown State Penguins won their third I-AA championship, defeating the Boise State Broncos by a score of 28−14.{{cite web |title=1994 NCAA Division I Football Championship |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_champs_records/2012/d1/2012FCSfbchamp.pdf |website=NCAA.org |access-date=December 29, 2013 |page=15}} It was the fourth consecutive year that Youngstown State played in the I-AA title game.

Conference changes and new programs

School	1993 Conference	1994 Conference
class="wikitable sortable"
style="text-align:center;" \| California–Davis	American West	D-II Independent
style="text-align:center;" \| Duquesne	I-AA Independent	MAAC
style="text-align:center;" \| Marist	I-AA Independent	MAAC
style="text-align:center;" \| Northeast Louisiana	Southland	I-A Independent
style="text-align:center;" \| Robert Morris	New program	I-AA Independent

Conference standings

cellpadding="5"

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1994 American West Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1994 Big Sky Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1994 Gateway Football Conference standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{1994 Ivy League football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1994 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1994 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{1994 Ohio Valley Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1994 Patriot League football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1994 Pioneer Football League standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{1994 Southern Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1994 Southland Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1994 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{1994 Yankee Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1994 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings}}

Conference champions

class="wikitable"
Conference Champions
American West Conference – Cal Poly Big Sky Conference – Boise State Gateway Football Conference – Northern Iowa Ivy League – Penn Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – Marist and St. John's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – South Carolina State Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky Patriot League – Lafayette Pioneer Football League – Butler and Dayton Southern Conference – Marshall Southland Conference – North Texas Southwestern Athletic Conference – Alcorn State and Grambling State Yankee Conference – New Hampshire

class="wikitable"

Conference Champions

American West Conference – Cal Poly

Big Sky Conference – Boise State

Gateway Football Conference – Northern Iowa

Ivy League – Penn

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – Marist and St. John's

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – South Carolina State

Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky

Patriot League – Lafayette

Pioneer Football League – Butler and Dayton

Southern Conference – Marshall

Southland Conference – North Texas

Southwestern Athletic Conference – Alcorn State and Grambling State

Yankee Conference – New Hampshire

Postseason

=NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket=

Only the top four teams in the bracket were seeded.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28199910/trojans_invited_to_dance/ |title=Trojans invited to dance |first=Hunt |last=Archbold |newspaper=Montgomery Advertiser |location=Montgomery, Alabama |page=D1 |date=November 21, 1994 |access-date=February 9, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} The site of the title game, Marshall University Stadium, had been determined in March 1994.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30706363/marshall_to_host_next_two_iaa_football/ |title=Marshall to host next two I-AA football finals |agency=AP |newspaper=The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier |location=Waterloo, Iowa |page=C3 |date=March 18, 1994 |access-date=April 17, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}

{{16TeamBracket-NoSeeds

| RD1=First Round
November 26
Campus sites

| RD2=Quarterfinals
December 3
Campus sites

| RD3=Semifinals
December 10
Campus sites

| RD4=National Championship Game
December 17
Marshall University Stadium
Huntington, West Virginia

|RD1-team01=Alcorn State

|RD1-score01=20

|RD1-team02=(1) Youngstown State*

|RD1-score02=63

|RD1-team03=Boston University

|RD1-score03=23

|RD1-team04=Eastern Kentucky*

|RD1-score04=30

|RD1-team05=Idaho

|RD1-score05=21

|RD1-team06=(4) McNeese State*

|RD1-score06=38

|RD1-team07=Northern Iowa

|RD1-score07=21

|RD1-team08=Montana*

|RD1-score08=23

|RD1-team09=Middle Tennessee

|RD1-score09=14

|RD1-team10=(2) Marshall*

|RD1-score10=49

|RD1-team11=Troy State

|RD1-score11=26

|RD1-team12=James Madison*

|RD1-score12=45

|RD1-team13=North Texas

|RD1-score13=20

|RD1-team14=(3) Boise State*

|RD1-score14=24

|RD1-team15=Appalachian State

|RD1-score15=17*

|RD1-team16=New Hampshire*

|RD1-score16=10

|RD2-team01=(1) Youngstown State*

|RD2-score01=18

|RD2-team02=Eastern Kentucky

|RD2-score02=15

|RD2-team03=(4) McNeese State

|RD2-score03=28

|RD2-team04=Montana*

|RD2-score04=30

|RD2-team05=(2) Marshall*

|RD2-score05=28*

|RD2-team06=James Madison

|RD2-score06=21

|RD2-team07=(3) Boise State*

|RD2-score07=17

|RD2-team08=Appalachian State

|RD2-score08=14

|RD3-team01=(1) Youngstown State*

|RD3-score01=28

|RD3-team02=Montana

|RD3-score02=9

|RD3-team03=(2) Marshall

|RD3-score03=24

|RD3-team04=(3) Boise State*

|RD3-score04=28

|RD4-team01=(1) Youngstown State

|RD4-score01=28

|RD4-team02=(3) Boise State

|RD4-score02=14

}}

* By team name denotes host institution

* By score denotes overtime periods

Source:{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28200006/allen_sees_balanced_field_of_16_teams/ |title=Allen sees balanced field of 16 teams |first=Doug |last=Newhoff |newspaper=Waterloo Courier |location=Waterloo, Iowa |page=B3 |date=November 21, 1994 |access-date=February 9, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}