1998 NAIA football season
{{Short description|College football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NAIA football season
| year = 1998
| image =
| image_caption =
| regular_season = August–November 1998
| postseason = November 21–December 19, 1998
| championship = Jim Carroll Stadium
Savannah, TN
| champions = Azusa Pacific
| naia_poty = Jack Williams
(RB, Azusa Pacific)
}}
The 1998 NAIA football season, as part of the 1998 college football season in the United States, was the 43rd season of college football sponsored by the NAIA.
The season was played from August to November 1998, culminating in the 1998 NAIA Football National Championship, played this year on December 19, 1998 at Jim Carroll Stadium in Savannah, Tennessee.{{cite web|title=1998 NAIA Football Playoffs|url=http://www.jonfmorse.com/wiki/index.php?title=1998_NAIA_Football_Playoffs|work=JonFMorse.com|access-date=December 7, 2015}}
Azusa Pacific defeated Olivet Nazarene in the championship game, 17–14, to win their first NAIA national title.{{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 7, 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}}
Jack Williams, running back from Azusa Pacific, was named the 1998 NAIA Football Player of the Year.
Conference standings
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1998 Columbia Football Association standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1998 Frontier Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1998 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1998 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1998 Mid-South Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1998 Mid-States Football Association standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1998 Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1998 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1998 South Dakota-Iowa Intercollegiate Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1998 NAIA independents football records}} |
Conference champions
| class="wikitable" |
| Conference
! Champion ! Record |
|---|
| Frontier
|6–0 |
| Heart of America
| 8–1 |
| Kansas
| 7–1 |
| Mid-South
| Georgetown (KY) | 6–1 |
| Mid-States
| Mideast Division: Malone | 5–1 |
| Nebraska-Iowa
| Hastings | 6–0 |
| North Dakota
| 5–1 |
| South Dakota-Iowa
| 5–0 |
Postseason
{{16TeamBracket
| RD1 = First Round
November 21, 1998
Campus sites
| RD2 = Quarterfinals
November 21, 1998
Campus sites
| RD3 = Semifinals
December 5, 1998
Campus sites
| RD4 = Championship
December 19, 1998
Savannah, TN
| team-width = 170
| RD1-seed01 = 5
| RD1-team01 = {{cfb link|year=1998|team=Benedictine Ravens|title=Benedictine (KS)}}*
| RD1-score01 = 28
| RD1-seed02 = 14
| RD1-team02 = {{cfb link|year=1998|team=Tri-State Thunder|title=Tri-State}}
| RD1-score02 = 33
| RD1-seed03 = 9
| RD1-team03 = {{cfb link|year=1998|team=Georgetown Tigers|title=Georgetown (KY)}}*
| RD1-score03 = 46
| RD1-seed04 = 12
| RD1-team04 = {{cfb link|year=1998|team=Malone Pioneers|title=Malone}}
| RD1-score04 = 41
| RD1-seed05 = 1
| RD1-team05 = {{cfb link|year=1998|team=Hastings Broncos|title=Hastings}}*
| RD1-score05 = 26
| RD1-seed06 = 11
| RD1-team06 = {{cfb link|year=1998|team=Olivet Nazarene Tigers|title=Olivet Nazarene}}
| RD1-score06 = 32
| RD1-seed07 = 4
| RD1-team07 = {{cfb link|year=1998|team=Sioux Falls Cougars|title=Sioux Falls}}*
| RD1-score07 = 29
| RD1-seed08 = 10
| RD1-team08 = {{cfb link|year=1998|team=Mary Marauders|title=Mary}}
| RD1-score08 = 25
| RD1-seed09 = 3
| RD1-team09 = {{cfb link|year=1998|team=Southwestern Moundbuilders|title=Southwestern (KS)}}*
| RD1-score09 = 12
| RD1-seed10 = 16
| RD1-team10 = {{cfb link|year=1998|team=Lindenwood Lions|title=Lindenwood}}
| RD1-score10 = 10
| RD1-seed11 = 6
| RD1-team11 = {{cfb link|year=1998|team=Jamestown Jimmies|title=Jamestown}}*
| RD1-score11 = 19
| RD1-seed12 = 13
| RD1-team12 = {{cfb link|year=1998|team=Huron Screaming Eagles|title=Huron}}
| RD1-score12 = 61
| RD1-seed13 = 2
| RD1-team13 = {{cfb link|year=1998|team=Rocky Mountain Battlin' Bears|title=Rocky Mountain}}*
| RD1-score13 = 38
| RD1-seed14 = 15
| RD1-team14 = {{cfb link|year=1998|team=Central Washington Wildcats|title=Central Washington}}
| RD1-score14 = 41†
| RD1-seed15 = 8
| RD1-team15 = Azusa Pacific*
| RD1-score15 = 31
| RD1-seed16 = 7
| RD1-team16 = {{cfb link|year=1998|team=Taylor Trojans|title=Taylor}}
| RD1-score16 = 28
| RD2-seed01 = 14
| RD2-team01 = Tri-State
| RD2-score01 = 37
| RD2-seed02 = 9
| RD2-team02 = Georgetown (KY)*
| RD2-score02 = 23
| RD2-seed03 = 11
| RD2-team03 = Olivet Nazarene
| RD2-score03 = 37
| RD2-seed04 = 4
| RD2-team04 = Sioux Falls*
| RD2-score04 = 34
| RD2-seed05 = 3
| RD2-team05 = Southwestern (KS)
| RD2-score05 = 6
| RD2-seed06 = 13
| RD2-team06 = Huron*
| RD2-score06 = 52
| RD2-seed07 = 15
| RD2-team07 = Central Washington
| RD2-score07 = 28
| RD2-seed08 = 8
| RD2-team08 = Azusa Pacific*
| RD2-score08 = 35
| RD3-seed01 = 14
| RD3-team01 = Tri-State
| RD3-score01 = 28
| RD3-seed02 = 11
| RD3-team02 = Olivet Nazarene ‡
| RD3-score02 = 33
| RD3-seed03 = 13
| RD3-team03 = Huron
| RD3-score03 = 24
| RD3-seed04 = 8
| RD3-team04 = Azusa Pacific*
| RD3-score04 = 26
| RD4-seed01 = 11
| RD4-team01 = Olivet Nazarene
| RD4-score01 = 14
| RD4-seed02 = 8
| RD4-team02 = Azusa Pacific
| RD4-score02 = 17
}}
- † demarcates Overtime
- ‡ Game played at Kankakee, Illinois