1971 NCAA College Division football season

The 1971 NCAA College Division football season was the 16th season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the NCAA College Division level.

1971 NCAA College Division football season
Champion(s)	Delaware (AP, UPI) Tennessee State (black)
College Division football seasons

Conference standings

1971 Big Sky Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Idaho $ 4 – 1 – 0     8 – 3 – 0 No. 7 Boise State 4 – 2 – 0     10 – 2 – 0 Montana 3 – 2 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 Weber State 3 – 2 – 1     7 – 2 – 1 Idaho State 2 – 3 – 0     6 – 4 – 0 Northern Arizona 1 – 3 – 0     5 – 5 – 0 Montana State 0 – 5 – 1     2 – 7 – 1 $ – Conference champion Rankings from College Division AP Poll	1971 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Cal Poly $ 3 – 0 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 Cal State Fullerton 3 – 1 – 0     7 – 4 – 0 Valley State 1 – 2 – 0     4 – 7 – 0 Cal Poly Pomona 1 – 3 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 UC Riverside 0 – 2 – 0     2 – 7 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1971 Far Western Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 11 UPI Chico State + 5 – 1 – 0     9 – 2 – 0 UC Davis + 5 – 1 – 0     9 – 1 – 0 Cal State Hayward 3 – 2 – 1     7 – 2 – 1 Humboldt State 3 – 3 – 0     7 – 4 – 0 Sacramento State 2 – 3 – 1     4 – 5 – 1 San Francisco State 2 – 4 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Sonoma State 0 – 6 – 0     2 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from College Division poll
1971 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Saint Joseph's (IN) $ 4 – 0 – 0     8 – 2 – 0 Valparaiso 3 – 1 – 0     8 – 2 – 0 Evansville 2 – 2 – 0     3 – 6 – 0 Indiana Central * 1 – 2 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 Butler 1 – 3 – 0     3 – 7 – 0 Wabash * 1 – 3 – 0     5 – 5 – 0 DePauw 0 – 4 – 0     1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion * – ineligible for conference title	1971 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Luther $ 6 – 1 – 0     8 – 1 – 0 Buena Vista 5 – 2 – 0     6 – 2 – 0 William Penn 5 – 2 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 Central (IA) 4 – 3 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 Simpson 4 – 3 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 Wartburg 3 – 4 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 Upper Iowa 0 – 6 – 1     2 – 6 – 1 Dubuque 0 – 6 – 1     1 – 7 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1971 Mid-American Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 14 Toledo $ 5 – 0 – 0     12 – 0 – 0 Bowling Green 4 – 1 – 0     6 – 4 – 0 Western Michigan 2 – 3 – 0     7 – 3 – 0 Miami 2 – 3 – 0     7 – 3 – 0 Ohio 2 – 3 – 0     5 – 5 – 0 Kent State 0 – 5 – 0     3 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll
1971 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Morgan State $ 5 – 0 – 1     6 – 4 – 1 North Carolina Central 5 – 1 – 0     7 – 2 – 0 North Carolina A&T 3 – 2 – 1     6 – 4 – 1 South Carolina State 3 – 2 – 1     6 – 3 – 1 Maryland Eastern Shore 1 – 4 – 1     1 – 5 – 2 Howard 1 – 5 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 Delaware State 1 – 5 – 0     1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1971 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Northern Upsala x 4 – 3 – 0     5 – 3 – 0 Albright 3 – 3 – 1     3 – 5 – 1 Delaware Valley 3 – 4 – 0     4 – 4 – 0 Juniata 1 – 4 – 2     3 – 4 – 2 Lycoming 2 – 5 – 0     2 – 6 – 0 Susquehanna 0 – 5 – 1     3 – 6 – 1 Wilkes * 4 – 0 – 0     6 – 2 – 0 Wagner * 3 – 1 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 Southern Franklin & Marshall x 6 – 1 – 0     6 – 2 – 0 Western Maryland 4 – 1 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 Johns Hopkins 5 – 2 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 Moravian 6 – 3 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 Lebanon Valley 5 – 3 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 Pennsylvania Military 4 – 3 – 0     7 – 3 – 0 Ursinus 4 – 3 – 0     4 – 4 – 0 Muhlenberg 5 – 4 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 Dickinson 3 – 4 – 0     3 – 5 – 0 Haverford 1 – 6 – 0     2 – 6 – 0 Swarthmore 0 – 8 – 0     0 – 8 – 0 x – Division champion/co-champions * – Ineligible due to insufficient conference games	1971 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T NE Missouri State $ 6 – 0 – 0     9 – 1 – 0 SE Missouri State 4 – 2 – 0     7 – 3 – 1 Lincoln (MO) 3 – 3 – 0     5 – 5 – 0 Missouri–Rolla 2 – 3 – 1     4 – 6 – 1 NW Missouri State 2 – 4 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 Central Missouri State 2 – 4 – 0     4 – 6 – 0 SW Missouri State 1 – 4 – 1     1 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion
1971 New Jersey State Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Montclair State $ 3 – 0 – 0     7 – 2 – 0 Jersey City State 1 – 2 – 0     5 – 2 – 0 Glassboro State 1 – 2 – 0     2 – 6 – 0 Trenton State 1 – 2 – 0     2 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1971 North Central Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T North Dakota $ 5 – 1 – 0     6 – 3 – 1 North Dakota State 4 – 2 – 0     7 – 2 – 0 Northern Iowa 4 – 2 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 Morningside 3 – 3 – 0     6 – 4 – 0 South Dakota 3 – 3 – 0     3 – 7 – 0 South Dakota State 2 – 4 – 0     3 – 7 – 0 Augustana (SD) 0 – 6 – 0     1 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1971 Ohio Valley Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 6 AP / No. 12 UPI Western Kentucky $ 6 – 1 – 0     8 – 2 – 0 Tennessee Tech 5 – 2 – 0     8 – 2 – 0 Middle Tennessee State 5 – 2 – 0     7 – 4 – 0 Morehead State 4 – 3 – 0     7 – 3 – 0 Murray State 3 – 3 – 1     5 – 4 – 1 Eastern Kentucky 3 – 4 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Austin Peay 1 – 6 – 0     2 – 8 – 0 East Tennessee State 0 – 6 – 1     0 – 9 – 1 $ – Conference champion Rankings from College Division poll
1971 Southland Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Louisiana Tech + 4 – 1 – 0     9 – 2 – 0 Trinity (TX) + 4 – 1 – 0     8 – 2 – 0 Lamar + 4 – 1 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 SW Louisiana 2 – 2 – 1     5 – 4 – 1 Arkansas State 1 – 3 – 1     4 – 4 – 1 Abilene Christian 1 – 4 – 0     5 – 5 – 0 Texas–Arlington 1 – 4 – 0     2 – 9 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Louisiana Tech record includes Pioneer Bowl win.	1971 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Grambling $ 5 – 1 – 0     9 – 2 – 0 Jackson State 4 – 1 – 1     9 – 1 – 1 No. 16 UPI Alcorn A&M 4 – 2 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 Texas Southern 3 – 2 – 1     7 – 2 – 1 Prairie View A&M 2 – 4 – 0     3 – 7 – 0 Mississippi Valley State 1 – 5 – 0     4 – 7 – 0 Southern 1 – 5 – 0     2 – 7 – 1 $ – Conference champion Rankings from College Division poll	1971 Yankee Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Connecticut + 4 – 1 – 1     5 – 3 – 1 UMass + 4 – 1 – 1     4 – 4 – 1 New Hampshire 3 – 2 – 0     4 – 4 – 1 Rhode Island 2 – 3 – 0     3 – 6 – 0 Vermont 2 – 3 – 0     2 – 7 – 0 Maine 1 – 4 – 0     2 – 6 – 0 Holy Cross 0 – 2 – 0     4 – 6 – 0 + – Conference co-champions
1971 NCAA College Division independents football records Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 1 Delaware   –       10 – 1 – 0 No. 5 Tennessee State   –       9 – 1 – 0 No. 8 Akron   –       8 – 2 – 0 No. 3 Eastern Michigan   –       7 – 1 – 2 Northern Michigan   –       7 – 3 – 0 Hawaii   –       7 – 4 – 0 Santa Clara   –       6 – 4 – 0 Southern Illinois   –       6 – 4 – 0 Tampa   –       6 – 5 – 0 UNLV   –       5 – 4 – 1 Bucknell   –       5 – 5 – 0 Central Michigan   –       5 – 5 – 0 Milwaukee   –       5 – 5 – 0 Nevada   –       5 – 5 – 0 Wayne State (MI)   –       4 – 4 – 0 Northeastern   –       4 – 5 – 0 Portland State   –       4 – 5 – 0 Northeast Louisiana   –       4 – 6 – 1 Indiana State   –       4 – 6 – 0 Rose-Hulman   –       3 – 6 – 0 Drexel   –       2 – 6 – 0 Chattanooga   –       2 – 9 – 0 Rankings from AP Poll

Rankings

Main article: 1971 NCAA College Division football rankings

College Division teams (also referred to as "small college") were ranked in polls by the AP (a panel of writers) and by UPI (coaches). The national champion(s) for each season were determined by the final poll rankings, published at or near the end of the regular season, before any bowl games were played.

College Division final polls

Delaware, who during the regular season had defeated Rutgers, Villanova, and Boston University, averaged 40 points per game, and had a 9–1 record, was ranked first by both UPI and AP; both polls also ranked McNeese State (9–0–1) second, and Eastern Michigan (7–0–2) third.[1][2]

United Press International (coaches) final poll Published on November 24[3] Rank School Record No. 1 votes Total points 1 Delaware 9–1 20 306 2 McNeese State 9–0–1 5 267 3 Eastern Michigan 7–0–2 3 238 4 Tennessee State 8–1 1 185 5 C.W. Post 8–1 130 6 Arkansas Tech 11–0 95 7 Samford 8–1 78 8 Northern Colorado 8–1–1 2 75 9 Louisiana Tech 8–2 74 10 Howard Payne 9–1–1 48

Associated Press (writers) final poll Published on November 24[4] Rank School Record No. 1 votes Total points 1 Delaware 9–1 9 256 2 McNeese State 9–0–1 3 233 3 Eastern Michigan 7–0–2 201 4 Louisiana Tech 8–2 153 5 Tennessee State 8–1 1 150 6 Western Kentucky 8–2 96 7 Boise State 9–2 92 8 Akron 8–2 91 9 North Dakota 6–3–1 72 10 Arkansas Tech 11–0 46

Bowl games

The postseason consisted of four bowl games as regional finals, all played on December 11. This was the first year for the Pioneer Bowl; it succeeded the Pecan Bowl, which had been played in Arlington, Texas.

Top-ranked Delaware met C.W. Post in the Boardwalk Bowl; played indoors at Convention Hall,[5] Delaware won by 50 points in a rout.[6] The next two teams in the polls both lost; Eastern Michigan was defeated by Louisiana Tech in the Pioneer Bowl, and McNeese State fell to Tennessee State—led by future National Football League quarterback Joe Gilliam—in the Grantland Rice Bowl. Out west in the Camellia Bowl, Boise State mounted a 25–0 fourth quarter comeback to defeat Chico State.[7]

Bowl	Region	Location	Winning team		Losing team		Ref
Boardwalk	East	Atlantic City, New Jersey	Delaware	72	C.W. Post	22	[8]
Grantland Rice	Mideast	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Tennessee State	26	McNeese State	23	[9]
Pioneer	Midwest	Wichita Falls, Texas	Louisiana Tech	14	Eastern Michigan	3	[10]
Camellia	West	Sacramento, California	Boise State	32	Chico State	28	[11]

References

1. "Delaware Named Best In Nation", Daily News (Huntingdon, Pa.), Nov. 24, 1971, p4
2. "North Dakota Number Nine", Daily Journal (Fergus Falls, Minnesota), Nov. 24, 1971, p12
3. UPI (November 24, 1971). "Final Small College Poll". Palladium-Item. Richmond, Indiana. Retrieved February 24, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
4. "AP Football Poll: Small Colleges (final)". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. November 24, 1971. p. 12 – via news.google.com.
5. "Little All-American backs battle in Boardwalk Bowl". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 11, 1971. p. 22.
6. "East champs win handily in Boardwalk". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 12, 1971. p. 9, sports.
7. "Eric Guthrie rallies Boise". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 12, 1971. p. 9, sports.
8. "Delaware thrashes C.W. Post for eastern college supremacy". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. December 12, 1971. p. 16.
9. "Gilliam sparks Tennessee State". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 12, 1971. p. 9, sports.
10. "Louisiana Tech Pioneer winner". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 12, 1971. p. 9, sports.
11. "Boise State uses fourth quarter rally to take Camellia Bowl win". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. December 12, 1971. p. 15.