1990 NCAA Division II football season

The 1990 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began in August 1990, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 8, 1990, at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The North Dakota State Bison defeated IUP, 51–11, to win their fifth Division II national title.^[1]

1990 NCAA Division II football season
Regular season	August – November 1990
Playoffs	November 17 – December 8, 1990
National Championship	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL
Champion	North Dakota State (5)
Harlon Hill Trophy	Chris Simdorn, North Dakota State
← 1989 NCAA Division II football seasons 1991 →

The Harlon Hill Trophy was awarded to Chris Simdorn, quarterback from North Dakota State.

Conference and program changes

• One program departed Division II for Division I-AA prior to the season.
• The Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) was founded prior to the season by the football-playing members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (six teams) and the Heartland Collegiate Conference (five teams). The GLIAC abandoned its sponsorship of football and the Heartland disbanded.

School	1989 Conference	1990 Conference
Ashland	Heartland	MIFC
Butler	Heartland	MIFC
Central Florida	D-II Independent	I-AA Independent
Ferris State	GLIAC	MIFC
Grand Valley State	GLIAC	MIFC
Hillsdale	GLIAC	MIFC
Indianapolis	Heartland	MIFC
Lincoln (MO)	MIAA	Dropped Program
Northern Michigan	GLIAC	MIFC
Saginaw Valley State	GLIAC	MIFC
Saint Joseph's (IN)	Heartland	MIFC
Troy State	Gulf South	D-II Independent
Valparaiso	Heartland	MIFC
Wayne State	GLIAC	MIFC

Conference standings

1990 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Northern No. 5 Virginia Union xy^ 7 – 0 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 Norfolk State 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Hampton 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Virginia State 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Elizabeth City State 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 1 Bowie State 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Southern Winston-Salem State xy$^ 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 4 – 1 Fayetteville State 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Livingstone 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 North Carolina Central 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Johnson C. Smith 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 Championship: Winston-Salem State 34, Virginia Union 21 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll	1990 Gulf South Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 2 Mississippi College $^ 8 – 0 – 0 11 – 2 – 0 No. 10 Jacksonville State ^ 6 – 2 – 0 9 – 3 – 0 No. 15 North Alabama ^ 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Valdosta State 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Delta State 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Troy State 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Tennessee–Martin 2 – 6 – 0 0 – 4 – 7 Livingston 1 – 7 – 0 0 – 3 – 9 West Georgia 0 – 8 – 0 1 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll	1990 Lone Star Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 7 East Texas State $^ 7 – 0 – 0 10 – 3 – 0 Angelo State 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Eastern New Mexico 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Texas A&I 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Central State (OK) 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Cameron 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Abilene Christian 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 West Texas State 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll
1990 Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 6 Grand Valley State $^ 9 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 No. T–20 Ashland 7 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 1 Hillsdale 7 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Ferris State 5 – 4 – 1 6 – 4 – 1 Butler 5 – 4 – 1 5 – 5 – 1 Northern Michigan 5 – 4 – 1 5 – 5 – 1 Saginaw Valley State 5 – 5 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Indianapolis 3 – 6 – 1 3 – 6 – 1 Wayne State (MI) 3 – 7 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Saint Joseph's (IN) 3 – 7 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Valparaiso 1 – 9 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll	1990 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 3 Pittsburg State $^ 9 – 0 – 0 12 – 1 – 0 No. 9 NE Missouri State ^ 8 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 SE Missouri State 7 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Central Missouri State 5 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Missouri Southern State 4 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Washburn 4 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Southwest Baptist 4 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 NW Missouri State 2 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 1 Missouri Western State 2 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Missouri–Rolla 1 – 8 – 0 1 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll	1990 North Central Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 1 North Dakota State $^ 9 – 0 – 0 14 – 0 – 0 No. 12 North Dakota 7 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 No. T–20 Northern Colorado ^ 6 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Augustana (SD) 5 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Morningside 5 – 4 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Mankato State 4 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 South Dakota 3 – 6 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 St. Cloud State 3 – 6 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 South Dakota State 2 – 7 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 Nebraska–Omaha 1 – 8 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll
1990 Northern California Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T UC Davis $ 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Sonoma State 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Chico State 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 San Francisco State 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Humboldt State 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 1 Cal State Hayward 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion The first Humboldt State vs. Cal State Hayward game did not count as a conference game.	1990 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Minnesota Duluth + 5 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 1 No. 5 Southwest State (MN) +^ 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 No. 9 Northern State + 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 No. 19 Moorhead State 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Minnesota Morris 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Winona State 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 Bemidji State 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 10 – 0 + – Conference co-champions ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll	1990 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T East Division Millersville x 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 East Stroudsburg 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Bloomsburg 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Kutztown 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Mansfield 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 1 Cheyney 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 11 – 0 West Chester * 0 – 0 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 West Division No. 4 IUP x^ 6 – 0 – 0 12 – 2 – 0 No. 11 Edinboro ^ 5 – 1 – 0 9 – 3 – 0 Slippery Rock 4 – 2 – 0 4 – 6 – 1 California (PA) 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 1 Shippensburg 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Clarion 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Lock Haven 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 10 – 0 x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant * – West Chester was suspended from conference play because the team scheduled a game against Delaware instead of Mansfield on the date mandated by the PSAC. Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll
1990 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Alabama A&M $ 6 – 1 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 No. 14 Tuskegee 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Albany State 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Savannah State 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Morris Brown 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Clark Atlanta 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Fort Valley State 2 – 6 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Morehouse 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 7 – 1 Miles 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll	1990 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. T–12 Concord $ 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 No. 11 Shepherd 4 – 1 – 1 6 – 3 – 1 No. 20 Fairmont State 4 – 1 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 West Virginia State 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 West Virginia Tech 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 West Liberty State 1 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Glenville State 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 1 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division I poll }	1990 Western Football Conference standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 8 Cal Poly +^ 4 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 No. 13 Cal State Northridge +^ 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Portland State 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Santa Clara 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Southern Utah State 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Sacramento State 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll
1990 NCAA Division II independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 18 Wofford ^   –   9 – 3 – 0 No. 17 American International   –   7 – 3 – 0 No. 19 New Haven   –   7 – 3 – 0 Saint Mary's   –   7 – 3 – 0 Wayne State (NE)   –   7 – 4 – 0 Michigan Tech   –   6 – 4 – 0 Springfield   –   6 – 4 – 0 Southern Connecticut State   –   5 – 5 – 0 Central Connecticut   –   2 – 7 – 0 Cal Lutheran   –   2 – 8 – 0 Kentucky State   –   2 – 9 – 0 ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

Conference summaries

See also: List of NCAA Division II football seasons

Conference Champions

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Winston-Salem State Gulf South Conference – Mississippi College Lone Star Conference – East Texas State Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference – Grand Valley State Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Pittsburg State North Central Conference – North Dakota State Northern California Athletic Conference – UC Davis Northern Intercollegiate Conference – Minnesota–Duluth, Northern State, and Southwest Minnesota State Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Millersville (East), Indiana (PA) (West) Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Colorado Mesa South Atlantic Conference – Carson-Newman Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Alabama A&M Western Football League – Cal Poly–SLO and Cal State Northridge

Postseason

1990 NCAA Division II Football Championship
Teams	16
Finals Site	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL
Champion	North Dakota State (5th title, title game)
Runner-up	IUP (1st title game)
Semifinalists	Mississippi College Pittsburg State
Winning coach	championship

The 1990 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 18th single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, for the fifth time.

Playoff bracket

	First round Campus sites				Quarterfinals Campus sites				Semifinals Campus sites				Championship Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL
	Mississippi College	70
	Wofford	19
					Mississippi College	14
					Jacksonville State	7
	Jacksonville State	38
	North Alabama	14
									Mississippi College	8
									IUP	27
	IUP	48
	Winston-Salem State	0
					IUP	14
					Edinboro	7
	Edinboro	38
	Virginia Union	14
													IUP	11
													North Dakota State	51
	North Dakota State	17
	Northern Colorado	7
					North Dakota State	47
					Cal Poly	0
	Cal Poly	14
	Cal State Northridge	7
									North Dakota State	39
									Pittsburg State	29
	Pittsburg State	59
	Northeast Missouri State	3
					Pittsburg State	60
					East Texas State	28
	East Texas State	20
	Grand Valley State	14

See also

• 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season
• 1990 NCAA Division I-AA football season
• 1990 NCAA Division III football season
• 1990 NAIA Division I football season
• 1990 NAIA Division II football season