NAIA independent football schools

NAIA independent football schools are four-year institutional members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) that play college football independent of any formal conference affiliation.^[1] In sports other than football, these schools compete in a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA called Continental Athletic Conference.

NAIA football independents

Currently, no schools compete as NAIA independents in football. The most recent football independent was Simpson University, who competed as such during the 2024 football season; however, they joined the Frontier Conference as a football affiliate for 2025 and beyond.

Yearly records

NAIA Division II independents (1970–1996)

Main article: List of NAIA Division II football independents standings

NAIA independents (1997–present)

1997 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 14 McKendree ^   –     8 – 2   No. 18 Clinch Valley   –     6 – 3   Peru State   –     6 – 4   NW Oklahoma State   –     5 – 5   Azusa Pacific   –     4 – 5   Eastern Oregon   –     4 – 6   ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll	1998 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 8 Azusa Pacific ^   –     12 – 2   No. 21 NW Oklahoma State   –     7 – 3   No. 25 Eastern Oregon   –     6 – 4   Clinch Valley   –     4 – 5   Peru State   –     4 – 5   ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll	1999 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 1 NW Oklahoma State ^   –     13 – 0   No. 7 Azusa Pacific ^   –     9 – 3   Southern Oregon   –     7 – 2   Virginia–Wise   –     6 – 3   Peru State   –     3 – 7   ^ – NAIA playoff participant
2000 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 16 Azusa Pacific ^   –     6 – 4   Southern Oregon   –     5 – 4   Virginia–Wise   –     3 – 7   ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll	2001 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 5 Southern Oregon ^   –     9 – 2   Virginia–Wise   –     6 – 4   Azusa Pacific   –     4 – 5   Paul Quinn   –     3 – 4   Edward Waters   –     2 – 8   ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll	2002 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 16 Azusa Pacific   –     9 – 1   No. 6 Southern Oregon ^   –     8 – 3   Paul Quinn   –     7 – 4   Edward Waters   –     6 – 4   Morningside   –     5 – 5   Allen   –     0 – 7   ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll
2003 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 13 Azusa Pacific ^   –     8 – 2   Edward Waters   –     7 – 4   Texas College   –     7 – 3   Southern Oregon   –     5 – 4   Allen   –     4 – 6   Webber International   –     3 – 7   Paul Quinn   –     1 – 6   Southern Virginia   –     0 – 10   Waldorf   –     0 – 11   ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll	2004 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 4 Azusa Pacific ^   –     11 – 3   Edward Waters   –     7 – 3   Eastern Oregon   –     6 – 4   Texas College   –     5 – 6   Webber International   –     4 – 5   Southern Oregon   –     3 – 6   Waldorf   –     3 – 7   Allen   –     2 – 6   Paul Quinn   –     1 – 7   Southern Virginia   –     0 – 8   ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll	2005 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Webber International *   –     6 – 2   Eastern Oregon   –     6 – 3   No. 12 Azusa Pacific ^   –     6 – 4   Allen   –     4 – 4   Southern Virginia *   –     3 – 5   Paul Quinn   –     3 – 6   Edward Waters   –     2 – 7   SAGU   –     2 – 8   Waldorf   –     2 – 9   Seton Hill   –     1 – 9   Southern Oregon   –     1 – 9   ^ – NAIA playoff participant * – Webber International later forfeited two wins and Southern Virginia forfeited three. Rankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll
2006 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Webber International   –     5 – 5   Langston   –     5 – 4   Southern Oregon   –     3 – 6   Azusa Pacific   –     3 – 7   Paul Quinn   –     2 – 6   Southern Virginia *   –     2 – 7   SAGU   –     2 – 8   Waldorf   –     2 – 8   Haskell   –     2 – 9   Seton Hill   –     2 – 9   Edward Waters   –     1 – 9   * – Southern Virginia later forfeited a win.	2007 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Southern Oregon   –     5 – 4   No. 21 Azusa Pacific   –     6 – 5   Peru State   –     6 – 5   Edward Waters   –     5 – 6   Southern Virginia   –     4 – 5   Webber International   –     3 – 6   Haskell   –     2 – 8   Waldorf   –     2 – 9   SAGU   –     1 – 9   Faulkner   –     0 – 9   Rankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll	2008 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   SAGU   –     4 – 5   Peru State   –     4 – 6   Southern Oregon   –     3 – 7   Southern Virginia   –     3 – 8   Webber International   –     3 – 8   Azusa Pacific   –     2 – 8   Edward Waters   –     2 – 8   Grand View   –     2 – 8   Haskell   –     2 – 9   Kentucky Christian   –     1 – 9   Waldorf   –     1 – 10
2009 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 24 Ohio Dominican   –     7 – 3   Peru State   –     7 – 4   Webber International   –     4 – 6   Haskell   –     3 – 7   Azusa Pacific   –     3 – 8   Southern Oregon   –     2 – 7   Southern Virginia   –     0 – 8   Edward Waters   –     0 – 10   Rankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll	2010 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 15 Azusa Pacific ^   –     7 – 3   No. 25 Webber International   –     7 – 4   Menlo   –     4 – 7   Peru State   –     4 – 7   Southern Oregon   –     3 – 7   Southern Virginia   –     3 – 7   Haskell   –     1 – 9   Edward Waters   –     0 – 8   ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll	2011 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 16 Valley City State ^   –     9 – 2   No. 5 Azusa Pacific ^   –     9 – 3   Menlo   –     5 – 5   Southern Oregon   –     5 – 5   Mayville State   –     5 – 6   Walsh   –     5 – 6   Dickinson State   –     4 – 6   Edward Waters   –     4 – 6   Malone   –     4 – 7   Robert Morris (IL)   –     4 – 6   Webber International   –     4 – 6   Jamestown   –     3 – 7   Southern Virginia   –     2 – 7   West Virginia Tech   –     1 – 9   Dakota State   –     1 – 10   Ave Maria   –     0 – 9   Haskell   –     0 – 11   ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll
2012 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Robert Morris (IL)   –     8 – 3   No. 24 Valley City State   –     7 – 3   Bacone   –     7 – 4   Langston   –     6 – 4   Edward Waters   –     5 – 6   Jamestown   –     4 – 6   Lindenwood–Belleville   –     4 – 6   Mayville State   –     4 – 6   Menlo   –     4 – 6   SAGU   –     4 – 6   Southern Virginia   –     4 – 6   Webber International   –     4 – 6   Point   –     2 – 8   Wayland Baptist   –     2 – 8   Dakota State   –     2 – 9   Texas College   –     2 – 9   Ave Maria   –     1 – 7   Haskell   –     1 – 8   Rankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll	2013 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Ave Maria   –     8 – 2   Menlo   –     5 – 5   Webber International   –     5 – 5   Lindenwood–Belleville   –     4 – 7   Point   –     3 – 7   Edward Waters   –     2 – 9   Haskell   –     1 – 7   Warner   –     1 – 10	2014 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Menlo   –     3 – 8   Arizona Christian   –     2 – 7   Lindenwood–Belleville   –     2 – 8   Missouri Baptist   –     1 – 10   Haskell   –     0 – 9
2016 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Davenport   –     5 – 5	2018 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Indiana Wesleyan   –     7 – 3   Lawrence Tech   –     5 – 3   Allen   –     2 – 6	2019 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Allen   –     3 – 6   Edward Waters   –     1 – 10
2020 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Edward Waters   –     1 – 2   Madonna   –     0 – 4	2021 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Arkansas Baptist   –     0 – 7	2022 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   North American   –     3 – 9   Arkansas Baptist   –     1 – 7
2024 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Simpson (CA)   –     0 – 9   Rankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll

See also

• NAIA independent schools