1974 NCAA Division II football season


The 1974 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 September and concluded with the Division II Championship on December 14 at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California.
Central Michigan defeated Delaware 54–15 in the Camellia Bowl to win their only Division II national title. CMU moved up to Division I in 1975.

Conference standings

Conference summaries

Conference Champions

Big Sky Conference – Boise State
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Norfolk State
Far Western Football Conference – UC Davis
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Ferris State and Northwood
Gulf South Conference – Jacksonville State
Lone Star Conference – Texas A&I
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Northwest Missouri State
North Central Conference – North Dakota State, North Dakota, and South Dakota
Northern Intercollegiate Conference – Michigan Tech
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Western State
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Tuskegee
Yankee Conference – Maine and Massachusetts

Postseason

The 1974 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the second single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA Division II college football.
The four quarterfinal games were played on campus and all four host teams advanced. The semifinals were the Pioneer Bowl in Wichita Falls, Texas, and the Grantland Rice Bowl in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The championship game was the Camellia Bowl, held at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California for the second consecutive year. The Central Michigan Chippewas defeated the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens 54–14 to win their first national title. After opening with a home loss to Division I Kent State, CMU won twelve straight to finish as D-II champions.

Playoff bracket

* Denotes host institution

Rankings

In 1974, United Press International and the Associated Press ranked teams in their College Division or "small college" polls – which had started in 1958 and 1960, respectively – for the final time. UPI published their final poll at the end of the regular season, while the AP waited until postseason games had been completed. UPI's number one selection was the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, who during the regular season were 10–0 while outscoring opponents 294–103. The Bulldogs later lost in the playoffs to the Central Michigan Chippewas, winners of the tournament. AP's number one selection was the Chippewas, who were 9–1 during the regular season and finished with an overall record of 12–1 while outscoring opponents 450–127.
United Press International final poll
Published on November 27
RankSchoolRecordNo. 1
votes		Total
points
1Louisiana Tech10–027322
2Nevada-Las Vegas11–05254
3Boise State10–11188
4Delaware10–1168
5Texas A&I11–0132
6Grambling State10–1124
7Central Michigan9–1101
8Youngstown State8–140
9Tennessee State8–238
10Western Carolina9–134

Associated Press final poll
Published on December 24
RankSchoolRecordNo. 1
votes		Total
points
1Central Michigan12–132658
2Louisiana Tech10–1477
3Texas A&I13–02461
4Delaware12–2460
5Boise State10–2401
6Nevada-Las Vegas12–1381
7Grambling State11–1322
8Western Carolina9–1241
9Tennessee State8–2180
10Texas Lutheran11–0171

Record includes Division II playoff games
Louisiana Tech final record actually 11–1
Western Carolina final record actually 9–2
Record includes NAIA playoff games
Record includes Pelican Bowl win