1972 NCAA College Division football season

The 1972 NCAA College Division football season was the 17th and final season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the NCAA College Division level.

1972 NCAA College Division football season
Champion(s)	Delaware (AP, UPI) Grambling (black)
← 1971 · football seasons · 1973 Division II → 1973 Division III →

Conference realignment

Membership changes

School	1971 conference	1972 conference
Newark State	New program	New Jersey State
William Paterson	New program	New Jersey State

Conference standings

1972 Big Sky Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Montana State $ 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Idaho State 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Boise State 3 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Montana 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 Idaho 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Weber State 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Northern Arizona 0 – 4 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1972 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 3/3 Cal Poly + 3 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 1 UC Riverside + 3 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Cal State Fullerton 2 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Cal State Northridge 1 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Cal Poly Pomona 0 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP/UPI small college polls	1972 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Northern Virginia State xy$ 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Virginia Union 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Elizabeth City State 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Norfolk State 3 – 2 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Hampton 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 10 – 0 Saint Paul's (VA) 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 Southern Johnson C. Smith xy 4 – 0 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Winston-Salem State 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Fayetteville State 2 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Shaw 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Livingstone 0 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Championship: Virginia State 17, Johnson C. Smith 6 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant
1972 College Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Washington University $ 4 – 0 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Centre 3 – 1 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Southwestern (TN) 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Sewanee 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Washington and Lee 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1972 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 6 Carthage $ 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 No. 16 Millikin 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Augustana (IL) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Carroll (WI) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Elmhurst 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Illinois Wesleyan 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 North Park 2 – 5 – 1 2 – 6 – 1 Wheaton (IL) 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 North Central (IL) 0 – 7 – 1 0 – 7 – 2 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division II poll	1972 Eastern Football Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Glassboro State + 2 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Central Connecticut State + 2 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Montclair State 1 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Southern Connecticut State 1 – 2 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 + – Conference co-champions
1972 Far Western Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T UC Davis $ 5 – 0 – 0 6 – 2 – 2 Humboldt State 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Chico State 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Cal State Hayward 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 San Francisco State 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 Sacramento State 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1972 Gulf South Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 5 Northwestern State $ 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 No. 3 Livingston ^ 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 2 No. 19 Jacksonville State 4 – 1 – 1 7 – 2 – 1 Delta State 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 1 Troy State 2 – 3 – 1 4 – 5 – 1 Southeastern Louisiana 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Nicholls State 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 Florence State 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 Tennessee–Martin 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 Mississippi College * 0 – 0 – 0 4 – 5 – 1 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant * – Did not compete for conference title Rankings from NAIA Division I poll	1972 Independent College Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Alfred $ 3 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Ithaca 2 – 0 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Hobart 3 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 St. Lawrence 1 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 RIT 0 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 RPI 0 – 3 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1972 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Butler + 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Evansville + 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Wabash 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Indiana Central 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Valparaiso 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Saint Joseph's (IN) 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 1 DePauw 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1972 Iowa Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 5 William Penn + 6 – 1 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 No. T–14 Buena Vista + 6 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Central (IA) 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Dubuque 3 – 3 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 Luther 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Simpson (IA) 1 – 4 – 2 2 – 5 – 2 Upper Iowa 1 – 5 – 1 4 – 5 – 1 Wartburg 1 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA Division II poll	1972 Little Three Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Williams $ 2 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Amherst 1 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Wesleyan 0 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1972 Maine Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Colby $ 2 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Bowdoin 1 – 1 – 0 2 – 5 – 0 Bates 0 – 2 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1972 Mason–Dixon Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Hampden–Sydney $ 3 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Randolph–Macon 2 – 1 – 1 7 – 2 – 1 Johns Hopkins 1 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Western Maryland 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 6 – 1 Towson State 1 – 2 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 Bridgewater 0 – 2 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Gallaudet * 0 – 0 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion * – Did not compete for conference title	1972 Metropolitan Intercollegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T C. W. Post $ 3 – 0 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Wagner 2 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Hofstra 1 – 2 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Merchant Marine 0 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Fordham * 0 – 0 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 $ – Conference champion * – Did not complete for conference title
1972 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 8 Alma + 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Adrian + 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Hope 3 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Olivet 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Kalamazoo 1 – 3 – 1 2 – 5 – 1 Albion 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA Division II poll	1972 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 10 North Carolina Central $ 5 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 No. 13 North Carolina A&T 4 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Morgan State 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Maryland Eastern Shore 4 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Howard 2 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Delaware State 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 South Carolina State 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division I poll	1972 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Northern Division Albright x 7 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Juniata 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Wilkes 4 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Delaware Valley 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Upsala 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Susquehanna 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Lycoming 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Wagner * 2 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Southern Division Franklin & Marshall x 8 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 0 Widener 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Johns Hopkins 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Ursinus 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Dickinson 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Lebanon Valley 4 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Moravian 3 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Muhlenberg 2 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Swarthmore 1 – 7 – 0 0 – 7 – 0 Western Maryland 0 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 1 Haverford † 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 0 – 0 x – Division champion/co-champions * – Ineligible due to insufficient conference games † – Haverford forfeited all games on schedule; opponents received conference victory but overall record not affected.
1972 Midwest Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Monmouth (IL) $ 8 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 0 Cornell (IA) 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Knox 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 St. Olaf 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Ripon 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Coe 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Carleton 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Lawrence 1 – 6 – 1 1 – 6 – 1 Grinnell 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Beloit 0 – 7 – 1 0 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1972 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Gustavus Adolphus $ 6 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 No. 14 Saint John's (MN) 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Concordia–Moorhead 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Minnesota–Duluth 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 St. Thomas (MN) 3 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Augsburg 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Hamline 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Macalester 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division I poll	1972 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Lincoln (MO) + 5 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 NW Missouri State + 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 SE Missouri State 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 1 NE Missouri State 2 – 3 – 1 6 – 4 – 1 SW Missouri State 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Central Missouri State 1 – 4 – 1 3 – 7 – 1 Missouri–Rolla 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 + – Conference co-champions
1972 New England Football Conference standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Maine Maritime $ 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Plymouth State 3 – 1 – 1 4 – 2 – 1 Curry 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Nichols 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 2 – 1 Bridgewater State 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Boston State 1 – 3 – 1 1 – 6 – 1 New England College 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1972 New Jersey State Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Jersey City State + 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Glassboro State + 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Montclair State + 3 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Trenton State 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 1 William Paterson 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Newark State 0 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1972 North Central Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. T–6 North Dakota + 6 – 1 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 No. T–6 South Dakota + 6 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 North Dakota State + 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Mankato State 3 – 4 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Northern Iowa 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 South Dakota State 2 – 5 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Morningside 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Augustana (SD) 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP small college poll
1972 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Michigan Tech $ 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Minnesota Morris 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Moorhead State 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 St. Cloud State 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Southwest State (MN) 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Bemidji State 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Winona State 0 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1972 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Blue Division Muskingum xy 4 – 0 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Denison 2 – 1 – 1 7 – 1 – 1 Ohio Wesleyan 1 – 2 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Marietta 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Otterbein 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Red Division Heidelberg xy$ 5 – 0 – 0 11 – 0 – 0 Baldwin–Wallace 3 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Wittenberg 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Capital 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Wooster 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Mount Union 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Not competing for championship Kenyon   –   7 – 0 – 1 Oberlin   –   2 – 7 – 0 Championship: Heidelberg 24, Muskingum 0 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant	1972 Ohio Valley Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 8 Tennessee Tech $ 7 – 0 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 Western Kentucky 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Middle Tennessee 4 – 2 – 1 7 – 3 – 1 Morehead State 3 – 3 – 1 3 – 6 – 1 Eastern Kentucky 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Murray State 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 East Tennessee State 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Austin Peay 1 – 6 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from UPI small college poll
1972 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T East Division West Chester xy 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Millersville 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 1 Bloomsburg 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Kutztown 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Cheyney 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 East Stroudsburg 1 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Mansfield 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 West Division No. 18 Slippery Rock xy$ 4 – 0 – 1 8 – 2 – 1 Clarion 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Edinboro 2 – 2 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Lock Haven 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Shippensburg 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 1 California (PA) 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 No. 9 Indiana (PA) * 0 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Championship: Slippery Rock 29, West Chester 27 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant * – Ineligible for conference title Rankings from NAIA Division I poll	1972 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Thiel $ 6 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 John Carroll 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Allegheny 5 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Carnegie Mellon 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Bethany (WV) 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Case Western Reserve 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Hiram 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Washington & Jefferson 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1972 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 17 Whittier $ 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 2 – 1 Redlands 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 La Verne 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Claremont-Mudd 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Occidental 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Pomona-Pitzer 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1972 Southland Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 2 Louisiana Tech $ 5 – 0 – 0 12 – 0 – 0 UT Arlington 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 No. T–10 McNeese State 3 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Lamar 3 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 SW Louisiana 1 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Arkansas State 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Abilene Christian 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP small college poll	1972 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 4 / T–8 Grambling + 5 – 1 – 0 11 – 2 – 0 Jackson State + 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Alcorn A&M 4 – 1 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Texas Southern 3 – 2 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 Mississippi Valley State 1 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Prairie View A&M 1 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Southern 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 1 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA Division I poll and AP small college poll	1972 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Wisconsin–Oshkosh $ 8 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 No. T–16 Wisconsin–La Crosse 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Wisconsin–Whitewater 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Wisconsin–Platteville 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Wisconsin–River Falls 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Wisconsin–Stevens Point 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Wisconsin–Stout 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Wisconsin–Superior 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1972 Yankee Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T UMass $ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 Connecticut 4 – 1 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Vermont 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 New Hampshire 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Maine 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Rhode Island 0 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1972 NCAA College Division independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 4 Ashland   –   11 – 0 – 0 Bridgeport   –   11 – 0 – 0 No. 1 Delaware   –   10 – 0 – 0 No. 5 Tennessee State   –   11 – 1 – 0 Colorado College   –   8 – 1 – 0 Tampa   –   10 – 2 – 0 Trinity (TX)   –   8 – 2 – 0 Western Carolina   –   7 – 2 – 1 Hawaii   –   8 – 3 – 0 Indiana State   –   7 – 3 – 0 Northeastern   –   6 – 2 – 0 Bucknell   –   6 – 3 – 0 Cortland   –   6 – 3 – 0 San Diego   –   6 – 3 – 1 Arkansas–Pine Bluff   –   4 – 2 – 1 Eastern Michigan   –   6 – 4 – 0 Milwaukee   –   6 – 4 – 0 Samford   –   5 – 3 – 2 Ball State   –   5 – 4 – 1 Lake Forest   –   4 – 3 – 1 Nevada   –   6 – 5 – 0 Central Michigan   –   5 – 5 – 1 Rose-Hulman   –   5 – 5 – 0 Santa Clara   –   4 – 4 – 1 Akron   –   3 – 4 – 2 St. Norbert   –   4 – 5 – 0 Saint Mary's   –   3 – 4 – 0 Kentucky State   –   4 – 6 – 0 Drexel   –   3 – 6 – 0 Northeast Louisiana   –   3 – 7 – 0 Portland State   –   3 – 8 – 0 Wayne State (MI)   –   2 – 5 – 1 Boston University   –   2 – 8 – 0 Northern Michigan   –   2 – 8 – 0 Saint Peter's   –   2 – 8 – 0 Chattanooga   –   2 – 9 – 0 Southern Illinois   –   1 – 8 – 1 Eastern Illinois   –   1 – 9 – 0 Madison   –   0 – 4 – 1 UNLV   –   1 – 10 – 0 Rankings from AP small college poll

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.

Small college polls

Both the UPI and AP panels ranked Delaware (10–0) first, followed by Louisiana Tech (11–0), and Cal Poly (8–0–1). Louisiana Tech later defeated Tennessee Tech in the Grantland Rice Bowl, while Cal Poly lost to North Dakota in the Camellia Bowl. Delaware declined an invitation to face UMass (7–2) in the Boardwalk Bowl, and did not play in the postseason.

United Press International (coaches) final poll Published on November 22 Rank School Record No. 1 votes Total points 1 Delaware 10–0 21 334 2 Louisiana Tech 11–0 12 310 3 Cal Poly 8–0–1 1 239 4 South Dakota 9–1 1 193 5 Tennessee State 9–1 184 6 North Dakota 9–1 148 7 Ashland 11–0 104 8 Tennessee Tech 10–1 98 9 Grambling 8–2 68 10 Carson–Newman 9–1 46

Associated Press (writers) final poll Published on November 23 Rank School Record No. 1 votes Total points 1 Delaware 10–0 9 272 2 Louisiana Tech 11–0 4 237 3 Cal Poly 8–0–1 197 4 Ashland 11–0 1 195 5 Tennessee State 8–1^note1 164 T6 South Dakota 9–1 1 144 T6 North Dakota 9–1 144 T8 Grambling 8–2 76 T8 Western Carolina 7–2–1 76 T10 Carson–Newman 9–1 55 T10 McNeese State 8–2 55 ^note1 Tennessee State actually 9–1 when the poll was taken.

Bowl games

The postseason consisted of four bowl games as regional finals, all played on December 10.

Bowl	Region	Location	Winning team		Losing team		Ref
Boardwalk	East	Atlantic City, New Jersey	UMass	35	UC Davis	14
Grantland Rice	Mideast	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Louisiana Tech	35	Tennessee Tech	0
Pioneer	Midwest	Wichita Falls, Texas	Tennessee State	29	Drake	7
Camellia	West	Sacramento, California	North Dakota	38	Cal Poly	21

Black college national championship

Grambling defeated North Carolina Central in the inaugural Pelican Bowl to capture the black college football national championship.

See also

• 1972 NCAA University Division football season
• 1972 NAIA Division I football season
• 1972 NAIA Division II football season