| 1965 NCAA College Division football season | |
|---|---|
| Champion(s) | North Dakota State (AP, UPI) Tennessee A&I (black) |
The1965 NCAA College Division football season was the tenth season ofcollege football in the United States organized by theNational Collegiate Athletic Association at theNCAA College Division level.
| Team | 1964 conference | 1965 conference |
|---|---|---|
| Portland State | Oregon (NAIA) | Independent |
College Division teams (also referred to as "small college") were ranked in polls by theAP (a panel of writers) and byUPI (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.
In 1965, both services rankedNorth Dakota State (10–0) first; the UPI coaches' poll hadCal State Los Angeles (8–1) second, while the AP poll hadMiddle Tennessee (9–0) as the number two team.[2] North Dakota State later beatGrambling, 20–7 in thePecan Bowl inAbilene, Texas.[3][4]
Associated Press (writers) final poll
†Denotes team won a game after AP poll, hence record differs in UPI poll | United Press International (coaches) final poll
|
The postseason consisted of fourbowl games as regional finals, played on December 11.
| Bowl | Region | Location | Winning team | Losing team | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tangerine | East | Orlando, Florida | East Carolina | 31 | Maine | 0 | [7] |
| Grantland Rice | Mideast | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | Tennessee A&I 14,Ball State 14 | [8] | |||
| Pecan | Midwest | Abilene, Texas | North Dakota State | 20 | Grambling | 7 | [3] |
| Camellia | West | Sacramento, California | Cal State Los Angeles | 18 | UC Santa Barbara | 10 | [9] |