| 1972 NCAA College Division football season | |
|---|---|
| Champion(s) | Delaware (AP, UPI) Grambling (black) |
The1972 NCAA College Division football season was the 17th and final season ofcollege football in the United States organized by theNational Collegiate Athletic Association at theNCAA College Division level.
| School | 1971 conference | 1972 conference |
|---|---|---|
| Newark State | New program | New Jersey State |
| William Paterson | New program | New Jersey State |
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.
Both the UPI and AP panels rankedDelaware (10–0) first, followed byLouisiana Tech (11–0), andCal Poly (8–0–1).[1][2] Louisiana Tech later defeatedTennessee Tech in theGrantland Rice Bowl, while Cal Poly lost toNorth Dakota in theCamellia Bowl. Delaware declined an invitation to faceUMass (7–2) in theBoardwalk Bowl, and did not play in the postseason.[3]
United Press International (coaches) final poll
| Associated Press (writers) final poll
^note1 Tennessee State actually 9–1 when the poll was taken. |
The postseason consisted of fourbowl 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 | [6] |
Grambling defeatedNorth Carolina Central in the inauguralPelican Bowl to capture theblack college football national championship.[7]