Ga. Southern27
Jackson St.0
November 30, 1985
Winner advances →Division I Football Championship
Division I-AA · National playoff
Final: December 21, 1985
Final site: Tacoma, WA
Rounds and bracket
Follow the winner’s link to the next round.
First Round
Eastern Wash.42
Idaho38
November 30, 1985
Winner advances →Rhode Island35
Akron27
November 30, 1985
Winner advances →Arkansas St.10
Grambling7
November 30, 1985
Winner advances →Quarterfinals
Ga. Southern28
Middle Tenn.21
December 7, 1985
Winner advances →UNI17
Eastern Wash.14
December 7, 1985
Winner advances →Furman59
Rhode Island15
December 7, 1985
Winner advances →Nevada24
Arkansas St.23
December 7, 1985
Winner advances →Semifinals
Ga. Southern40
UNI33
December 14, 1985
Winner advances →Furman35
Nevada12
December 14, 1985
Winner advances →Championship
Ga. Southern44
Furman42
December 21, 1985
Format and selection
NCAA championship selection
12 teams in a single-elimination playoff. Recorded games are organized by round.
- The NCAA championship committee selected and placed the field under that season’s championship regulations.
- The recorded bracket documents the participants and advancement. Earlier field sizes, automatic qualifiers and seeding arrangements should not be inferred from the current format.
These are documented selection procedures. They do not explain why a particular participant was chosen unless the source expressly records that decision.
History
The NCAA has organized this national championship since 1978.
A single-elimination bracket determines the champion. The field size and qualifying arrangements changed over time.