1973 NAIA Division I football season

1973 NAIA Division I football season
Regular season	August–November 1973
Postseason	December 1–8, 1973
National Championship	Shreveport, LA
Champions	Abilene Christian

The 1973 NAIA Division I football season, as part of the 1973 college football season in the United States, was the 18th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA and the fourth season of the league's two-division structure.

The season was played from August to November 1973 and culminated in the 1973 NAIA Champion Bowl, played on December 8, 1973 in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Abilene Christian defeated Elon in the Champion Bowl, 42–14, to win their first NAIA national title.

Conference standings

1973 Carolinas Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 2/10 Elon $^ 4 – 0 – 0 12 – 1 – 0 Lenoir Rhyne 2 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 1 Mars Hill 2 – 2 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Catawba 1 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Guilford 0 – 3 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll and AP small college poll	1973 Evergreen Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 16 Central Washington $ 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Eastern Oregon 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Oregon College 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Southern Oregon 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Eastern Washington 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Western Washington 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Oregon Tech 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division I poll	1973 Great Plains Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. T–17 Emporia State + 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Northern Colorado + 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Fort Hays State 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Washburn 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 1 Pittsburg State 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Southern Colorado 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1973 Lone Star Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 1/7 Abilene Christian $^ 9 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0 No. 8 Howard Payne 8 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Stephen F. Austin 6 – 3 – 0 9 – 3 – 0 East Texas State 6 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Angelo State 5 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 2 Southwest Texas State 3 – 6 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Sul Ross 3 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Sam Houston State 2 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Texas A&I 2 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Tarleton State 1 – 8 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll and AP small college poll	1973 Nebraska College Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Kearney State $ 3 – 0 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Chadron State 2 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Wayne State (NE) 1 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Peru State 0 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1973 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 3 Langston $^ 8 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0 No. 12 Northeastern State 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 SE Oklahoma State 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Central State (OK) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 1 Cameron 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 East Central 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Panhandle 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 1 SW Oklahoma State 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 NW Oklahoma State 0 – 7 – 1 1 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1973 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Western State (CO) $ 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Adams State 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Southern Utah 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Fort Lewis 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Western New Mexico 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Westminster (UT) 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Colorado Mines 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion

Postseason

	Semifinals December 1, 1973					1973 Champion Bowl December 8, 1973 Shreveport, LA
	Wisconsin–La Crosse		24
	Elon*		35
						Elon		14
						Abilene Christian		42
	Langston		6
	Abilene Christian*		34

See also

• 1973 NCAA Division I football season
• 1973 NCAA Division II football season
• 1973 NCAA Division III football season