1990 NCAA Division II football season
The 1990 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began in August 1990, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 8, 1990, at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The North Dakota State Bison defeated the Indiana Crimson Hawks, then known as the Indians, 51–11, to win their fifth Division II national title.
The Harlon Hill Trophy was awarded to Chris Simdorn, quarterback from North Dakota State.
Conference and program changes
- One program departed Division II for Division I-AA prior to the season.
- The Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference was founded prior to the season by the football-playing members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Heartland Collegiate Conference. As such, the GLIAC abandoned its sponsorship of football and the Heartland disbanded.
| School | 1989 Conference | 1990 Conference |
| Ashland | Heartland | MIFC |
| Butler | Heartland | MIFC |
| Central Florida | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Ferris State | GLIAC | MIFC |
| Grand Valley State | GLIAC | MIFC |
| Hillsdale | GLIAC | MIFC |
| Indianapolis | Heartland | MIFC |
| Lincoln | MIAA | Dropped Program |
| Northern Michigan | GLIAC | MIFC |
| Saginaw Valley State | GLIAC | MIFC |
| Saint Joseph's | Heartland | MIFC |
| Troy State | Gulf South | D-II Independent |
| Valparaiso | Heartland | MIFC |
| Wayne State | GLIAC | MIFC |
Conference standings
Conference summaries
| Conference Champions |
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Winston-Salem State Gulf South Conference – Mississippi College Lone Star Conference – East Texas State Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference – Grand Valley State Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Pittsburg State North Central Conference – North Dakota State Northern California Athletic Conference – UC Davis Northern Intercollegiate Conference – Minnesota–Duluth, Northern State, and Southwest Minnesota State Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Millersville, Indiana Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Colorado Mesa South Atlantic Conference – Carson-Newman Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Alabama A&M Western Football League – Cal Poly–SLO and Cal State Northridge |