1980 NCAA Division II football season
The 1980 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 1980, and concluded with the Division II Football Championship in December 1980 at University Stadium in Albuquerque, NM. During the game's two-year stretch in New Mexico, it was referred to as the Zia Bowl.
Cal Poly defeated Eastern Illinois in the championship game, 21–13, to win their first Division II national title.
Conference changes and new programs
- Prior to the season, four Division II programs moved Division I-AA, and two Division I-AA programs moved to Division II.
- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference reclassified as a Division II conference; all 13 PSAC members made the transition.
Conference summaries
| Conference | Champion |
| Association of Mid-Continent Universities | Eastern Illinois |
| California Collegiate Athletic Association | Cal Poly |
| Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | North Carolina Central |
| Far Western Football Conference | UC Davis |
| Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Hillsdale |
| Gulf South Conference | North Alabama |
| Heartland Collegiate Conference | Franklin and Ashland |
| Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Missouri–Rolla |
| North Central Conference | Northern Colorado |
| Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Morris Brown Alabama A&M |