1988 NCAA Division II football season

The 1988 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 1988, and concluded with the Division II Football Championship on December 10, 1988, at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The North Dakota State Bison defeated the Portland State Vikings, 35–21, to win their fourth Division II national title. The tournament bracket also expanded for the first time, from 8 teams to 16 teams.
The Harlon Hill Trophy was awarded to Johnny Bailey, running back from Texas A&I, for the second consecutive year.

Conference summaries

Conference Champions

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Winston-Salem State
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Hillsdale
Gulf South Conference – Jacksonville State, Mississippi College, and Tennessee–Martin
Heartland Collegiate Conference – Butler
Lone Star Conference – Texas A&I
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Central Missouri State, Southeast Missouri State, and Northeast Missouri State
North Central Conference – North Dakota State
Northern California Athletic Conference – UC Davis
Northern Intercollegiate Conference – Minnesota State–Moorhead
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Millersville, Shippensburg
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Colorado Mesa
South Atlantic Conference – Carson-Newman, Catawba, and Lenoir-Rhyne
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Albany State
Western Football League – Portland State

Postseason

The 1988 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 16th single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, for the third time.