| Year: | 1986 |
| Regular Season: | August–November 1986 |
| Playoffs: | December 6–20, 1986 |
| Championship: | Burke–Tarr Stadium Jefferson City, TN |
| Champions: | Carson–Newman (3) |
The 1986 NAIA Division I football season was the 31st season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 17th season of play of the NAIA's top division for football.
The season was played from August to November 1986 and culminated in the 1986 NAIA Champion Bowl, played this year on December 20, 1986 at Burke–Tarr Stadium in Jefferson City, Tennessee, on the campus of Carson–Newman College.[1]
Carson–Newman defeated in the Champion Bowl, 17–0, to win their third NAIA national title.[2]
| Conference | Champion | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Intercollegiate | Central Arkansas | 7–0 | |
| Central States | Pittsburg State | 7–0 | |
| NIC | Minnesota–Morris | 5–0–1 | |
| Oklahoma | East Central State Northwestern Oklahoma State | 3–1 | |
| RMAC | Mesa | 6–0 | |
| South Atlantic | Carson–Newman | 6–1 | |
| WVIAC | Shepherd | 7–0 |