| Year Game Played: | 1988 |
| Game Name: | NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship |
| Subheader: | I-AA National Championship Game |
| Visitor Name Short: | Georgia Southern |
| Visitor Nickname: | Eagles |
| Home Nickname: | Paladins |
| Visitor School: | Georgia Southern University |
| Home Name Short: | Furman |
| Football Season: | 1988 |
| Home School: | Furman University |
| Visitor Record: | 12–2 |
| Home Record: | 12–2 |
| Visitor Conference: | Independent |
| Home Conference: | SoCon |
| Visitor 1Q: | 3 |
| Home 1Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 3 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 6 |
| Home 2Q: | 3 |
| Home 3Q: | 7 |
| Home 4Q: | 0 |
| Visitor Coach: | Erk Russell |
| Home Coach: | Jimmy Satterfield |
| Visitor Rank Ncaa: | 2 |
| Visitor Seed: | 2 |
| Home Rank Ncaa: | 4 |
| Home Seed: | 4 |
| Date Game Played: | December 17 |
| Stadium: | Holt Arena |
| City: | Pocatello, Idaho |
| Odds: | Georgia Southern by 5[1] |
| Referee: | Larry Farina |
| Attendance: | 9,714 |
| Us Network: | ESPN |
| Us Announcers: | Tim Brando (play-by-play), Stan White (color)[2] |
| Different Previous: | 1987 |
| Different Next: | 1989 |
The 1988 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Georgia Southern Eagles and the Furman Paladins. The game was played on December 17, 1988, at Holt Arena in Pocatello, Idaho. The culminating game of the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Furman, 17–12.[3]
The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1988 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket.[4]
See main article: 1988 Georgia Southern Eagles football team. Georgia Southern finished their regular season with a 9–2 record; one of their losses was to Florida State of Division I-A.[5] Ranked second in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[6] and seeded second in the tournament, the Eagles defeated The Citadel, Stephen F. Austin, and Eastern Kentucky to reach the final. This was the third appearance for Georgia Southern in a Division I-AA championship game, having won in 1985 and 1986.
See main article: 1988 Furman Paladins football team. Furman also finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (6–1 in conference); one of their losses was to Clemson of Division I-A.[7] Ranked fourth in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[6] and seeded fourth in the tournament, the Paladins defeated Delaware, Marshall, and top-seed Idaho to reach the final. This was the second appearance for Furman in a Division I-AA championship game, having lost to Georgia Southern in 1985.