1985 NAIA Division I football season

The 1985 NAIA Division I football season was the 30th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 16th season of play of the NAIA's top division for football.

The season was played from August to November 1985 and culminated in the 1985 NAIA Champion Bowl, played this year on December 21, 1985 at Estes Stadium in Conway, Arkansas, on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas, for the second straight year.

and Hillsdale played to a tie, 10–10, in the Champion Bowl and both teams were named co-national champions. It was Central Arkansas' second NAIA title (and second straight shared title) and Hillsdale's first.

Conference changes

 * The Columbia Football League began play this season, with the combined football membership of the former Evergreen (NAIA Division I) and Pacific Northwest (NAIA Division II) conferences. The new league had fourteen members from British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington.