1985 Northern Iowa Panthers football team

The 1985 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa as a member of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference (GCAC) during the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach Darrell Mudra, the Panthers compiled an overall record of 11–2 with a mark of 5–0 in conference play, winning the GCAC title. Northern Iowa advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where, after a first-round bye, the Panthers defeated Eastern Washington in the quarterfinals before losing to the evenutal national champion, Georgia Southern in the semifinals.