In just the fifth season after reinstating its football program and with a bulls-eye on its back, Georgia Southern claimed its second consecutive national championship. The Eagles became the first school to win back-to-back national championships in Division I-AA and went on to accomplish the feat twice more. Georgia Southern's only two losses in 1986 came on the road to I-A opponents Florida and East Carolina. Ranked in the top-10 in I-AA polls all season, the Eagles knocked off top-ranked Nevada on the road in the semifinals before downing second-ranked Arkansas State in the title game. Georgia Southern scored a whopping 50.
National Championship Rewind: 1986
