1980 NCAA Division I AA football season

The 1980 NCAA Division I-AA football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level. The third season of Division I-AA football began in August 1980 and four teams were selected for the postseason, with the national semifinals played on December 13. The national championship game was the Camellia Bowl on December 20 at Charles C. Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California.

In a game with multiple lead changes, the Boise State Broncos won their only I-AA championship, defeating the defending national champion Eastern Kentucky Colonels 31−29. With less than a minute to play, the Broncos drove eighty yards for the winning touchdown, a 14-yard pass from quarterback Joe Aliotti to tight end Duane Dlouhy with twelve seconds remaining.