1988 Jackson State Tigers football team

The 1988 Jackson State Tigers football team represented Jackson State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by 13th-year head coach W. C. Gorden, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 8–1–2 and a mark of 7–0 in conference play, and finished as SWAC champion. Jackson State finished their season with a loss against Stephen F. Austin in the Division I-AA playoffs.

1988 Jackson State Tigers football
SWAC champion
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 0–24 vs. Stephen F. Austin
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Record	8–1–2 (7–0 SWAC)
Head coach	W. C. Gorden (13th season)
Home stadium	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1987 1989 →

1988 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 Jackson State $^	7	–	0	–	0			8	–	1	–	2
No. 20 Grambling State	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Alabama State	4	–	3	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Alcorn State	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Southern	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Prairie View A&M	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Mississippi Valley State	1	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Texas Southern	0	–	7	–	0			0	–	11	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	at Tennessee State*	No. 11	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)	T 26–26	18,954	[1]
September 17	Prairie View A&M		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	W 33–7	18,005	[2]
September 24	Mississippi Valley State		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	W 35–14		[3]
October 1	vs. Florida A&M*	No. 18	Hoosier Dome Indianapolis, IN (Circle City Classic)	T 10–10	47,259	[4]
October 8	at Alabama State		Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL	W 21–7	15,000	[5]
October 15	at Southern	No. 17	A. W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	W 23–3		[6]
October 22	at No. 19 Grambling State	No. 17	Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium Grambling, LA	W 24–17	13,107	[7]
November 5	Texas Southern	No. 13	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	W 26–0		[8]
November 12	No. 7 Northwestern State*	No. 10	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	W 21–16	10,500	[9][10]
November 19	Alcorn State	No. 6	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (rivalry)	W 7–0	23,404	[11]
November 26	at No. 9 Stephen F. Austin*	No. 5	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	L 0–24		[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game