1986 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

American college football season

1986 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
Conference	Independent
Record	4–6–1
Head coach	Dave Roberts (3rd season)
Home stadium	L. T. Smith Stadium
Seasons ← 1985 1987 →

1986 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
v t e	Conf			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
No. 4 Georgia Southern ^		–		13	–	2	–	0
No. 14 Tennessee State ^		–		10	–	2	–	1
No. 8 William & Mary ^		–		9	–	3	–	0
Eastern Washington		–		5	–	5	–	0
James Madison		–		5	–	5	–	1
Florida A&M		–		4	–	6	–	0
Northeastern		–		4	–	6	–	0
Western Kentucky		–		4	–	6	–	1

^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1986 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University as an independent during the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach Dave Roberts, the Hilltoppers compiled a record of 4–6–1.^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	Gardner–Webb	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 35–13	11,000
September 13	Livingston	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	L 21–23	7,500
September 20	at Louisville	Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	L 6–45	34,144
September 27	at Murray State	Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY (Battle for the Red Belt)	T 10–10	8,875	^[2]
October 4	Eastern Kentucky	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY (Battle of the Bluegrass)	W 24–10	9,300
October 18	at Tennessee State	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	L 3–25	26,684	^[3]
October 25	at Austin Peay	Municipal Stadium Clarksville, TN	W 34–20	3,117
November 1	No. 9 Georgia Southern	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	L 32–49	13,000
November 8	Boston University	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 28–7	1,500
November 15	at No. 4 Eastern Illinois	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	L 18–35	6,020
November 22	Chattanooga	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	L 17–21	4,000
Homecoming Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

^ "WKU Football 2021 Media Guide" (PDF). Bowling Green, Kentucky: Western Kentucky University. p. 179. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
^ "Western ties Murray State". The Tennessean. September 28, 1986. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Tennessee State lands 25–3 de-feet on Western". The Courier-Journal. October 19, 1986. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

v t e Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
Venues	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium (1968–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Eastern Kentucky: Battle of the Bluegrass Middle Tennessee: 100 Miles of Hate Murray State: Battle for the Red Belt
Culture & lore	Big Red "Stand Up and Cheer"
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1913 1914 1915 1916 1917–1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold