The 1985 Howard Bison football team represented Howard University as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) during the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by second-year head coach Willie Jeffries, the Bison compiled an overall record of 4–7, with a mark of 0–4 in conference play, and finished fifth in the MEAC.

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 7	at Maine*	Alumni Field Orono, ME	L 12–35		[1]
September 14	at Rhode Island*	Meade Stadium Kingston, RI	L 0–46	6,628	[2]
September 21	at Bethune–Cookman	Memorial Stadium Daytona Beach, FL	L 14–23		[3]
September 28	South Carolina State	Howard Stadium Washington, DC	L 21–27	12,500	[4]
October 12	at Winston-Salem State*	Bowman Gray Stadium Winston-Salem, NC	L 7–12		[5]
October 19	Virginia State*	RFK Stadium Washington, DC	W 17–7	13,500	[6]
October 26	at North Carolina A&T	Aggie Stadium Greensboro, NC	L 14–40		[7]
November 2	Norfolk State*	Howard Stadium Washington, DC	W 28–21		[8]
November 9	Morehouse*	Howard Stadium Washington, DC	W 35–26		[9]
November 16	at Morgan State	Hughes Stadium Baltimore, MD (rivalry)	W 7–3		[10]
November 23	at No. 12 Delaware State	Alumni Stadium Dover, DE	L 16–38	6,300	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game