Second Division apparently was clean this season… Three groups of 18 teams each. The last 4 teams going down, champions – up. Most participants were and are unknown clubs, few were recognizable names – they played often among the best, but only one name was internationally familiar – Rapid (Bucharest), down on their luck, and relegated the previous year. Now in Seria II, they had tough time too – another club from Bucharest, which often played in the top league, opposed Rapid and at the end prevented it from returning to top flight. Seria II was perhaps the toughest Second Division group – few former first division teams plus a bunch of Bucharest clubs, which were not much, but surely were ready to give hard time to a famous club – Rapid – against which they had a rare opportunity to play in one league. Seria II was the only group where the first place was closely contested:
Progresul Vulcan, as the club was named at the time, finished first with 44 points. Rapid was second with 42. Petrolul (Ploesti), another former first division club, ended 3rd with 39 points.
The other two groups were one-horse race.
Corvinul (Hunedoara) won Seria III with 49 points – 6 more than 2nd placed Bihor (Oradea).
Second division clubs are rarely seen, so here is Bihor – not much of challenger in 1979-80.
Seria I produced the most superior winner:
FCM Brasov, normally playing first division football, was clearly too strong for second division: they finished 10 points ahead of FC Constanta.
The three winners were promoted – an end of second division exile for at least two of them.