American college football season
1997 NCAA Division I-AA season Duration August–November Payton Award Brian Finneran (WR, Villanova)Buchanan Award (DE, North Carolina A&T) Duration November 29–December 20 Championship date December 20, 1997 Championship site Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee Champion Youngstown State
The 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season , part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I-AA level, began in August 1997, and concluded with the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 20, 1997, at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee . The Youngstown State Penguins won their fourth I-AA championship, defeating the McNeese State Cowboys by a score of 10−9.[1]
Conference changes and new programs [ ]
Due to rule changes regarding conference sports sponsorships, the membership of the old Yankee Conference shifted to the Atlantic 10 Conference prior to the 1997 season. All 12 members (Boston University , Connecticut , Delaware , James Madison , Maine , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , Northeastern , Rhode Island , Richmond , Villanova , and William & Mary ) moved into the new conference.
Conference standings [ ]
1997 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
W
L
New England
New Hampshire x
5
–
3
5
–
6
Connecticut
4
–
4
7
–
4
Maine
4
–
4
5
–
6
Rhode Island
2
–
6
2
–
9
Boston University
1
–
7
1
–
10
UMass
1
–
7
2
–
9
Mid-Atlantic
No. 1 Villanova x$^
8
–
0
12
–
1
No. 3 Delaware ^
7
–
1
12
–
2
No. 20 Northeastern
5
–
3
8
–
3
Richmond
4
–
4
6
–
5
William & Mary
4
–
4
7
–
4
James Madison
3
–
5
5
–
6
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1997 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
W
L
No. 6 E Washington $^
7
–
1
12
–
2
No. 11 Montana ^
6
–
2
8
–
4
Montana State
5
–
3
6
–
5
Northern Arizona
4
–
4
6
–
5
Weber State
4
–
4
6
–
5
Cal State Northridge
4
–
4
4
–
8
Portland State
3
–
5
4
–
7
Idaho State
2
–
6
3
–
8
Sacramento State
1
–
7
1
–
10
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Cal State Northridge record includes two losses by forfeit Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1997 Gateway Football Conference standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
W
L
No. 2 Western Illinois $^
6
–
0
11
–
2
Northern Iowa
5
–
1
7
–
4
No. 4 Youngstown State ^
4
–
2
13
–
2
Southwest Missouri State
3
–
3
5
–
6
Indiana State
2
–
4
3
–
8
Southern Illinois
1
–
5
3
–
8
Illinois State
0
–
6
2
–
9
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1997 Ivy League football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
W
L
Harvard $
7
–
0
9
–
1
Dartmouth
6
–
1
8
–
2
Brown
4
–
3
7
–
3
Cornell
4
–
3
6
–
4
Princeton
3
–
4
6
–
4
Columbia
3
–
4
4
–
6
Yale
1
–
6
2
–
8
Penn *
0
–
7
1
–
9
$ – Conference champion * Standings reflect Penn's forfeit of five conference wins due to use of an ineligible player
1997 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
W
L
Georgetown $
8
–
0
8
–
3
Duquesne
6
–
2
7
–
3
St. John's
5
–
3
8
–
3
Fairfield
5
–
3
7
–
3
Siena
5
–
3
6
–
3
Marist
4
–
4
6
–
4
Canisius
2
–
6
3
–
7
Saint Peter's
1
–
7
1
–
9
Iona
0
–
8
0
–
10
1997 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
W
L
No. 9 Hampton $^
7
–
0
10
–
2
No. 22 South Carolina State
5
–
2
9
–
2
No. 10 Florida A&M ^
5
–
2
9
–
3
Howard
4
–
3
7
–
4
North Carolina A&T
3
–
4
7
–
4
Morgan State
2
–
5
3
–
7
Bethune–Cookman
1
–
6
4
–
7
Delaware State
1
–
6
3
–
8
Norfolk State
0
–
0
3
–
7
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Norfolk State games did not count as conference games. Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1997 Northeast Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
W
L
Robert Morris $
4
–
0
8
–
3
Monmouth
3
–
1
5
–
4
Wagner
2
–
2
6
–
4
Central Connecticut
1
–
3
5
–
5
Saint Francis (PA)
0
–
4
2
–
9
1997 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
W
L
No. 19 Eastern Kentucky $^
7
–
0
8
–
4
No. 16 Eastern Illinois
5
–
2
8
–
3
Murray State
5
–
2
7
–
4
Tennessee Tech
4
–
3
6
–
5
Tennessee State
4
–
3
4
–
7
Middle Tennessee
2
–
5
4
–
6
Southeast Missouri State
1
–
6
4
–
7
Tennessee–Martin
0
–
7
1
–
10
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1997 Patriot League football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
W
L
Colgate $^
6
–
0
7
–
5
No. 24 Bucknell
5
–
1
10
–
1
Fordham
4
–
2
5
–
6
Holy Cross
2
–
4
4
–
7
Lehigh
2
–
4
4
–
7
Lafayette
2
–
4
3
–
8
Towson
0
–
6
2
–
8
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1997 Pioneer Football League standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
W
L
No. 23 Dayton $
5
–
0
9
–
1
San Diego
4
–
1
8
–
3
Drake
2
–
3
8
–
3
Butler
2
–
3
6
–
4
Valparaiso
2
–
3
3
–
7
Evansville
0
–
5
2
–
8
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1997 Southern Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
W
L
No. 8 Georgia Southern $^
7
–
1
10
–
3
No. 15 Appalachian State
6
–
2
7
–
4
East Tennessee State
5
–
3
7
–
4
Furman
5
–
3
7
–
4
The Citadel
4
–
4
6
–
5
Chattanooga
4
–
4
7
–
4
Western Carolina
3
–
5
3
–
8
Wofford
2
–
6
3
–
7
VMI
0
–
8
0
–
11
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll
1997 Southland Football League standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
W
L
No. 7 McNeese State +^
6
–
1
13
–
2
No. 21 Northwestern State +^
6
–
1
8
–
4
No. 13 Stephen F. Austin
5
–
2
8
–
3
Sam Houston State
3
–
4
5
–
6
Nicholls State
3
–
4
5
–
6
Southwest Texas State
2
–
5
5
–
6
Troy State
2
–
5
5
–
6
Jacksonville State
1
–
6
1
–
10
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1997 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
W
L
No. 12 Southern $
8
–
0
11
–
1
No. 14 Jackson State ^
7
–
1
9
–
3
Arkansas–Pine Bluff
6
–
2
8
–
3
Texas Southern
4
–
4
5
–
6
Alcorn State
4
–
4
4
–
7
Mississippi Valley State
3
–
5
4
–
6
Alabama State
2
–
6
3
–
8
Grambling State
2
–
6
3
–
8
Prairie View A&M
0
–
8
0
–
9
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Conference champions [ ]
See also: List of NCAA Division I-AA/FCS football seasons
Conference Champions
Atlantic 10 Conference – Villanova
Big Sky Conference – Eastern Washington
Gateway Football Conference – Western Illinois
Ivy League – Harvard
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – Georgetown
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Hampton
Northeast Conference – Robert Morris
Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky
Patriot League – Colgate
Pioneer Football League – Dayton
Southern Conference – Georgia Southern
Southland Football League – McNeese State and Northwestern State
Southwestern Athletic Conference – Southern
Postseason [ ]
NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket [ ]
The NCAA departed from standard bracket structure—where, for example, the fourth and fifth seeds could meet in the second round—in order to place teams from the same conference in different halves of the bracket.[2]
First Round November 29 Campus sites
Quarterfinals December 6 Campus sites
Semifinals December 13 Campus sites
National Championship Game December 20 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN
1
Villanova *
49
16
Colgate
28
1
Villanova*
34
8
Youngstown State
37
8
Youngstown State *
28
9
Hampton
13
8
Youngstown State
25
3
Eastern Washington*
14
5
Western Kentucky *
42
12
Eastern Kentucky
14
5
Western Kentucky
21
3
Eastern Washington *
38
3
Eastern Washington *
40
14
Northwestern State
10
8
Youngstown State
10
6
McNeese State
9
4
Delaware *
24
13
Hofstra
14
4
Delaware *
16
7
Georgia Southern
7
7
Georgia Southern *
52
10
Florida A&M
37
4
Delaware*
21
6
McNeese State
23
6
McNeese State *
19
11
Montana
14
6
McNeese State
14
2
Western Illinois*
12
2
Western Illinois *
31
15
Jackson State
24
* Denotes host institution
Source:[3]
References [ ]
Colgate
Delaware
Eastern Kentucky
Eastern Washington
Florida A&M
Georgia Southern
Hampton
Hofstra
Jackson State
McNeese State
Montana
Northwestern State
Villanova
Western Illinois
Western Kentucky
Youngstown State
Champion – Youngstown State Penguins
Pre-NCAA
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