2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season

2003 Big Sky Conference football standings
	+ – Conference co-champions; ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant; Rankings from The Sports Network poll

2003 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings
	+ – Conference co-champions; ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant; Rankings from The Sports Network poll

2003 NCAA Division I-AA season
2003 NCAA Division I-AA season
Regular season
Duration	August–November
Payton Award	Jamaal Branch (RB, Colgate)
Buchanan Award	Jared Allen (DE, Idaho State)
Playoff
Duration	November 29–December 19
Championship date	December 19, 2003
Championship site	Finley Stadium; Chattanooga, Tennessee
Champion	Delaware
NCAA Division I-AA football seasons
	«2002 2004»

The 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I-AA level, began in August 2003, and concluded with the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 19, 2003, at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens won their first I-AA championship, defeating the Colgate Raiders by a final score of 40−0.^[1]

Conference changes and new programs[]

School	2002 Conference	2003 Conference
Canisius	MAAC	Dropped Program
Coastal Carolina	New Program	Big South
Elon	Big South	Southern
Fairfield	MAAC	Dropped Program
Jacksonville State	Southland	Ohio Valley
St. John's (NY)	Northeast	Dropped Program
Samford	I-AA Independent	Ohio Valley
Southeastern Louisiana	Revived Program	I-AA Independent
VMI	Southern	Big South

Conference standings[]

2003 Big South Conference football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Gardner–Webb $		4	–	0		8	–	4
Liberty		3	–	1		6	–	6
VMI		2	–	2		6	–	6
Coastal Carolina		1	–	3		6	–	5
Charleston Southern		0	–	4		1	–	11

$ – Conference champion

2003 Gateway Football Conference standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
No. 5 Northern Iowa +^		6	–	1		10	–	3
No. 9 Southern Illinois +^		6	–	1		10	–	2
No. 6 Western Illinois ^		5	–	2		9	–	4
No. 7 Western Kentucky ^		5	–	2		9	–	4
Illinois State		3	–	4		6	–	6
Youngstown State		2	–	5		5	–	7
Southwest Missouri State		1	–	6		4	–	7
Indiana State		0	–	7		3	–	9

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

2003 Ivy League football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
No. 12 Penn $		7	–	0		10	–	0
Harvard		4	–	3		7	–	3
Brown		4	–	3		5	–	5
Yale		4	–	3		6	–	4
Dartmouth		4	–	3		5	–	5
Columbia		3	–	4		4	–	6
Princeton		2	–	5		2	–	8
Cornell		0	–	7		1	–	9

$ – Conference champion Rankings from The Sports Network poll

2003 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Duquesne $		5	–	0		8	–	3
Iona		4	–	1		6	–	5
Marist		2	–	3		4	–	6
La Salle		2	–	3		3	–	8
Saint Peter's		2	–	3		2	–	8
Siena		0	–	5		0	–	11

$ – Conference champion

2003 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
No. 16 North Carolina A&T $^		7	–	1		10	–	2
No. 15 Bethune–Cookman ^		6	–	2		9	–	2
South Carolina State		5	–	2		8	–	4
Hampton		5	–	2		7	–	4
Morgan State		4	–	3		6	–	5
Florida A&M		3	–	4		6	–	6
Howard		2	–	5		4	–	7
Delaware State		1	–	6		1	–	10
Norfolk State		0	–	8		1	–	11

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

2003 Northeast Conference football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Monmouth +		6	–	1		10	–	2
Albany +		6	–	1		7	–	4
Robert Morris		4	–	3		6	–	4
Stony Brook		4	–	3		6	–	4
Sacred Heart		3	–	4		6	–	5
Wagner		3	–	4		6	–	5
Central Connecticut		2	–	4		3	–	8
Saint Francis (PA)		0	–	7		1	–	9

+ – Conference co-champions

2003 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
No. 18 Jacksonville State $^		7	–	1		8	–	4
Eastern Kentucky		6	–	2		7	–	5
Samford		5	–	3		7	–	4
Tennessee State		5	–	3		7	–	5
Southeast Missouri State		5	–	3		5	–	7
Murray State		3	–	5		4	–	8
Eastern Illinois		3	–	5		4	–	8
Tennessee Tech		1	–	7		2	–	9
Tennessee–Martin		1	–	7		2	–	10

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

2003 Patriot League football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
No. 2 Colgate $^		7	–	0		15	–	1
No. 23 Lehigh		6	–	1		8	–	3
Fordham		4	–	3		9	–	3
Bucknell		4	–	3		6	–	6
Towson		3	–	4		6	–	6
Lafayette		2	–	5		5	–	6
Georgetown		1	–	6		4	–	8
Holy Cross		1	–	6		1	–	11

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

2003 Pioneer Football League standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
North Division
Valparaiso xy$		3	–	1		8	–	4
San Diego x		3	–	1		8	–	2
Dayton		2	–	2		9	–	2
Drake		1	–	3		6	–	6
Butler		1	–	3		2	–	9
South Division
Morehead State xy		3	–	0		8	–	3
Jacksonville		1	–	2		4	–	6
Austin Peay		1	–	2		4	–	7
Davidson		1	–	2		3	–	8
Championship: Valparaiso 54, Morehead State 42
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant

2003 Southern Conference football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
No. 3 Wofford $^		8	–	0		12	–	2
Appalachian State		6	–	2		7	–	4
No. 24 Georgia Southern		5	–	3		7	–	4
Furman		4	–	4		6	–	5
The Citadel		4	–	4		6	–	6
Western Carolina		3	–	5		4	–	7
Chattanooga		3	–	5		3	–	9
East Tennessee State		2	–	6		5	–	7
Elon		1	–	7		2	–	10

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll

2003 Southland Conference football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
No. 8 McNeese State $^		5	–	0		10	–	2
Stephen F. Austin		4	–	1		7	–	4
Northwestern State		2	–	3		7	–	5
Texas State		2	–	3		5	–	7
Sam Houston State		2	–	3		3	–	8
Nicholls State		0	–	5		0	–	11

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

2003 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
East
Alabama State x		5	–	2		8	–	5
Alcorn State x		5	–	2		7	–	5
Alabama A&M		4	–	3		8	–	4
Jackson State		2	–	5		2	–	10
Mississippi Valley State		1	–	6		2	–	9
West
No. 13 Southern x$		6	–	1		12	–	1
No. 17 Grambling State x		6	–	1		9	–	3
Texas Southern		3	–	4		5	–	6
Arkansas–Pine Bluff		3	–	4		4	–	7
Prairie View A&M		0	–	7		1	–	10
Championship: Southern 20, Alabama State 9 December 13, 2003
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions

2003 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
No. 4 Florida Atlantic ^			–			11	–	3
No. 19 Northern Colorado			–			9	–	2
Cal Poly			–			7	–	4
Southeastern Louisiana			–			5	–	7
Southern Utah			–			4	–	7
Saint Mary's			–			1	–	11
FIU			–			0	–	10
Savannah State			–			0	–	12

^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Record adjusted for 2 vacated wins by FIU Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Conference champions[]

Conference Champions
Atlantic 10 Conference – Delaware and UMass Big Sky Conference – Montana, Montana State, and Northern Arizona Big South Conference – Gardner-Webb Gateway Football Conference – Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois Ivy League – Penn Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – Duquesne Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – North Carolina A&T Northeast Conference – Albany (NY) and Monmouth Ohio Valley Conference – Jacksonville State Patriot League – Colgate Pioneer Football League – Valparaiso Southern Conference – Wofford Southland Conference – McNeese State Southwestern Athletic Conference – Southern

Postseason[]

NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket[]

The top four teams in the tournament were seeded;^[2] seeded teams were assured of hosting games in the first two rounds.^[3]

First Round November 29 Campus sites			Quarterfinals December 6 Campus sites			Semifinals December 13 Campus sites			National Championship Game December 19 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN

1	McNeese State*	3

	Northern Arizona	35
			Northern Arizona*		25

			Florida Atlantic		48
Bethune–Cookman*		24

Florida Atlantic		32
							Florida Atlantic*	24

						4	Colgate	36
4	Colgate*	19

	UMass	7
			4	Colgate*	28

				Western Illinois	27
Montana*		40

Western Illinois		43**
									4	Colgate	0

									2	Delaware	40
3	Wofford*	31

	North Carolina A&T	0
			3	Wofford*	34

				Western Kentucky	17
Western Kentucky*		45

Jacksonville State		7
						3	Wofford	9

						2	Delaware*	24
2	Delaware*	48

	Southern Illinois	7
			2	Delaware*	37

				Northern Iowa	7
Northern Iowa*		35

Montana State		14

* By team name denotes host institution
* By score denotes overtime period(s)

References[]

^ "2003 NCAA Division I Football Championship" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 16. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
^ Nelson, Marcus (November 24, 2003). "500 gather to watch announcement". The Palm Beach Post. p. 5C. Retrieved February 2, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
^ Gordillo, Jim (November 23, 2003). "Selection Sunday primer for Division I-AA playoffs". The Southern Illinoisan. Carbondale, Illinois. p. 3B. Retrieved February 2, 2019 – via newspapers.com.

[1] "2003 NCAA Division I Football Championship" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 16. Retrieved December 29, 2013.

[2] Nelson, Marcus (November 24, 2003). "500 gather to watch announcement". The Palm Beach Post. p. 5C. Retrieved February 2, 2019 – via newspapers.com.

[3] Gordillo, Jim (November 23, 2003). "Selection Sunday primer for Division I-AA playoffs". The Southern Illinoisan. Carbondale, Illinois. p. 3B. Retrieved February 2, 2019 – via newspapers.com.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t NCAA football seasons
Pre-NCAA	1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905
NCAA pre-divisional	1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 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 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955
NCAA University Division	1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972
NCAA Division I	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977
NCAA Division I-A/FBS	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
NCAA Division I-AA/FCS	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
NCAA College Division	1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972
NCAA Division II	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
NCAA Division III	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

v t 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football playoff participants
Bethune-Cookman Colgate Delaware Florida Atlantic Jacksonville State Massachusetts McNeese State Montana Montana State North Carolina A&T Northern Arizona Northern Iowa Southern Illinois Western Illinois Western Kentucky Wofford
Champion – Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens