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1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season
American college football season
American college football season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| year | 1997 |
| image | File:NCAA primary logo 1980.svg |
| number_of_teams | 120 |
| regular_season | August–November |
| playoffs | November 29–December 20 |
| nc_date | [December 20, 1997](1997-ncaa-division-i-aa-football-championship-game) |
| championship | Finley Stadium |
| Chattanooga, Tennessee | |
| champions | [Youngstown State](1997-youngstown-state-penguins-football-team) |
| payton | Brian Finneran (WR, Villanova) |
| buchanan | Chris McNeil (DE, North Carolina A&T) |
Chattanooga, Tennessee
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.
Conference changes and new programs
- Prior to the 1997 season, the Atlantic 10 Conference began to sponsor football at the Division I-AA level by taking over the football-only Yankee Conference, which had been a charter member of the subdivision. 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.
| School | 1996 Conference | 1997 Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas–Pine Bluff | Independent (NAIA) | SWAC (I-AA) |
| Austin Peay | Ohio Valley | I-AA Independent |
| Jacksonville State | I-AA Independent | Southland |
| La Salle | *New Program* | I-AA Independent |
| Marshall | Southern (I-AA) | MAC (I-A) |
| Norfolk State | CIAA (D-II) | MEAC (I-AA) |
| South Florida | *New Program* | I-AA Independent |
| Towson State | I-AA Independent | Patriot |
| Wofford | I-AA Independent | Southern |
| Youngstown State | I-AA Independent | Gateway |
Conference standings
Conference champions
| Conference Champions |
|---|
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. November 29 Campus sites December 6 Campus sites December 13 Campus sites December 20 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN
|RD1-team01=Villanova* |RD1-score01=49 |RD1-seed01=1 |RD1-seed02=16 |RD1-team02=Colgate |RD1-score02=28
|RD1-team03=Youngstown State* |RD1-score03=28 |RD1-seed03=8 |RD1-seed04=9 |RD1-team04=Hampton |RD1-score04=13
|RD1-team05=Western Kentucky* |RD1-score05=42 |RD1-seed05=5 |RD1-seed06=12 |RD1-team06= |RD1-score06=14
|RD1-team07=Eastern Washington* |RD1-score07=40 |RD1-seed07=3 |RD1-seed08=14 |RD1-team08=Northwestern State |RD1-score08=10
|RD1-team09=Delaware* |RD1-score09=24 |RD1-seed09=4 |RD1-seed10=13 |RD1-team10= |RD1-score10=14
|RD1-team11=Georgia Southern* |RD1-score11=52 |RD1-seed11=7 |RD1-seed12=10 |RD1-team12=Florida A&M |RD1-score12=37
|RD1-team13=McNeese State* |RD1-score13=19 |RD1-seed13=6 |RD1-seed14=11 |RD1-team14=Montana |RD1-score14=14
|RD1-team15=Western Illinois* |RD1-score15=31 |RD1-seed15=2 |RD1-seed16=15 |RD1-team16=Jackson State |RD1-score16=24
|RD2-team01=Villanova* |RD2-score01=34 |RD2-seed01=1 |RD2-seed02=8 |RD2-team02=Youngstown State |RD2-score02=37
|RD2-team03=Western Kentucky |RD2-score03=21 |RD2-seed03=5 |RD2-seed04=3 |RD2-team04=Eastern Washington* |RD2-score04=38
|RD2-team05=Delaware* |RD2-score05=16 |RD2-seed05=4 |RD2-seed06=7 |RD2-team06=Georgia Southern |RD2-score06=7
|RD2-team07=McNeese State |RD2-score07=14 |RD2-seed07=6 |RD2-seed08=2 |RD2-team08=Western Illinois* |RD2-score08=12
|RD3-team01=Youngstown State |RD3-score01=25 |RD3-seed01=8 |RD3-seed02=3 |RD3-team02=Eastern Washington* |RD3-score02=14
|RD3-team03=Delaware* |RD3-score03=21 |RD3-seed03=4 |RD3-seed04=6 |RD3-team04=McNeese State |RD3-score04=23
|RD4-team01=Youngstown State |RD4-score01=10 |RD4-seed01=8 |RD4-seed02=6 |RD4-team02=McNeese State |RD4-score02=9
- Denotes host institution Source:
References
References
- "1997 NCAA Division I Football Championship".
- Tomashek, Tom. (November 24, 1997). "Delaware, Villanova could meet in the mountains". [[The News Journal]].
- (November 24, 1997). "I-AA football playoffs". [[Missoulian]].
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