1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season

American college football season August 2023 December 2025 1997 File:NCAA primary logo 1980.svg 120 August–November November 29–December 20 December 20, 1997 Finley StadiumChattanooga, Tennessee Youngstown State Brian Finneran (WR, Villanova) Chris McNeil (DE, North Carolina A&T) 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 10−9.1997 NCAA Division I Football Championship http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_champs_records/2012/d1/2012FCSfbchamp.pdf NCAA.org December 29, 2013 16 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 List of NCAA Division I-AA/FCS football seasons Conference ChampionsAtlantic 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.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28198484/delaware_villanova_could_meet_in_the/ Delaware, Villanova could meet in the mountains Tom Tomashek The News Journal Wilmington, Delaware C4 November 24, 1997 February 8, 2019 newspapers.com First RoundNovember 29Campus sites QuarterfinalsDecember 6Campus sites SemifinalsDecember 13Campus sites National Championship Game December 20Finley StadiumChattanooga, TN Villanova* 49 1 16 Colgate 28 Youngstown State* 28 8 9 Hampton 13 Western Kentucky* 42 5 12 Eastern Kentucky 14 Eastern Washington* 40 3 14 Northwestern State 10 Delaware* 24 4 13 1997 Hofstra Flying Dutchmen Hofstra 14 Georgia Southern* 52 7 10 Florida A&M 37 McNeese State* 19 6 11 Montana 14 Western Illinois* 31 2 15 Jackson State 24 Villanova* 34 1 8 Youngstown State 37 Western Kentucky 21 5 3 Eastern Washington* 38 Delaware* 16 4 7 Georgia Southern 7 McNeese State 14 6 2 Western Illinois* 12 Youngstown State 25 8 3 Eastern Washington* 14 Delaware* 21 4 6 McNeese State 23 Youngstown State 10 8 6 McNeese State 9 * Denotes host institution Source:https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28198268/iaa_football_playoffs/ I-AA football playoffs Missoulian Missoula, Montana D4 November 24, 1997 February 8, 2019 newspapers.com References