1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season

{{Infobox NCAA Division I-AA season

| year = 1997

| image = File:NCAA primary logo 1980.svg

| image_caption =

| number_of_teams = 120

| regular_season = August–November

| playoffs = November 29–December 20

| nc_date = December 20, 1997

| championship = Finley Stadium
Chattanooga, Tennessee

| champions = Youngstown State

| payton = Brian Finneran (WR, Villanova)

| buchanan = 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.{{cite web |title=1997 NCAA Division I Football Championship |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_champs_records/2012/d1/2012FCSfbchamp.pdf |website=NCAA.org |access-date=December 29, 2013 |page=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
class="wikitable sortable"
style="text-align:center;" \| Arkansas–Pine Bluff	Independent (NAIA)	SWAC (I-AA)
style="text-align:center;" \| Austin Peay	Ohio Valley	I-AA Independent
style="text-align:center;" \| Jacksonville State	I-AA Independent	Southland
style="text-align:center;" \| La Salle	New Program	I-AA Independent
style="text-align:center;" \| Marshall	Southern (I-AA)	MAC (I-A)
style="text-align:center;" \| Norfolk State	CIAA (D-II)	MEAC (I-AA)
style="text-align:center;" \| South Florida	New Program	I-AA Independent
style="text-align:center;" \| Towson State	I-AA Independent	Patriot
style="text-align:center;" \| Wofford	I-AA Independent	Southern
style="text-align:center;" \| Youngstown State	I-AA Independent	Gateway

Conference standings

cellpadding="5"

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1997 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1997 Big Sky Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1997 Gateway Football Conference standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{1997 Ivy League football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1997 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1997 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{1997 Northeast Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1997 Ohio Valley Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1997 Patriot League football standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{1997 Pioneer Football League standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1997 Southern Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1997 Southland Football League standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{1997 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{1997 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings}}

Conference champions

class="wikitable"
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

class="wikitable"

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.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28198484/delaware_villanova_could_meet_in_the/ |title=Delaware, Villanova could meet in the mountains |first=Tom |last=Tomashek |newspaper=The News Journal |location=Wilmington, Delaware |page=C4 |date=November 24, 1997 |access-date=February 8, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}

{{16TeamBracket

| RD1=First Round
November 29
Campus sites

| RD2=Quarterfinals
December 6
Campus sites

| RD3=Semifinals
December 13
Campus sites

| RD4=National Championship Game
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={{cfb link|year=1997|team=Eastern Kentucky Colonels|title=Eastern Kentucky}}

|RD1-score06=14

|RD1-team07={{cfb link|year=1997|team=Eastern Washington Eagles|title=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={{cfb link|year=1997|team=Hofstra Flying Dutchmen|title=Hofstra}}

|RD1-score10=14

|RD1-team11=Georgia Southern*

|RD1-score11=52

|RD1-seed11=7

|RD1-seed12=10

|RD1-team12={{cfb link|year=1997|team=Florida A&M Rattlers|title=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:{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28198268/iaa_football_playoffs/ |title=I-AA football playoffs |newspaper=Missoulian |location=Missoula, Montana |page=D4 |date=November 24, 1997 |access-date=February 8, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}