2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season#Postseasons
{{Short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NCAA Division I-AA season
| year = 2002
| image = NCAA logo.svg
| image_caption =
| number_of_teams = 123
| regular_season = August–November
| playoffs = November 30–December 20
| nc_date = December 20, 2002
| championship = Finley Stadium
Chattanooga, Tennessee
| champions = Western Kentucky
| payton = Tony Romo (QB, Eastern Illinois)
| buchanan = Rashean Mathis (FC, Bethune-Cookman)
}}
The 2002 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 2002, and concluded with the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 20, 2002, at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers won their first I-AA championship, defeating the McNeese State Cowboys by a final score of 34−14.{{cite web|title=2002 NCAA Division I Football Championship|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_champs_records/2012/d1/2012FCSfbchamp.pdf|work=NCAA|publisher=NCAA.org|access-date=December 29, 2013|pages=16}}
Conference changes and new programs
- Prior to the 2002 season, the Big South Conference began to sponsor football at the Division I-AA level.
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
| School | 2001 Conference | 2002 Conference |
|---|---|---|
| style="text-align:center;" | I-AA Independent | Dropped Program |
| style="text-align:center;" | I-AA Independent | Big South |
| style="text-align:center;"
| Elon | I-AA Independent | Big South |
| style="text-align:center;"
| FIU | New Program | I-AA Independent |
| style="text-align:center;" | D-II Independent | Big South |
| style="text-align:center;"
| Liberty | I-AA Independent | Big South |
| style="text-align:center;" | Northeast | MAAC |
Conference standings
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2002 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2002 Big Sky Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2002 Big South Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2002 Gateway Football Conference standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2002 Ivy League football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2002 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2002 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2002 Northeast Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2002 Ohio Valley Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2002 Patriot League football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2002 Pioneer Football League standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2002 Southern Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2002 Southland Football League standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2002 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2002 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings}} |
Conference champions
{{see also|List of NCAA Division I-AA/FCS football seasons}}
| class="wikitable" |
| Conference Champions |
|---|
| Atlantic 10 Conference – Maine and Northeastern Big Sky Conference – Idaho State, Montana, and Montana State Big South Conference – Gardner-Webb Gateway Football Conference – Western Illinois and Western Kentucky Ivy League – Penn Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – Duquesne Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Bethune-Cookman Northeast Conference – Albany (NY) Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Illinois and Murray State Patriot League – Colgate and Fordham Pioneer Football League – Dayton Southern Conference – Georgia Southern Southland Football League – McNeese State Southwestern Athletic Conference – Grambling State |
Postseason
=NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket=
The top four teams in the tournament were seeded;{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27958864/eastern_to_go_to_western_in_iaa/ |title=Eastern to go to Western in I-AA playoff matchup |first=Brian |last=Nielsen |newspaper=Journal Gazette |location=Mattoon, Illinois |page=B5 |date=November 25, 2002 |access-date=February 2, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} seeded teams were assured of hosting games in the first two rounds.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27957303/ncaa_changes_format_for_playoff_pairings/ |title=NCAA changes format for playoff pairings |first=Jon |last=Kasper |newspaper=Missoulian |location=Missoula, Montana |page=D1 |date=November 12, 2001 |access-date=February 2, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27957366/ncaa_changes_format_for_playoff/ |title=NCAA changes format for playoff pairings (cont'd) |first=Jon |last=Kasper |newspaper=Missoulian |location=Missoula, Montana |page=D6 |date=November 12, 2001 |access-date=February 2, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}
{{16TeamBracket
| RD1=First Round
November 30
Campus sites
| RD2=Quarterfinals
December 7
Campus sites
| RD3=Semifinals
December 14
Campus sites
| RD4=National Championship Game
December 20
Finley Stadium
Chattanooga, TN
|RD1-team01=McNeese State*
|RD1-score01=21
|RD1-seed01=1
|RD1-seed02=
|RD1-team02=Montana State
|RD1-score02=14
|RD1-team03=Montana*
|RD1-score03=45
|RD1-seed03=
|RD1-seed04=
|RD1-team04=Northwestern State
|RD1-score04=14
|RD1-team05=Villanova*
|RD1-score05=45
|RD1-seed05=
|RD1-seed06=
|RD1-team06=Furman
|RD1-score06=38
|RD1-team07=Northeastern*
|RD1-score07=24
|RD1-seed07=4
|RD1-seed08=
|RD1-team08=Fordham
|RD1-score08=29
|RD1-team09=Georgia Southern*
|RD1-score09=34
|RD1-seed09=3
|RD1-seed10=
|RD1-team10=Bethune–Cookman
|RD1-score10=0
|RD1-team11=Appalachian State*
|RD1-score11=13
|RD1-seed11=
|RD1-seed12=
|RD1-team12=Maine
|RD1-score12=14
|RD1-team13=Western Kentucky*
|RD1-score13=59
|RD1-seed13=
|RD1-seed14=
|RD1-team14={{cfb link|year=2002|team=Murray State Racers|title=Murray State}}
|RD1-score14=20
|RD1-team15=Western Illinois*
|RD1-score15=48
|RD1-seed15=2
|RD1-seed16=
|RD1-team16=Eastern Illinois
|RD1-score16=9
|RD2-team01=McNeese State*
|RD2-score01=24
|RD2-seed01=1
|RD2-seed02=
|RD2-team02=Montana
|RD2-score02=20
|RD2-team03=Villanova*
|RD2-score03=24
|RD2-seed03=
|RD2-seed04=
|RD2-team04=Fordham
|RD2-score04=10
|RD2-team05=Georgia Southern*
|RD2-score05=31
|RD2-seed05=3
|RD2-seed06=
|RD2-team06=Maine
|RD2-score06=7
|RD2-team07=Western Kentucky
|RD2-score07=31
|RD2-seed07=
|RD2-seed08=2
|RD2-team08=Western Illinois*
|RD2-score08=28
|RD3-team01=McNeese State*
|RD3-score01=39
|RD3-seed01=1
|RD3-seed02=
|RD3-team02=Villanova
|RD3-score02=28
|RD3-team03=Georgia Southern*
|RD3-score03=28
|RD3-seed03=3
|RD3-seed04=
|RD3-team04=Western Kentucky
|RD3-score04=31
|RD4-team01=McNeese State
|RD4-score01=14
|RD4-seed01=1
|RD4-seed02=
|RD4-team02=Western Kentucky
|RD4-score02=34
}}