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2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season

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2002 NCAA Division I-AA season
Regular season
Number of teams123
DurationAugust–November
Payton AwardTony Romo (QB, Eastern Illinois)
Buchanan AwardRashean Mathis (FC, Bethune-Cookman)
Playoff
DurationNovember 30–December 20
Championship dateDecember 20, 2002
Championship siteFinley Stadium
Chattanooga, Tennessee
ChampionWestern Kentucky
NCAA Division I-AA football seasons

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.[1]

Conference changes and new programs

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  • Prior to the 2002 season, the Big South Conference began to sponsor football at the Division I-AA level.
School 2001 Conference 2002 Conference
Cal State Northridge I-AA Independent Dropped Program
Charleston Southern I-AA Independent Big South
Elon I-AA Independent Big South
FIU New Program I-AA Independent
Gardner-Webb D-II Independent Big South
Liberty I-AA Independent Big South
St. John's (NY) Northeast MAAC

Conference standings

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2002 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 6 Maine $^   7 2     11 3  
No. 11 Northeastern $^   7 2     10 3  
No. 4 Villanova ^   6 3     11 4  
UMass   6 3     8 4  
William & Mary   5 4     6 5  
Richmond   4 5     4 7  
Delaware   4 5     6 6  
Hofstra   4 5     6 6  
James Madison   4 6     5 7  
New Hampshire   2 7     3 8  
Rhode Island   1 8     3 9  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2002 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 7 Montana +^   5 2     11 3  
No. 19 Montana State +^   5 2     7 6  
No. 18 Idaho State +   5 2     8 3  
Eastern Washington   3 4     6 5  
Northern Arizona   3 4     6 5  
Portland State   3 4     6 5  
Sacramento State   3 4     5 8  
Weber State   1 6     3 8  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2002 Big South Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 22 Gardner–Webb $   3 0     9 1  
Elon   2 1     4 7  
Liberty   1 2     2 9  
Charleston Southern   0 3     4 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2002 Gateway Football Conference standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 Western Kentucky +^   6 1     12 3  
No. 5 Western Illinois +^   6 1     11 2  
Youngstown State   4 3     7 4  
Illinois State   4 3     6 5  
Indiana State   3 4     5 7  
Northern Iowa   2 5     5 6  
Southern Illinois   2 5     4 8  
Southwest Missouri State   1 6     4 7  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2002 Ivy League football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 17 Penn $   7 0     9 1  
Harvard   6 1     7 3  
Princeton   4 3     6 4  
Yale   4 3     6 4  
Cornell   3 4     4 6  
Dartmouth   2 5     3 7  
Brown   2 5     2 8  
Columbia   0 7     1 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2002 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Duquesne $   8 0     11 1  
Marist   5 3     7 4  
Saint Peter's   5 3     6 5  
Fairfield   5 3     5 6  
Iona   4 4     5 6  
Siena   3 5     3 7  
St. John's   2 6     2 8  
Canisius   2 6     2 9  
La Salle   2 6     2 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
2002 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 15 Bethune–Cookman $^   7 1     11 2  
Florida A&M   5 3     7 5  
Hampton   5 3     7 5  
Morgan State   5 3     7 5  
South Carolina State   4 4     7 5  
Howard   4 4     6 5  
Norfolk State   2 6     5 6  
North Carolina A&T   2 6     4 8  
Delaware State   2 6     4 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2002 Northeast Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Albany $   6 1     8 4  
Stony Brook   5 2     8 2  
Sacred Heart   5 2     7 3  
Wagner   4 3     7 4  
Central Connecticut State   3 4     5 6  
Robert Morris   2 5     3 4  
Monmouth   2 5     2 8  
Saint Francis (PA)   1 6     2 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
2002 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 13 Eastern Illinois +^   5 1     8 4  
No. 20 Murray State +^   5 1     7 5  
No. 21 Eastern Kentucky   4 2     8 4  
No. 24 Southeast Missouri State   4 2     8 4  
Tennessee Tech   2 4     5 7  
Tennessee State   1 5     2 10  
Tennessee–Martin   0 6     2 10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2002 Patriot League football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 12 Fordham +^   6 1     10 3  
No. 25 Colgate +   6 1     9 3  
Lafayette   5 2     7 5  
Lehigh   4 3     8 4  
Towson   3 4     6 5  
Georgetown   2 5     5 6  
Holy Cross   2 5     4 8  
Bucknell   0 7     2 9  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2002 Pioneer Football League standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
North Division
Dayton xy$   4 0     11 1  
San Diego   3 1     5 5  
Butler   2 2     4 6  
Drake   1 3     5 6  
Valparaiso   0 4     1 10  
South Division
Morehead State xy   3 0     9 3  
Davidson   2 1     7 3  
Austin Peay   1 2     7 5  
Jacksonville   0 3     3 7  
Championship: Dayton 28, Morehead State 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
2002 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 3 Georgia Southern $^   7 1     11 3  
No. 14 Wofford   6 2     9 3  
No. 10 Appalachian State ^   6 2     8 4  
No. 9 Furman ^   6 2     8 4  
VMI   3 5     6 6  
Western Carolina   3 5     5 6  
East Tennessee State   2 6     4 8  
Chattanooga   2 6     2 10  
The Citadel   1 7     3 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll
2002 Southland Football League standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 2 McNeese State $^   6 0     13 2  
No. 16 Northwestern State ^   4 2     9 4  
No. 23 Nicholls State   3 3     7 4  
Stephen F. Austin   3 3     6 5  
Jacksonville State   2 4     5 6  
Sam Houston State   2 4     4 7  
Southwest Texas State   1 5     4 7  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2002 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Alabama A&M xy   6 1     8 4  
Jackson State   5 2     7 4  
Alcorn State   3 4     6 5  
Mississippi Valley State   3 4     5 6  
Alabama State   2 5     6 6  
West Division
No. 8 Grambling State xy$   6 1     11 2  
Southern   5 2     6 6  
Texas Southern   3 4     4 7  
Arkansas–Pine Bluff   2 5     3 8  
Prairie View A&M   0 7     1 10  
Championship: Grambling State 31, Alabama A&M 19
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from The Sports Network Poll
2002 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Saint Mary's       6 6  
FIU       5 6  
Samford       4 7  
Cal Poly       3 8  
Florida Atlantic       2 9  
Savannah State       1 8  
Southern Utah       1 10  
Morris Brown       1 11  

Conference champions

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Conference Champions

Atlantic 10 Conference – Maine and Northeastern
Big Sky Conference – Idaho State, Montana, and Montana State
Big South ConferenceGardner-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

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NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket

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The top four teams in the tournament were seeded;[2] seeded teams were assured of hosting games in the first two rounds.[3][4]

First Round
November 30
Campus sites
Quarterfinals
December 7
Campus sites
Semifinals
December 14
Campus sites
National Championship Game
December 20
Finley Stadium
Chattanooga, TN
            
1 McNeese State* 21
Montana State 14
1 McNeese State* 24
Montana 20
Montana* 45
Northwestern State 14
1 McNeese State* 39
Villanova 28
Villanova* 45
Furman 38
Villanova* 24
Fordham 10
4 Northeastern* 24
Fordham 29
1 McNeese State 14
Western Kentucky 34
3 Georgia Southern* 34
Bethune–Cookman 0
3 Georgia Southern* 31
Maine 7
Appalachian State* 13
Maine 14
3 Georgia Southern* 28
Western Kentucky 31
Western Kentucky* 59
Murray State 20
Western Kentucky 31
2 Western Illinois* 28
2 Western Illinois* 48
Eastern Illinois 9

* Denotes host institution

References

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  1. ^ "2002 NCAA Division I Football Championship" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 16. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  2. ^ Nielsen, Brian (November 25, 2002). "Eastern to go to Western in I-AA playoff matchup". Journal Gazette. Mattoon, Illinois. p. B5. Retrieved February 2, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Kasper, Jon (November 12, 2001). "NCAA changes format for playoff pairings". Missoulian. Missoula, Montana. p. D1. Retrieved February 2, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Kasper, Jon (November 12, 2001). "NCAA changes format for playoff pairings (cont'd)". Missoulian. Missoula, Montana. p. D6. Retrieved February 2, 2019 – via newspapers.com.