2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season

2002 NCAA Division I-AA season
Duration	August – November 2002
Playoff
Duration	November 30 – December 20, 2002
Championship site	Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, TN
Champion	Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Payton Award	Tony Romo – QB (Eastern Illinois)
Buchanan Award	Rashean Mathis – FS (Bethune-Cookman)
Division I-AA football season
«2001 2003»

The 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level, began in August 2002, and concluded with the National Championship Game of the NCAA Division I Football Championship 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

School	2001 Conference	2002 Conference
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
Savannah State	D-II Independent	I-AA Independent
Troy State	I-AA Independent	I-A Independent

Conference standings

2002 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Maine $^		7	–	2		11	–	3
Northeastern $^		7	–	2		10	–	3
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 ^ – Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll

2002 Big Sky football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Montana $^		5	–	2		11	–	3
Idaho State $		5	–	2		8	–	3
Montana State $^		5	–	2		7	–	6
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 champion ^ – Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll

2002 Big South football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Gardner–Webb $		3	–	0		8	–	1
Liberty		1	–	2		2	–	9
Charleston Southern		0	–	3		4	–	8

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll

2002 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Saint Mary's		0	–	0		6	–	6
FIU		0	–	0		5	–	6
Cal Poly		0	–	0		3	–	8
Florida Atlantic		0	–	0		2	–	9
Savannah State		0	–	0		1	–	8
Southern Utah		0	–	0		1	–	10

$ – Conference champion ^ – Division I-AA playoff participant

2002 Gateway Football Conference standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Western Illinois $^		6	–	2		11	–	2
Western Kentucky $^		6	–	2		12	–	3
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
SW Missouri State		1	–	6		4	–	7

$ – Conference champion ^ – Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll

2002 Ivy League football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
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

2002 MAAC 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
Iona		4	–	4		5	–	6
Canisius		2	–	4		2	–	9
La Salle		2	–	6		2	–	9
Siena		1	–	5		3	–	7

$ – Conference champion

2002 MEAC football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
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 ^ – Division I-AA playoff participant

2002 NEC football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Albany (NY) $		6	–	1		8	–	4
Stony Brook		5	–	2		8	–	2
Sacred Heart		5	–	2		7	–	3
Wagner		4	–	3		7	–	4
CCSU		3	–	4		5	–	6
Robert Morris		2	–	5		3	–	4
Monmouth		2	–	5		2	–	8
Saint Francis (PA)		1	–	6		2	–	8

$ – Conference champion

Template:2002 OVC football standings

2002 Patriot League football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Fordham +^		6	–	1		10	–	3
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 ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll

2002 Pioneer Football League football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Dayton $		6	–	0		11	–	1
Morehead State		5	–	1		9	–	3
San Diego		4	–	1		5	–	5
Davidson		3	–	1		7	–	3
Austin Peay		3	–	3		7	–	5
Butler		2	–	4		4	–	6
Drake		1	–	3		5	–	6
Jacksonville		0	–	4		3	–	7
Valparaiso		0	–	7		1	–	10

$ – Conference champion

2002 Southern Conference football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#3 Georgia Southern $^		7	–	1		11	–	3
#14 Wofford		6	–	2		9	–	3
#10 Appalachian State ^		6	–	2		8	–	4
#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 ^ – Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll

2002 Southland Football League standings
	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
#2 McNeese State $^	6	–	0	–	0	13	–	2	–	0
#16 Northwestern State ^	4	–	2	–	0	9	–	4	–	0
#23 Nicholls State	3	–	3	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
Stephen F. Austin	3	–	3	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Jacksonville State	2	–	4	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Sam Houston State	2	–	4	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
Texas State	1	–	5	–	0	4	–	7	–	0

$ – Conference champion ^ – Division I-AA playoff participant Ranking is from the Sports Network Poll

2002 SWAC football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
East
Alabama A&M x		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
Grambling State x$		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 December 14, 2002
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions

Conference champions

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

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


McNeese State*	21

Montana State	14
		McNeese State*	24

		Montana	20
Montana*	45

Northwestern State	14
				McNeese State*	39

				Villanova	28
Villanova*	45

Furman	38
		Villanova*	24

		Fordham	10
Northeastern*	24

Fordham	29
						McNeese State	14

						Western Kentucky	34
Georgia Southern*	34

Bethune-Cookman	0
		Georgia Southern*	31

		Maine	7
Appalachian State*	13

Maine	14
				Georgia Southern*	28

				Western Kentucky	31
Western Kentucky*	59

Murray State	20
		Western Kentucky	31

		Western Illinois*	28
Western Illinois*	48

Eastern Illinois	9

* Denotes host institution

References

↑ "2002 NCAA Division I Football Championship" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 16. Retrieved December 29, 2013.

2002 NCAA Division I-AA football playoff participants

Appalachian State Bethune-Cookman Eastern Illinois Fordham Furman Georgia Southern Maine McNeese State Montana Montana State Murray State Northeastern Northwestern State Villanova Western Illinois Western Kentucky

Champion – Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

NCAA football seasons

Pre-regulation	1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905

IAAUS/NCAA	1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955

NCAA University Division/ Division I	1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977

NCAA Division I-A/FBS	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

NCAA Division II	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

NCAA Division III	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

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