2007 NCAA Division I FCS football season

2007 NCAA Division I FCS season
2007 FCS National Championship trophy (right).
Duration	August 25 – November 17
Playoff
Duration	November 23 – December 14
Championship site	Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, TN
Champion	Appalachian State Mountaineers[1]
Payton Award	Jayson Foster[2]
Buchanan Award	Kroy Biermann[3]
Division I FCS football season
«2006 2008»

The 2007 NCAA Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) football season, part of the college football season, began on August 25, 2007 and concluded on December 14, 2007 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the Appalachian State Mountaineers defeated the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens to win the NCAA Division I Football Championship.

Rule changes for 2007

The clock rules adopted in the 2006 season were reversed, after coaches in all divisions disapproved of them. The attempt to reduce the time of games sought by those rules was successful, reducing the average college football game from 3 hours and 21 minutes in 2005 to 3 hours and 7 seven minutes in 2006. The reduced game time also reduced the average number of plays in a game by 13, fewer offensive yards per game by 66, and average points per game by 5.

Rules changes for the 2007 season include:^[4]

• Moving the kick-off yard-line from 35 to 30, which matches the yard-line used in the National Football League, to reduce the number of touchbacks.
• Paring the 25-second play clock to 15 seconds after TV timeouts.
• Shortening teams' three allotted timeouts per half by 30 seconds each, from 1:25 to 55 seconds.
• Allowing penalties against the kicking team on kickoffs to be assessed at the end of the runback, avoiding a re-kick, also matching the NFL rule.

Other notable changes

• The Atlantic 10 Conference ceased football sponsorship after the 2006 season. The A10's football sponsorship was effectively taken over by the Colonial Athletic Association, with all of the A10 football members (Delaware, Hofstra, James Madison, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Richmond, Towson, William & Mary) moving to the CAA.

Conference changes

School	2006 Conference	2007 Conference
Austin Peay	FCS Independent	Ohio Valley
Central Arkansas	D-II Independent	Southland
St. Peter's	MAAC	Dropped Program
Stony Brook	Northeast	FCS Independent
Western Kentucky	Gateway	FCS Independent

FCS team wins over FBS teams

• September 1 – #1 Appalachian State 34, #5 Michigan 32 (Game notes)
• September 1 – Nicholls State 16, Rice 14
• September 8 – Northern Iowa 24, Iowa State 13
• September 8 – Southern Illinois 34, Northern Illinois 31
• September 15 – New Hampshire 48, Marshall 35
• September 15 – McNeese State 38, Louisiana-Lafayette 17
• September 22 – North Dakota State 44, Central Michigan 14
• October 20 – North Dakota State 27, Minnesota 21
• October 27 – Delaware 59, Navy 52

Conference standings

2007 Big Sky football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #10 Montana $^   8 – 0         11 – 1   #8 Eastern Washington ^   6 – 2         9 – 4   Northern Arizona   5 – 3         6 – 5   Montana State   4 – 4         6 – 5   Weber State   4 – 4         5 – 6   Portland State   3 – 5         3 – 8   Sacramento State   3 – 5         3 – 8   Idaho State   2 – 6         3 – 8   Northern Colorado   1 – 7         1 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2007 Big South football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Liberty $   4 – 0         8 – 3   Coastal Carolina   3 – 1         5 – 6   Gardner–Webb   2 – 2         5 – 6   Charleston Southern   1 – 3         5 – 6   VMI   0 – 4         2 – 9   $ – Conference champion Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2007 CAA football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   North UMass x+^   7 – 1         10 – 3   Hofstra   4 – 4         7 – 4   New Hampshire ^   4 – 4         7 – 5   Maine   3 – 5         4 – 7   Northeastern   2 – 6         3 – 8   Rhode Island   2 – 6         3 – 8   South Richmond x+^   7 – 1         11 – 3   James Madison ^   6 – 2         8 – 4   #2 Delaware ^   5 – 3         11 – 4   Villanova   5 – 3         7 – 4   William & Mary   2 – 6         4 – 7   Towson   1 – 7         3 – 8   + – Conference co-champions x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll
2007 Gateway Football Conference standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Northern Iowa $^   6 – 0         12 – 1   #3 Southern Illinois   5 – 1         12 – 2   #16 Youngstown State   3 – 3         7 – 4   Western Illinois   3 – 3         6 – 5   SW Missouri State   2 – 4         6 – 5   Illinois State   2 – 4         4 – 7   Indiana State   0 – 6         0 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll	Template:2007 Great West football standings	2007 Ivy League football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Harvard $   7 – 0         8 – 2   Yale   6 – 1         9 – 1   Brown   4 – 3         5 – 5   Penn   3 – 4         4 – 6   Princeton   3 – 4         4 – 6   Dartmouth   3 – 4         3 – 7   Cornell   2 – 5         5 – 5   Columbia   0 – 7         1 – 9   $ – Conference champion
2007 MEAC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Delaware State $^   9 – 0         10 – 2   Norfolk State   7 – 2         8 – 3   South Carolina State   7 – 2         7 – 4   Hampton   5 – 4         6 – 5   Winston-Salem State   5 – 4         6 – 5   Morgan State   4 – 5         5 – 6   Bethune-Cookman   3 – 6         5 – 6   Howard   3 – 6         4 – 7   Florida A&M   2 – 7         3 – 8   North Carolina A&T   0 – 9         0 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network	Template:2007 Northeast Conference football standings	Template:2007 Ohio Valley football standings
2007 Patriot League football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #20 Fordham $^   5 – 1         8 – 4   Colgate   4 – 2         7 – 4   Holy Cross   4 – 2         7 – 4   Lafayette   4 – 2         7 – 4   Lehigh   2 – 4         5 – 6   Bucknell   1 – 5         3 – 8   Georgetown   1 – 5         1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2007 Pioneer Football League standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Dayton $   6 – 1         11 – 1   San Diego $   6 – 1         9 – 2   Morehead State   5 – 2         7 – 4   Davidson   4 – 3         6 – 4   Drake   3 – 4         6 – 5   Valparaiso   2 – 5         5 – 6   Jacksonville   2 – 5         3 – 8   Butler   0 – 7         4 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2007 Southern Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #1 Appalachian State +^   5 – 2         13 – 2   #6 Wofford +^   5 – 2         9 – 4   #17 Georgia Southern   4 – 3         7 – 4   #23 Elon   4 – 3         7 – 4   The Citadel   4 – 3         7 – 4   Furman   4 – 3         6 – 5   Chattanooga   2 – 5         2 – 9   Western Carolina   0 – 7         1 – 10   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll
2007 Southland Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #11 McNeese State $^   7 – 0         11 – 1   Sam Houston State   5 – 2         7 – 4   Central Arkansas   5 – 2         6 – 5   Nicholls State   3 – 4         6 – 5   Texas State   3 – 4         4 – 7   Northwestern State   3 – 4         4 – 7   Southeastern Louisiana   2 – 5         3 – 8   Stephen F. Austin   0 – 7         0 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2007 SWAC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   East Jackson State x$   7 – 2         8 – 4   Alabama A&M   6 – 3         3 – 3   Alabama State   4 – 5         5 – 6   Mississippi Valley State   2 – 7         3 – 8   Alcorn State   2 – 7         2 – 8   West Grambling State x   8 – 1         8 – 4   Southern   6 – 3         8 – 3   Prairie View A&M   6 – 3         7 – 3   Arkansas–Pine Bluff   4 – 5         4 – 7   Texas Southern   0 – 9         0 – 11   Championship: Jackson State 42, Grambling State 31 December 15, 2007 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions	Template:2007 Division I FCS independent football standings

Conference champions

Automatic berths

Conference	Champion
Big Sky Conference	Montana and Eastern Washington
Colonial Athletic Association	Massachusetts and Richmond
Gateway Football Conference	Northern Iowa
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference	Delaware State
Ohio Valley Conference	Eastern Kentucky
Patriot League	Fordham
Southern Conference	Appalachian State and Wofford
Southland Conference	McNeese State

Invitation

Conference	Champion
Big South Conference	Liberty
Great West Football Conference	South Dakota State
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference	Duquesne, Iona, and Marist
Northeast Conference	Albany
Pioneer Football League	Dayton

Abstains

Conference	Champion
Ivy League	Harvard
Southwestern Athletic Conference	Jackson State

Postseason

NCAA FCS Playoff bracket

	First Round[5] November 23 and 24					Quarterfinals December 1					Semifinals December 7 and 8					National Championship Game December 14 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee
		New Hampshire	35
	1	Northern Iowa*	38
						1	Northern Iowa*	27
							Delaware	39
	Delaware State		7
	Delaware*		44
												Delaware	20
											4	Southern Illinois*	17
		Eastern Illinois	11
	4	Southern Illinois*	30
						4	Southern Illinois*	34
							Massachusetts	27
	Fordham		35
	Massachusetts*		49
																Delaware		21
																Appalachian State*		49
		Eastern Washington	44
	2	McNeese State*	15
						Eastern Washington		35
						Appalachian State*		38
	James Madison		27
	Appalachian State*		28
											Appalachian State*		55
											Richmond		35
		Wofford	23
	3	Montana*	22
						Wofford*		10
						Richmond		21
	Eastern Kentucky		14
	Richmond*		31

* Host institution

SWAC Championship Game

Date	Location	Venue	West Div. Champion	East Div. Champion	Result
December 15	Birmingham, Alabama	Legion Field	Grambling State	Jackson State	Jackson State, 42–31[6]

Gridiron Classic

The Gridiron Classic is an annual game between the champions of the Northeast Conference and the Pioneer Football League that has been held since December 2006.

Date	Location	Venue	NEC Champion	PFL Champion	Result
December 1	Dayton, Ohio	Welcome Stadium	Albany	Dayton	Dayton, 42–21[7]

Final poll standings

Standings are from The Sports Network final 2007 poll.

Rank[8]	Team	Record
1	Appalachian State Mountaineers	13–2
2	Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens	11–4
3	Southern Illinois Salukis	13–2
4	Northern Iowa Panthers	12–1
5	Richmond Spiders	11–3
6	Wofford Terriers	9–4
7	Massachusetts Minutemen	8–4
8	Eastern Washington Eagles	9–4
9	North Dakota State Bison	10–1
10	Montana Grizzlies	11–1
11	McNeese State Cowboys	11–1
12	James Madison Dukes	8–4
13	Eastern Kentucky Colonels	9–3
14	New Hampshire Wildcats	7–5
15	Delaware State Hornets	10–2
16	Youngstown State Penguins	7–4
17	Georgia Southern Eagles	7–4
18	Eastern Illinois Panthers	8–4
19	South Dakota State Jackrabbits	7–4
20	Fordham Rams	8–4
21	Harvard Crimson	8–2
22	Yale Bulldogs	9–1
23	Elon Phoenix	7–4
24	Cal Poly Mustangs	7–4
25	Grambling State Tigers	8–4

See also

• 2007 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team
• 2007 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team
• 2007 Delaware State Hornets football team
• 2007 Georgia Southern Eagles football team
• 2007 Northern Iowa Panthers football team
• 2007 Richmond Spiders football team
• 2007 Penn Quakers football team
• 2007 Savannah State Tigers football team
• 2007 UMass Minutemen football team
• 2007 William & Mary Tribe football team

Historic games

• 2007 Appalachian State vs. Michigan football game — first win ever by an FCS team over a ranked FBS team
• 2007 Weber State vs. Portland State football game — the two teams combined for 141 points, setting an NCAA all-division record for most points scored in a game

Notes and references

1. Associated Press (2007-12-14). "Months after Michigan upset, Appalachian State completes FCS 3-peat". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
2. "Jayson Foster wins 2007 Walter Payton Award". The Sports Network. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
3. "Kroy Biermann captures 2007 Buck Buchanan Award". The Sports Network. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
4. Steve Wieberg (2007-02-14). "NCAA rules committee proposes reworking football time-saving rules". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-02-15.
5. "2007 Playoff Bracket". NCAA. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
6. Associated Press (2007-12-15). "Grambling State 31, Jackson State 42". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
7. Associated Press (2007-12-01). "Dayton 42, Albany, N.Y. 21". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
8. "Final Sports Network's 2007 FCS College Football Poll". The Sports Network. Retrieved 2008-12-20.

External links