# 2000 NCAA Division I-AA football season

The 2000 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 2000, and concluded with the 2000 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 16, 2000, at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Georgia Southern Eagles won their sixth I-AA championship, defeating the Montana Grizzlies by a score of 27–25.

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 1999 Conference | 2000 Conference |
| Connecticut | Atlantic 10 (I-AA) | I-A Independent |
| Georgetown | MAAC | I-AA Independent |
| St. John's (NY) | I-AA Independent | Northeast |

## Conference standings

2000 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings :
| 2000 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 3 Delaware +^  7 –1  12 –2   No. 6 Richmond +^  7 –1  10 –3   UMass  5 –3  7 –4   James Madison  4 –4  6 –5   New Hampshire  4 –4  6 –5   William & Mary  4 –4  5 –6   Maine  3 –5  5 –6   Villanova  3 –5  5 –6   Rhode Island  2 –6  3 –8   Northeastern  1 –7  4 –7   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2000 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Montana $^  8 –0  13 –2   No. 15 Portland State ^  5 –3  8 –4   No. 18 Weber State  5 –3  7 –4   Sacramento State  5 –3  7 –4   Eastern Washington  5 –3  6 –5   Idaho State  4 –4  6 –5   Cal State Northridge  2 –6  4 –7   Northern Arizona  2 –6  3 –8   Montana State  0 –8  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2000 Gateway Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 12 Western Illinois $^  5 –1  9 –3   No. 11 Youngstown State ^  4 –2  9 –3   No. 24 Illinois State  4 –2  7 –4   No. 19 Northern Iowa  3 –3  7 –4   Southwest Missouri State  2 –4  5 –6   Southern Illinois  2 –4  3 –8   Indiana State  1 –5  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2000 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Penn $  6 –1  7 –3   Cornell  5 –2  5 –5   Yale  4 –3  7 –3   Harvard  4 –3  5 –5   Princeton  3 –4  3 –7   Columbia  1 –6  3 –7   Dartmouth  1 –6  2 –8   Brown *  4 –3  7 –3   $ – Conference champion * Ineligible for conference championship | 2000 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Duquesne $  7 –0  10 –1   Fairfield  6 –1  8 –2   Marist  5 –2  6 –4   La Salle  4 –3  7 –4   Iona  3 –4  4 –7   Saint Peter's  2 –5  4 –7   Siena  1 –6  1 –9   Canisius  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion | 2000 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 14 Florida A&M $^  7 –1  9 –3   No. 20 Bethune–Cookman  6 –2  9 –2   No. 21 North Carolina A&T  6 –2  8 –3   Delaware State  5 –3  7 –4   Hampton  5 –3  7 –4   Howard  3 –5  3 –8   Norfolk State  2 –6  3 –8   South Carolina State  2 –6  3 –8   Morgan State  0 –8  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2000 Northeast Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Robert Morris $  8 –0  10 –0   Sacred Heart  7 –1  10 –1   Wagner  6 –2  6 –5   Albany  5 –3  5 –6   Monmouth  4 –4  5 –6   Central Connecticut State  3 –5  4 –6   St. John's  2 –6  5 –6   Stony Brook  1 –7  2 –8   Saint Francis (PA)  0 –8  0 –11   $ – Conference champion | 2000 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 5 Western Kentucky $^  7 –0  11 –2   No. 17 Eastern Illinois ^  6 –1  8 –4   No. 22 Tennessee Tech  5 –2  8 –3   Murray State  4 –3  6 –5   Eastern Kentucky  3 –4  6 –5   Tennessee State  2 –5  3 –8   Southeast Missouri State  1 –6  3 –8   Tennessee–Martin  0 –7  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2000 Patriot League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 8 Lehigh $^  6 –0  12 –1   Colgate  4 –2  7 –4   Holy Cross  4 –2  7 –4   Towson  3 –3  7 –4   Bucknell  2 –4  6 –5   Fordham  1 –5  3 –8   Lafayette  1 –5  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2000 Pioneer Football League standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Dayton +  3 –1  8 –3   Drake +  3 –1  7 –4   Valparaiso +  3 –1  7 –4   San Diego  1 –3  4 –6   Butler  0 –4  2 –8   + – Conference co-champions | 2000 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 Georgia Southern $^  7 –1  13 –2   No. 4 Appalachian State ^  6 –2  10 –4   No. 10 Furman ^  6 –2  9 –3   No. 23 Wofford  5 –3  7 –4   East Tennessee State  4 –4  6 –5   Chattanooga  3 –5  5 –6   Western Carolina  3 –5  4 –7   The Citadel  1 –7  2 –9   VMI  1 –7  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll | 2000 Southland Football League standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 9 Troy State $^  7 –0  10 –2   No. 16 McNeese State ^  5 –2  8 –4   No. 25 Southwest Texas State  5 –2  7 –4   Sam Houston State  4 –3  7 –4   Stephen F. Austin  3 –4  6 –5   Jacksonville State  2 –5  4 –6   Northwestern State  1 –6  4 –7   Nicholls State  1 –6  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantNorthwestern State forfeited conference wins over Troy State and Nicholls State.Rankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2000 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Division Alabama A&M xy  5 –2  7 –5   Alabama State x  5 –2  6 –5   Jackson State  4 –3  7 –4   Mississippi Valley State  1 –6  2 –9   Alcorn State  0 –7  0 –11   West Division No. 13 Grambling State xy$  6 –1  10 –2   Texas Southern  5 –2  8 –3   Arkansas–Pine Bluff  4 –3  6 –5   Southern  4 –3  6 –5   Prairie View A&M  1 –6  1 –10   Championship: Grambling State 14, Alabama A&M 6 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from The Sports Network Poll | 2000 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Davidson   –  10 –0   No. 7 Hofstra ^   –  9 –4   Southern Utah   –  7 –4   South Florida   –  7 –4   Elon   –  7 –4   Morehead State   –  6 –3   Saint Mary's   –  6 –5   Charleston Southern   –  5 –6   Georgetown   –  5 –6   Jacksonville   –  3 –8   Samford   –  4 –7   Cal Poly   –  3 –8   Liberty   –  3 –8   Austin Peay   –  2 –9   ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |

## Conference champions

* Conference Champions
* Atlantic 10 Conference – Delaware and Richmond
* Big Sky Conference – Montana
* Gateway Football Conference – Western Illinois
* Ivy League – Penn
* Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – Duquesne
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Florida A&M
* Northeast Conference – Robert Morris
* Ohio Valley Conference – Western Kentucky
* Patriot League – Lehigh
* Pioneer Football League – Dayton and Valparaiso
* Southern Conference – Georgia Southern
* Southland Football League – Troy State
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Grambling State

## Postseason
### NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket

| First Round November 25 Campus sites | First Round November 25 Campus sites | First Round November 25 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 2 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 2 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 2 Campus sites | Semifinals December 9 Campus sites | Semifinals December 9 Campus sites | Semifinals December 9 Campus sites | | National Championship Game December 16 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN | National Championship Game December 16 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN | National Championship Game December 16 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN |
| 1 | Montana* | 45 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Eastern Illinois | 13 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Eastern Illinois | 13 | 1 | Montana* | 34 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Richmond | 20 | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Richmond* | 10 | 8 | Richmond | 20 | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Youngstown State | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Youngstown State | 3 | | | | 1 | Montana* | 19* | | | | |
| | | | | | | 13 | Appalachian State | 16 | | | | |
| 5 | Western Kentucky* | 27 | | | | | | | 13 | Appalachian State | 16 | | | | |
| 12 | Florida A&M | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Florida A&M | 0 | 5 | Western Kentucky* | 14 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 13 | Appalachian State | 17 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Troy State* | 30 | 13 | Appalachian State | 17 | | | | | | | |
| 13 | Appalachian State | 33 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 13 | Appalachian State | 33 | | | | | | | | 1 | Montana | 25 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Georgia Southern | 27 |
| 3 | Georgia Southern* | 42 | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Georgia Southern | 27 |
| 14 | McNeese State | 17 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | McNeese State | 17 | 3 | Georgia Southern* | 48 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 11 | Hofstra | 20 | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Furman* | 24 | 11 | Hofstra | 20 | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Hofstra | 31 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Hofstra | 31 | | | | 3 | Georgia Southern | 27 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 2 | Delaware* | 18 | | | | |
| 7 | Western Illinois* | 7 | | | | | | | 2 | Delaware* | 18 | | | | |
| 10 | Lehigh | 37 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 10 | Lehigh | 37 | 10 | Lehigh | 22 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 2 | Delaware* | 47 | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Delaware* | 49 | 2 | Delaware* | 47 | | | | | | | |
| 15 | Portland State | 14 | | | | | | | | | | |
* By team name denotes host institution
* By score denotes overtime
Source: