# 2007 NCAA Division I FCS football season

The 2007 NCAA Division I FCS football season, the 2007 season of college football for teams in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), began on August 25, 2007, and concluded on December 14, 2007, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the 2007 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game, 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:
* 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.

## Conference changes and new programs

* 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 (today's Coastal Athletic Association), with all twelve of the A10 football members (Delaware, Hofstra, James Madison, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Rhode Island, Richmond, Towson, Villanova, and William & Mary) moving to the CAA for the 2007 season.
| School | 2006 Conference | 2007 Conference |
| Austin Peay | FCS Independent | Ohio Valley |
| Central Arkansas | FCS Independent | Southland |
| Presbyterian | South Atlantic (D-II) | FCS Independent |
| St. Peter's | MAAC | Dropped Program |
| Stony Brook | Northeast | FCS Independent |
| Western Kentucky | Gateway | FBS Independent |
| Winston-Salem State | FCS Independent | MEAC |

## FCS team wins over FBS teams

* September 1 – No. 1 (FCS) Appalachian State 34, No. 5 (FBS) 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 – McNeese State 38, Louisiana-Lafayette 17
* September 15 – New Hampshire 48, Marshall 35
* 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 Conference football standings :
| 2007 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 10 Montana $^  8 –0  11 –1   No. 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 participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2007 Big South Conference football standings vteConfOverall 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 | 2007 Colonial Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North Division No. 7 UMass x+^  7 –1  10 –3   Hofstra  4 –4  7 –4   No. 14 New Hampshire ^  4 –4  7 –5   Maine  3 –5  4 –7   Northeastern  2 –6  3 –8   Rhode Island  2 –6  3 –8   South Division No. 5 Richmond x+^  7 –1  11 –3   No. 12 James Madison ^  6 –2  8 –4   No. 2 Delaware ^  5 –3  11 –4   Villanova  5 –3  7 –4   William & Mary  2 –6  4 –7   Towson  1 –7  3 –8   + – Conference co-championsx – Division champion/co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2007 Gateway Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 4 Northern Iowa $^  6 –0  12 –1   No. 3 Southern Illinois ^  5 –1  12 –2   No. 16 Youngstown State  3 –3  7 –4   Western Illinois  3 –3  6 –5   Missouri State  2 –4  6 –5   Illinois State  2 –4  4 –7   Indiana State  0 –6  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2007 Great West Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 19 South Dakota State $  4 –0  7 –4   No. 9 North Dakota State  3 –1  10 –1   No. 24 Cal Poly  2 –2  7 –4   UC Davis  1 –3  5 –6   Southern Utah  0 –4  0 –11   $ – Conference championRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2007 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 21 Harvard $  7 –0  8 –2   No. 22 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 championRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2007 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Iona +  2 –1  7 –4   Duquesne +  2 –1  6 –4   Marist +  2 –1  3 –8   La Salle  0 –3  0 –10   + – Conference co-champions | 2007 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 15 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 participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2007 Northeast Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Albany $  6 –0  8 –4   Central Connecticut State  4 –2  6 –5   Wagner  3 –3  7 –4   Monmouth  3 –3  4 –6   Robert Morris  3 –3  4 –6   Saint Francis (PA)  2 –4  3 –7   Sacred Heart  0 –6  3 –8   $ – Conference champion |
| 2007 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 13 Eastern Kentucky $^  8 –0  9 –3   No. 18 Eastern Illinois ^  7 –1  8 –4   Austin Peay  5 –3  7 –4   Jacksonville State  5 –3  6 –5   Tennessee State  4 –3  5 –6   Tennessee–Martin  4 –4  4 –7   Samford  2 –6  4 –7   Tennessee Tech  2 –6  4 –7   Southeast Missouri State  1 –6  3 –8   Murray State  1 –7  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2007 Patriot League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 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 participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2007 Pioneer Football League standings vteConfOverall 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 co-champions |
| 2007 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 Appalachian State +^  5 –2  13 –2   No. 6 Wofford +^  5 –2  9 –4   No. 17 Georgia Southern  4 –3  7 –4   No. 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 participantRankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll | 2007 Southland Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 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* – Ineligible for postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division IIRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2007 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Division Jackson State xy$  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 Division No. 25 Grambling State xy  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 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from The Sports Network Poll |
| 2007 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Western Kentucky   –  7 –5   Stony Brook   –  6 –5   Presbyterian   –  6 –5   Savannah State   –  1 –9 |

## 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 Division I playoff bracket

| First Round November 23 and 24 Campus sites | First Round November 23 and 24 Campus sites | First Round November 23 and 24 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 1 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 1 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 1 Campus sites | Semifinals December 7 and 8 Campus sites | Semifinals December 7 and 8 Campus sites | Semifinals December 7 and 8 Campus sites | | National Championship Game December 14 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee | National Championship Game December 14 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee | National Championship Game December 14 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| | New Hampshire | 35 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Northern Iowa* | 38 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Northern Iowa* | 38 | 1 | Northern Iowa* | 27 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Delaware | 39 | | | | | | | |
| Delaware State | Delaware State | 7 | | Delaware | 39 | | | | | | | |
| Delaware* | Delaware* | 44 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Delaware* | Delaware* | 44 | | | | | Delaware | 20 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Southern Illinois* | 17 | | | | |
| | Eastern Illinois | 11 | | | | | | | 4 | Southern Illinois* | 17 | | | | |
| 4 | Southern Illinois* | 30 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Southern Illinois* | 30 | 4 | Southern Illinois* | 34 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | UMass | 27 | | | | | | | |
| Fordham | Fordham | 35 | | UMass | 27 | | | | | | | |
| UMass* | UMass* | 49 | | | | | | | | | | |
| UMass* | UMass* | 49 | | | | | | | | 12 | Delaware | 21 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 5 | Appalachian State* | 49 |
| | Eastern Washington | 44 | | | | | | | | | | | 5 | Appalachian State* | 49 |
| 2 | McNeese State* | 15 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | McNeese State* | 15 | Eastern Washington | Eastern Washington | 35 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Appalachian State* | Appalachian State* | 38 | | | | | | | |
| James Madison | James Madison | 27 | Appalachian State* | Appalachian State* | 38 | | | | | | | |
| Appalachian State* | Appalachian State* | 28 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Appalachian State* | Appalachian State* | 28 | | | | Appalachian State* | Appalachian State* | 55 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Richmond | Richmond | 35 | | | | |
| | Wofford | 23 | | | | | | | Richmond | Richmond | 35 | | | | |
| 3 | Montana* | 22 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Montana* | 22 | Wofford* | Wofford* | 10 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Richmond | Richmond | 21 | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Kentucky | Eastern Kentucky | 14 | Richmond | Richmond | 21 | | | | | | | |
| Richmond* | 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 |

### 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 |

## Final poll standings

Standings are from The Sports Network final 2007 poll.
| Rank | 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 | 10–3 |
| 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 |