# 2005 NCAA Division I-AA football season

The 2005 NCAA Division I-AA football season, the 2005 season of college football for teams in Division I-AA, began on September 1, 2005, and concluded on December 16, 2005. In the 2005 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, played in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Appalachian State Mountaineers defeated the Northern Iowa Panthers.

## Rule changes for 2005

There are several rules that have changed for the 2005 season. Following are some highlights:
* In an effort to bring spearing under control, the word "intentional" was removed from the rules.
* A listing of examples for unsportsmanlike acts was developed in order to encourage more consistent application of the rule. Examples of such acts include, but are not limited to:
** Imitating a slash of the throat;
** Resembling the firing of a weapon;
** Bowing at the waist;
** Punching one’s own chest excessively;
** Crossing one’s arms in front of the chest;
** Placing one’s hand by the ear as if to indicate that the player cannot hear the spectators;
** Diving into the end zone when unchallenged by an opponent;
** Entering the end zone with an unnatural stride (e.g., high stepping);
** Going significantly beyond the end line to interact with spectators;
** Standing over a prone player in a taunting manner;
** Attempting to make the ball spin as if it were a top;
** Performing a choreographed act with a teammate(s) (e.g., pretending to take a photo, falling down in unison); and
** Entering the field of play by coaches or substitutes in protest of officials' calls.
* Additionally, the committee added language to the rule that reads: "Spontaneous celebrating with teammates on the field of play, provided it is not prolonged, taunting or intended to bring attention to the individual player, is allowed."

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 2004 Conference | 2005 Conference |
| Florida Atlantic | I-AA Independent | Sun Belt (I-A) |
| FIU | I-AA Independent | Sun Belt (I-A) |
| Southeastern Louisiana | I-AA Independent | Southland |

## I-AA team wins over I-A teams

* September 1 – Northwestern State 27, Louisiana–Monroe 23
* September 17 – UC Davis 20, Stanford 17

## Conference standings

2005 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings :
| 2005 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North Division No. 5 New Hampshire x+^  7 –1  11 –2   No. 19 UMass  6 –2  7 –4   Hofstra  5 –3  8 –4   Maine  3 –5  5 –6   Northeastern  2 –6  3 –9   Rhode Island  2 –6  4 –7   South Division No. 8 Richmond x+^  7 –1  9 –4   No. 25 James Madison  5 –3  7 –4   Towson  3 –5  7 –4   Delaware  3 –5  6 –5   William & Mary  3 –5  5 –6   Villanova  2 –6  4 –7   + – Conference co-championsx – Division champion/co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2005 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 13 E. Washington $^  5 –2  7 –5   No. 12 Montana ^  5 –2  8 –4   No. 18 Montana State  5 –2  7 –4   Portland State  4 –3  6 –5   Weber State  4 –3  6 –5   Idaho State  3 –4  5 –6   Sacramento State  1 –6  2 –9   Northern Arizona  1 –6  3 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2005 Big South Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 24 Coastal Carolina +  3 –1  9 –2   Charleston Southern +  3 –1  7 –4   Gardner–Webb  2 –2  5 –6   VMI  2 –2  3 –8   Liberty  0 –4  1 –10   + – Conference co-championsRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2005 Gateway Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Northern Iowa +^  5 –2  11 –4   No. 7 Southern Illinois +^  5 –2  9 –4   No. 14 Youngstown State +  5 –2  8 –3   No. 22 Illinois State  4 –3  7 –4   Western Kentucky  4 –3  6 –5   Western Illinois  3 –4  5 –6   Missouri State  2 –5  4 –6   Indiana State  0 –7  0 –11   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2005 Great West Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 6 Cal Poly +^  4 –1  9 –4   UC Davis +  4 –1  6 –5   North Dakota State  3 –2  7 –4   South Dakota State  3 –2  6 –5   Southern Utah  1 –4  1 –9   Northern Colorado  0 –5  4 –7   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2005 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 15 Brown $  6 –1  9 –1   Princeton  5 –2  7 –3   Harvard  5 –2  7 –3   Yale  4 –3  4 –6   Cornell  4 –3  6 –4   Penn  3 –4  5 –5   Dartmouth  1 –6  2 –8   Columbia  0 –7  2 –8   $ – Conference championRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2005 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Duquesne $  4 –0  7 –3   Marist  3 –1  7 –4   La Salle  2 –2  4 –7   Iona  1 –3  3 –7   Saint Peter's  0 –4  1 –9   $ – Conference champion | 2005 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 10 Hampton $^  8 –0  11 –1   No. 20 South Carolina State  7 –1  9 –2   Delaware State  6 –2  7 –4   Florida A&M  5 –3  6 –5   Bethune–Cookman  4 –4  7 –4   Norfolk State  2 –6  4 –7   North Carolina A&T  2 –6  3 –8   Howard  1 –7  4 –7   Morgan State  1 –7  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2005 Northeast Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Central Connecticut State +  5 –2  7 –4   Stony Brook +  5 –2  6 –5   Monmouth  4 –3  6 –4   Albany  4 –3  5 –6   Wagner  3 –4  6 –5   Sacred Heart  3 –4  4 –6   Saint Francis (PA)  3 –4  3 –8   Robert Morris  1 –6  2 –8   + – Conference co-champions |
| 2005 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 16 Eastern Illinois $^  8 –0  9 –3   Eastern Kentucky  7 –1  7 –4   Jacksonville State  6 –2  6 –5   Tennessee–Martin  4 –4  6 –5   Samford  4 –4  5 –6   Tennessee Tech  3 –5  4 –7   Southeast Missouri State  2 –6  2 –9   Tennessee State  1 –6  2 –9   Murray State  0 –7  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2005 Patriot League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 21 Lafayette +^  5 –1  8 –4   No. 23 Colgate +^  5 –1  8 –4   Lehigh  4 –2  8 –3   Holy Cross  3 –3  6 –5   Georgetown  2 –4  4 –7   Fordham  2 –4  2 –9   Bucknell  0 –6  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2005 Pioneer Football League standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North Division San Diego xy$  4 –0  11 –1   Dayton  3 –1  9 –1   Drake  2 –2  6 –4   Valparaiso  1 –3  3 –8   Butler  0 –4  0 –11   South Division Morehead State xy  3 –0  8 –4   Jacksonville  2 –1  4 –4   Davidson  1 –2  4 –6   Austin Peay  0 –3  2 –9   Championship: San Diego 47, Morehead State 40 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant |
| 2005 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 Appalachian State $^  6 –1  12 –3   No. 3 Furman ^  5 –2  11 –3   No. 9 Georgia Southern ^  5 –2  8 –4   Western Carolina  4 –3  5 –4   Wofford  3 –4  6 –5   Chattanooga  3 –4  6 –5   The Citadel  2 –5  4 –7   Elon  0 –7  3 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll | 2005 Southland Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 4 Texas State +^  5 –1  11 –3   No. 17 Nicholls State +^  5 –1  6 –4   McNeese State  3 –3  5 –4   Northwestern State  3 –3  5 –5   Southeastern Louisiana  2 –4  4 –6   Sam Houston State  2 –4  3 –7   Stephen F. Austin  1 –5  5 –6   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2005 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Division Alabama A&M xy  7 –2  9 –3   Alabama State  6 –3  6 –5   Mississippi Valley State  5 –4  6 –5   Alcorn State  5 –4  6 –5   Jackson State  2 –7  2 –9   West Division No. 11 Grambling State xy$  9 –0  11 –1   Southern  4 –5  4 –5   Prairie View A&M  3 –6  5 –6   Arkansas–Pine Bluff  3 –6  3 –8   Texas Southern  1 –8  1 –10   Championship: Grambling State 45, Alabama A&M 6 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from The Sports Network Poll |
| 2005 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Savannah State   –  0 –11 |

## Conference champions
### Automatic berths

| Conference | Champion |
| Atlantic 10 Conference | New Hampshire and Richmond |
| Big Sky Conference | Eastern Washington, Montana, and Montana State |
| Gateway Football Conference | Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, and Youngstown State |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | Hampton |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Eastern Illinois |
| Patriot League | Colgate and Lafayette |
| Southern Conference | Appalachian State |
| Southland Conference | Nicholls State and Texas State |

### Invitation

| Conference | Champion |
| Big South Conference | Charleston Southern and Coastal Carolina |
| Great West Football Conference | Cal Poly and UC Davis |
| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | Duquesne |
| Northeast Conference | Central Connecticut State and Stony Brook |
| Pioneer Football League | San Diego |

### Abstains

| Conference | Champion |
| Ivy League | Brown |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | Grambling State |

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

| First Round November 26 Campus sites | First Round November 26 Campus sites | First Round November 26 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 3 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 3 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 3 Campus sites | Semifinals December 9 and December 10 Campus sites | Semifinals December 9 and December 10 Campus sites | Semifinals December 9 and December 10 Campus sites | | National Championship Game December 16 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee | National Championship Game December 16 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee | National Championship Game December 16 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| | Colgate | 21 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | New Hampshire* | 55 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | New Hampshire* | 55 | 1 | New Hampshire* | 21 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Northern Iowa | 24 | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Washington | Eastern Washington | 38 | | Northern Iowa | 24 | | | | | | | |
| Northern Iowa* | Northern Iowa* | 41 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Northern Iowa* | Northern Iowa* | 41 | | | | | Northern Iowa | 40 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Texas State* | 37 | | | | |
| | Georgia Southern | 35 | | | | | | | 4 | Texas State* | 37 | | | | |
| 4 | Texas State* | 50 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Texas State* | 50 | 4 | Texas State* | 14 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Cal Poly | 7 | | | | | | | |
| Cal Poly | Cal Poly | 35 | | Cal Poly | 7 | | | | | | | |
| Montana* | Montana* | 21 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Montana* | Montana* | 21 | | | | | | | | 6 | Northern Iowa* | 16 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Appalachian State | 21 |
| | Lafayette | 23 | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Appalachian State | 21 |
| 2 | Appalachian State* | 34 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Appalachian State* | 34 | 2 | Appalachian State* | 38 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Southern Illinois | 24 | | | | | | | |
| Southern Illinois | Southern Illinois | 21 | | Southern Illinois | 24 | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Illinois* | Eastern Illinois* | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Illinois* | Eastern Illinois* | 6 | | | | 2 | Appalachian State* | 29 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Furman | 23 | | | | |
| | Richmond | 38 | | | | | | | | Furman | 23 | | | | |
| 3 | Hampton* | 10 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Hampton* | 10 | Richmond* | Richmond* | 20 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Furman | Furman | 24 | | | | | | | |
| Nicholls State | Nicholls State | 12 | Furman | Furman | 24 | | | | | | | |
| Furman* | Furman* | 14 | | | | | | | | | | |
* Host institution

### SWAC Championship Game

| Date | Location | Venue | West Div. Champion | East Div. Champion | Result |
| December 10 | Birmingham, Alabama | Legion Field | Grambling State | Alabama A&M | Grambling State, 45–6 |

## Final poll standings

Standings are from The Sports Network final 2005 poll.
| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | Appalachian State Mountaineers | 12–3 |
| 2 | Northern Iowa Panthers | 11–4 |
| 3 | Furman Paladins | 11–3 |
| 4 | Texas State Bobcats | 11–3 |
| 5 | New Hampshire Wildcats | 11–2 |
| 6 | Cal Poly Mustangs | 9–4 |
| 7 | Southern Illinois Salukis | 9–4 |
| 8 | Richmond Spiders | 9–4 |
| 9 | Georgia Southern Eagles | 8–4 |
| 10 | Hampton Pirates | 11–1 |
| 11 | Grambling State Tigers | 11–1 |
| 12 | Montana Grizzlies | 8–4 |
| 13 | Eastern Washington Eagles | 7–5 |
| 14 | Youngstown State Penguins | 8–3 |
| 15 | Brown Bears | 9–1 |
| 16 | Eastern Illinois Panthers | 9–3 |
| 17 | Nicholls State Colonels | 6–4 |
| 18 | Montana State Bobcats | 7–4 |
| 19 | Massachusetts Minutemen | 7–4 |
| 20 | South Carolina State Bulldogs | 9–2 |
| 21 | Lafayette Leopards | 8–4 |
| 22 | Illinois State Redbirds | 7–4 |
| 23 | Colgate Raiders | 8–4 |
| 24 | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers | 9–2 |
| 25 | James Madison Dukes | 7–4 |