# 2001 NCAA Division I-AA football season

The 2001 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 2001, and concluded with the 2001 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 21, 2001, at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Montana Grizzlies won their second I-AA championship, defeating the Furman Paladins by a score of 13–6.

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 2000 Conference | 2001 Conference |
| Austin Peay | I-AA Independent | Pioneer |
| Cal State Northridge | Big Sky | I-AA Independent |
| Davidson | I-AA Independent | Pioneer |
| Florida Atlantic | New Program | I-AA Independent |
| Georgetown | I-AA Independent | Patriot |
| Hofstra | I-AA Independent | Atlantic 10 |
| Jacksonville | I-AA Independent | Pioneer |
| Morehead State | I-AA Independent | Pioneer |
| Morris Brown | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Savannah State | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| South Florida | I-AA Independent | I-A Independent |
| Troy State | Southland | I-A Independent |
| Western Kentucky | Ohio Valley | Gateway |

## Conference standings

2001 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings :
| 2001 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 11 Hofstra +^  7 –2  9 –3   No. 10 Maine +^  7 –2  9 –3   No. 20 Villanova +  7 –2  8 –3   No. 17 William & Mary +^  7 –2  8 –4   No. 21 Rhode Island  6 –3  8 –3   Delaware  4 –5  4 –6   Northeastern  4 –5  5 –6   UMass  3 –6  3 –8   Richmond  3 –6  3 –8   New Hampshire  2 –7  4 –7   James Madison  0 –9  2 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2001 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 Montana $^  7 –0  15 –1   No. 16 Northern Arizona ^  5 –2  9 –4   Portland State  5 –2  7 –4   Montana State  4 –3  5 –6   Eastern Washington  3 –4  6 –4   Weber State  2 –5  3 –8   Idaho State  1 –6  4 –7   Sacramento State  1 –6  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2001 Gateway Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 4 Northern Iowa $^  6 –1  11 –3   No. 12 Western Kentucky ^  5 –2  8 –4   No. 15 Youngstown State  5 –2  8 –3   Western Illinois  4 –3  5 –5   Southwest Missouri State  3 –4  6 –5   Indiana State  2 –5  3 –8   Illinois State  2 –5  2 –9   Southern Illinois  1 –6  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2001 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 19 Harvard $  7 –0  9 –0   No. 24 Penn  6 –1  8 –1   Brown  5 –2  6 –3   Princeton  3 –4  3 –6   Columbia  3 –4  3 –7   Cornell  2 –5  2 –7   Dartmouth  1 –6  1 –8   Yale  1 –6  3 –6   $ – Conference championRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2001 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Duquesne $  6 –0  8 –3   Saint Peter's  6 –1  10 –1   Fairfield  5 –2  5 –5   Iona  3 –3  4 –5   La Salle  2 –4  5 –4   Marist  2 –4  3 –6   Siena  1 –6  1 –8   Canisius  1 –6  1 –9   $ – Conference champion | 2001 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 22 Florida A&M $^  7 –1  7 –4   Hampton  6 –2  7 –4   North Carolina A&T  5 –3  8 –3   Bethune–Cookman  5 –3  6 –4   South Carolina State  5 –3  6 –5   Delaware State  3 –5  5 –6   Norfolk State  3 –5  5 –6   Howard  1 –7  2 –9   Morgan State  1 –7  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2001 Northeast Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Sacred Heart $  8 –0  11 –0   Robert Morris  6 –1  6 –3   Albany  5 –2  7 –3   Monmouth  5 –2  7 –3   Stony Brook  3 –5  3 –6   Wagner  3 –5  3 –6   Central Connecticut State  2 –5  2 –7   St. John's  1 –6  1 –9   Saint Francis (PA)  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion | 2001 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 9 Eastern Illinois $^  6 –0  9 –1   No. 18 Eastern Kentucky  5 –1  8 –2   No. 23 Tennessee Tech  4 –2  7 –3   No. 25 Tennessee State  3 –3  8 –3   Murray State  2 –4  4 –6   Southeast Missouri State  1 –5  4 –7   Tennessee–Martin  0 –6  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2001 Patriot League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 5 Lehigh $^  7 –0  11 –1   Colgate  5 –1  7 –3   Fordham  5 –2  7 –4   Bucknell  4 –3  6 –4   Holy Cross  3 –4  4 –6   Towson  2 –5  3 –7   Lafayette  1 –6  2 –8   Georgetown  0 –6  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2001 Pioneer Football League standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North Division Dayton xy$  3 –0  10 –1   Butler  2 –2  5 –5   San Diego  2 –2  6 –3   Drake  1 –3  5 –5   Valparaiso  1 –3  3 –8   South Division Jacksonville xy  3 –0  6 –5   Morehead State  2 –1  6 –5   Davidson  1 –2  5 –4   Austin Peay  0 –3  3 –7   Championship: Dayton 46, Jacksonville 14 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant | 2001 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Furman $^  7 –1  12 –3   No. 3 Georgia Southern $^  7 –1  12 –2   No. 6 Appalachian State ^  6 –2  9 –4   Western Carolina  5 –3  7 –4   East Tennessee State  4 –4  6 –5   Wofford  3 –5  4 –7   The Citadel  2 –6  3 –7   Chattanooga  1 –7  3 –8   VMI  1 –7  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll | 2001 Southland Football League standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 7 Sam Houston State +^  5 –1  10 –3   No. 13 McNeese State +^  5 –1  8 –4   No. 14 Northwestern State ^  4 –2  8 –4   Stephen F. Austin  4 –2  6 –5   Jacksonville State  2 –4  5 –6   Nicholls State  1 –5  3 –8   Southwest Texas State  0 –6  4 –7   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2001 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Division Alabama State xy  6 –1  8 –4   Jackson State  5 –2  7 –4   Alcorn State  5 –2  6 –5   Alabama A&M  3 –4  4 –7   Mississippi Valley State  0 –7  0 –11   West Division No. 8 Grambling State xy$  6 –1  10 –1   Southern  5 –2  7 –4   Prairie View A&M  2 –5  3 –7   Texas Southern  2 –5  3 –7   Arkansas–Pine Bluff  1 –6  4 –7   Championship: Grambling State 38, Alabama State 31 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from The Sports Network Poll | 2001 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Cal Poly   –  6 –5   Saint Mary's   –  6 –5   Samford   –  5 –5   Charleston Southern   –  5 –6   Morris Brown   –  5 –6   Florida Atlantic   –  4 –6   Cal State Northridge   –  3 –7   Liberty   –  3 –8   Savannah State   –  2 –7   Elon   –  2 –9   Southern Utah   –  2 –9 |

## Conference champions

* Conference Champions
* Atlantic 10 Conference – Hofstra, Maine, Villanova, and William & Mary
* Big Sky Conference – Montana
* Gateway Football Conference – Northern Iowa
* Ivy League – Harvard
* Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – Duquesne
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Florida A&M
* Northeast Conference – Sacred Heart
* Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Illinois
* Patriot League – Lehigh
* Pioneer Football League – Dayton
* Southern Conference – Furman and Georgia Southern
* Southland Football League – McNeese State and Sam Houston State
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Grambling State

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

The top four teams in the tournament were seeded; seeded teams were assured of hosting games in the first two rounds.
| First Round December 1 Campus sites | First Round December 1 Campus sites | First Round December 1 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 8 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 8 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 8 Campus sites | Semifinals December 15 Campus sites | Semifinals December 15 Campus sites | Semifinals December 15 Campus sites | | National Championship Game December 21 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN | National Championship Game December 21 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN | National Championship Game December 21 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN |
| 1 | Montana* | 28 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Northwestern State | 19 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Northwestern State | 19 | 1 | Montana* | 49 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Sam Houston State | 24 | | | | | | | |
| Sam Houston State* | Sam Houston State* | 34 | | Sam Houston State | 24 | | | | | | | |
| Northern Arizona | Northern Arizona | 31 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Northern Arizona | Northern Arizona | 31 | | | | 1 | Montana* | 38 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Northern Iowa | 0 | | | | |
| McNeese State* | McNeese State* | 10 | | | | | | | | Northern Iowa | 0 | | | | |
| Maine | Maine | 14 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Maine | Maine | 14 | Maine | Maine | 28 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Northern Iowa* | Northern Iowa* | 56 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Eastern Illinois* | 43 | Northern Iowa* | Northern Iowa* | 56 | | | | | | | |
| | Northern Iowa | 49 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Northern Iowa | 49 | | | | | | | | 1 | Montana | 13 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Furman | 6 |
| 2 | Georgia Southern* | 60 | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Furman | 6 |
| | Florida A&M | 35 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Florida A&M | 35 | 2 | Georgia Southern* | 38 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Appalachian State | 24 | | | | | | | |
| Appalachian State* | Appalachian State* | 40 | | Appalachian State | 24 | | | | | | | |
| William & Mary | William & Mary | 27 | | | | | | | | | | |
| William & Mary | William & Mary | 27 | | | | 2 | Georgia Southern* | 17 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 3 | Furman | 24 | | | | |
| Lehigh* | Lehigh* | 27* | | | | | | | 3 | Furman | 24 | | | | |
| Hofstra | Hofstra | 24 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hofstra | Hofstra | 24 | | Lehigh | 17 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 3 | Furman* | 34 | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Furman* | 24 | 3 | Furman* | 34 | | | | | | | |
| | Western Kentucky | 20 | | | | | | | | | | |
* By team name denotes host institution
* By score denotes overtime