# 1897 college football season

The 1897 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing Pennsylvania and Yale as having been selected national champions.

## Conference and program changes
### Conference establishments

* One conference played its final season in 1897:
** Western Interstate University Football Association – active since 1892

### Membership changes

| School | 1896 Conference | 1897 Conference |
| Arizona Normal Football | Program Established | Independent |
| Central Colonels | Independent | SIAA |
| Gallaudet Bison | Independent | MIFA |

## Conference standings
### Major conference standings

1897 Colorado Football Association standings :
| 1897 Colorado Football Association standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Colorado $ 2 –0 –07 –1 –0 Colorado Mines 1 –1 –02 –2 –0 Colorado College 0 –2 –03 –5 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1897 Maryland Intercollegiate Football Association standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Gallaudet $ 3 –0 –14 –1 –1 Maryland 0 –3 –02 –4 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1897 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Vanderbilt $ 3 –0 –06 –0 –1 Georgia 2 –0 –02 –1 –0 Auburn 2 –0 –12 –0 –1 Tennessee 1 –0 –04 –1 –0 Central (KY) 1 –1 –01 –2 –0 Nashville 1 –1 –01 –1 –0 Alabama 0 –0 –01 –0 –0 Texas 0 –0 –06 –2 –0 LSU 0 –0 –01 –1 –0 Sewanee 1 –2 –11 –3 –1 Clemson 0 –1 –02 –2 –0 Mercer 0 –1 –00 –2 –1 Cumberland (TN) 0 –1 –00 –1 –0 Kentucky State College 0 –2 –02 –4 –0 SW Presbyterian 0 –0 –00 –0 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1897 Triangular Football League standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Dartmouth $ 2 –0 –04 –3 –0 Amherst 0 –1 –12 –6 –2 Williams 0 –1 –11 –7 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1897 Western Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Wisconsin $ 3 –0 –09 –1 –0 Chicago 3 –1 –011 –1 –0 Michigan 2 –1 –06 –1 –1 Illinois 1 –1 –06 –2 –0 Purdue 1 –2 –05 –3 –1 Northwestern 0 –2 –05 –3 –0 Minnesota 0 –3 –04 –4 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1897 Western Interstate University Football Association standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Nebraska $ 3 –0 –05 –1 –0 Kansas 2 –1 –08 –2 –0 Iowa 0 –2 –04 –4 –0 Missouri 0 –2 –05 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion |

### Independents

1897 Eastern college football independents records :
| 1897 Eastern college football independents records vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Penn   –  15 –0 –0 Princeton   –  10 –1 –0 Washington & Jefferson   –  10 –1 –0 Yale   –  9 –0 –2 Buffalo   –  9 –1 –0 Harvard   –  10 –1 –1 Army   –  6 –1 –1 Vermont   –  3 –0 –2 Lafayette   –  9 –2 –1 Drexel   –  6 –2 –1 Colgate   –  5 –2 –1 Dickinson   –  7 –3 –2 Swarthmore   –  7 –3 –2 Fordham   –  2 –1 –1 Cornell   –  5 –3 –1 Syracuse   –  5 –3 –1 Brown   –  7 –4 –0 Carlisle   –  6 –4 –0 Boston College   –  4 –3 –0 Holy Cross   –  4 –3 –1 Bucknell   –  3 –3 –1 NYU   –  3 –3 –0 Temple   –  3 –3 –0 Trinity (CT)   –  4 –4 –1 Wesleyan   –  6 –6 –0 Tufts   –  6 –7 –0 Geneva   –  3 –4 –1 Pittsburgh College   –  3 –5 –2 Villanova   –  3 –5 –1 Penn State   –  3 –6 –0 Amherst   –  2 –6 –2 Frankin & Marshall   –  2 –6 –2 Lehigh   –  3 –7 –0 New Hampshire   –  2 –5 –0 Rutgers   –  2 –5 –0 Western Univ. Penn.   –  1 –3 –0 | 1897 Midwestern college football independents records vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Butler   –  3 –0 –0 Fairmount   –  1 –0 –0 Washburn   –  7 –1 –0 Cincinnati   –  9 –1 –1 Iowa State Normal   –  5 –1 –0 Ohio Wesleyan   –  7 –1 –1 Indiana   –  6 –1 –1 Ohio   –  7 –2 –0 Carthage   –  3 –1 –0 Iowa Agricultural   –  3 –1 –0 Notre Dame   –  4 –1 –1 Michigan Agricultural   –  4 –2 –1 Central Michigan   –  2 –1 –0 Baldwin–Wallace   –  2 –1 –1 Chicago Dental Infirmary   –  2 –2 –1 Missouri   –  5 –6 –0 Lake Forest   –  4 –5 –1 Drake   –  2 –3 –0 Heidelberg   –  2 –3 –0 Detroit College   –  1 –2 –0 Indiana Normal   –  1 –4 –0 Kansas State   –  1 –2 –1 Mount Union   –  2 –4 –1 Rush Medical College   –  1 –4 –1 DePauw   –  2 –6 –0 Wittenberg   –  2 –6 –0 Haskell   –  1 –4 –0 Indiana State Normal   –  1 –4 –0 Ohio State   –  1 –7 –1 Lincoln (MO)   –  0 –1 –0 South Dakota Agricultural   –  0 –1 –0 Washington University   –  0 –2 –0 North Dakota Agricultural   –  0 –3 –0 | 1897 Southern college football independents records vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Oklahoma   –  2 –0 –0 Arkansas   –  2 –0 –1 Navy   –  8 –1 –0 Virginia   –  6 –2 –1 Add-Ran   –  3 –1 –0 Washington and Lee   –  3 –1 –0 VPI   –  5 –2 –0 North Carolina   –  7 –3 –0 VMI   –  3 –2 –0 Guilford   –  2 –1 –0 West Virginia   –  5 –4 –1 Davidson   –  1 –1 –0 Georgia Tech   –  1 –1 –0 Columbian   –  4 –5 –1 Richmond   –  3 –5 –0 North Carolina A&M   –  1 –2 –0 Texas A&M   –  1 –2 –0 Delaware   –  1 –5 –1 William & Mary   –  0 –1 –0 Marshall   –  0 –3 –0 South Carolina   –  0 –3 –0 |
| 1897 Far West college football independents records vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Oregon Agricultural   –  5 –0 –0 Washington Agricultural   –  2 –0 –0 Wyoming   –  2 –0 –0 USC   –  5 –1 –0 Stanford   –  4 –1 –0 New Mexico A&M   –  1 –0 –1 Oregon   –  1 –1 –0 Montana   –  1 –2 –3 Washington   –  1 –2 –0 Montana Agricultural   –  1 –3 –0 California   –  0 –3 –2 Utah   –  1 –5 –0 Arizona Normal   –  0 –1 –0 Nevada State   –  0 –1 –0 |

### Minor conferences

| Conference | Champion(s) | Record |
| Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Kalamazoo | 5–0 |