# 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings

The 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings are from the Sports Network poll of Division I-AA head coaches, athletic directors, sports information directors and media members. This is for the 1997 season.

## Legend

| | Increase in ranking |
| | Decrease in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| (#–#) | Win–loss record |
| (Italics) | Number of first place votes |
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |

## The Sports Network poll

| | Preseason | Week 1 Sept 2 | Week 2 Sept 9 | Week 3 Sept 16 | Week 4 Sept 23 | Week 5 Sept 30 | Week 6 Oct 7 | Week 7 Oct 14 | Week 8 Oct 21 | Week 9 Oct 28 | Week 10 Nov 4 | Week 11 Nov 11 | Week 12 Nov 18 | |
| 1. | Montana | Montana (0–0) | Montana (0–0) (63) | Montana (1–0) (62) | Montana (2–0) (91) | Montana (3–0) (91) | Youngstown State (5–0) (56) | Youngstown State (6–0) (65) | Villanova (6–0) (74) | Villanova (7–0) (89) | Villanova (8–0) (83) | Villanova (9–0) (83) | Villanova (10–0) (83) | 1. |
| 2. | Troy State | Troy State (1–0) | Troy State (2–0) (10) | Troy State (2–0) (10) | Youngstown State (3–0) | Youngstown State (4–0) | Montana (3–1) (24) | Montana (4–1) (21) | McNeese State (6–0) (16) | Western Illinois (7–1) (3) | Western Illinois (8–1) (6) | Western Illinois (9–1) (6) | Western Illinois (9–1) (3) | 2. |
| 3. | Northern Iowa | William & Mary (1–0) | William & Mary (2–0) (3) | William & Mary (3–0) (7) | Western Kentucky (4–0) | Western Kentucky (5–0) | Villanova (4–0) (8) | Villanova (5–0) (4) | Western Illinois (6–1) (2) | Delaware (7–1) (1) | Delaware (8–1) (1) | Delaware (9–1) (1) | Delaware (10–1) | 3. |
| 4. | William & Mary | Northern Iowa (0–0) | Delaware (1–0) | Western Illinois (3–0) | Villanova (3–0) | Villanova (3–0) | McNeese State (5–0) (3) | McNeese State (6–0) (4) | Delaware (6–1) (1) | Youngstown State (6–1) | Youngstown State (7–1) | Youngstown State (8–1) | Youngstown State (9–1) (1) | 4. |
| 5. | Appalachian State | Western Illinois (1–0) | Western Illinois (2–0) | Youngstown State (2–0) | Northern Arizona (2–1) | Northern Arizona (3–1) | Western Illinois (4–1) (1) | Western Illinois (5–1) | Youngstown State (6–1) (2) | Western Kentucky (7–1) | Western Kentucky (8–1) | Western Kentucky (9–1) | Western Kentucky (9–1) | 5. |
| 6. | Eastern Illinois | Delaware (0–0) | East Tennessee State (2–0) | Western Kentucky (3–0) | Appalachian State (1–1) | Appalachian State (2–1) | Delaware (4–1) | Delaware (5–1) | Montana (4–2) | Southern (7–0) (1) | Southern (8–0) (3) | Eastern Washington (9–1) (4) | Eastern Washington (10–1) (6) | 6. |
| 7. | Northern Arizona | East Tennessee State (1–0) | Youngstown State (2–0) | Northern Arizona (1–1) | Troy State (2–1) | Troy State (3–1) | Western Kentucky (5–1) | Western Kentucky (5–1) | Western Kentucky (6–1) | Stephen F. Austin (6–1) | Stephen F. Austin (7–1) (2) | McNeese State (8–1) (1) | McNeese State (9–1) | 7. |
| 8. | Delaware | Appalachian State (0–0) | Northern Arizona (0–1) | Jackson State (3–0) | Western Illinois (3–1) | William & Mary (4–1) | East Tennessee State (4–1) (1) | Southern (5–0) | Southern (6–0) | Eastern Illinois (7–1) | Eastern Washington (8–1) (2) | Georgia Southern (8–2) | Georgia Southern (9–2) (1) | 8. |
| 9. | Western Illinois | Youngstown State (1–0) | Western Kentucky (2–0) | Appalachian State (0–1) | William & Mary (3–1) | Western Illinois (3–1) | Southern (5–0) | Georgia Southern (5–1) (1) | Eastern Illinois (6–1) | McNeese State (6–1) | Eastern Illinois (8–1) | Hampton (8–1) (2) | Hampton (9–1) (1) | 9. |
| 10. | Western Kentucky | Northern Arizona (0–1) | Furman (1–0) | Villanova (2–0) | Delaware (2–1) | McNeese State (4–0) | Eastern Illinois (5–1) | Eastern Illinois (5–1) | Stephen F. Austin (5–1) | Northern Arizona (6–2) (1) | McNeese State (7–1) | Florida A&M (7–2) | Florida A&M (8–2) | 10. |
| 11. | Youngstown State | Western Kentucky (1–0) | Appalachian State (0–1) | Delaware (1–1) | McNeese State (3–0) | Delaware (3–1) | Georgia Southern (4–1) | Northern Arizona (4–2) | Northern Arizona (5–2) | Eastern Washington (7–1) (1) | Georgia Southern (7–2) | Montana (6–3) | Montana (7–3) | 11. |
| 12. | East Tennessee State | Murray State (1–0) | Jackson State (2–0) | Northern Iowa (1–1) | Florida A&M (3–0) | Florida A&M (4–0) | Northern Arizona (3–2) | Stephen F. Austin (4–1) | Eastern Washington (6–1) | East Tennessee State (5–2) | Hampton (7–1) | Southern (8–1) | Southern (9–1) | 12. |
| 13. | Murray State | Furman (0–0) | Northern Iowa (0–1) | Southern (3–0) | Southern (4–0) | Southern (4–0) | Stephen F. Austin (3–1) | Jackson State (5–1) | East Tennessee State (4–2) | Hampton (7–1) | Montana (5–3) | Jackson State (7–2) | Stephen F. Austin (8–2) | 13. |
| 14. | Jackson State | Jackson State (1–0) | Stephen F. Austin (2–0) | East Tennessee State (2–1) | East Tennessee State (2–1) | East Tennessee State (3–1) | Appalachian State (2–2) | East Tennessee State (4–2) | William & Mary (6–2) | Georgia Southern (6–2) | Jackson State (7–2) | Stephen F. Austin (7–2) | Jackson State (8–2) | 14. |
| 15. | Stephen F. Austin | Stephen F. Austin (1–0) | Southern (2–0) | Florida A&M (2–0) | Nicholls State (2–1) | Eastern Illinois (4–1) | Jackson State (5–1) | Nicholls State (4–2) | Hampton (6–1) | Montana (4–3) | Florida A&M (6–2) | Appalachian State (6–3) | Appalachian State (7–3) | 15. |
| 16. | Furman | Florida A&M (1–0) | Florida A&M (1–0) | McNeese State (2–0) | Eastern Illinois (3–1) | Stephen F. Austin (3–1) | Florida A&M (4–1) | Troy State (4–2) | Georgia Southern (5–2) (1) | Jackson State (6–2) | Northern Arizona (6–3) | Eastern Illinois (8–2) | Eastern Illinois (8–2) | 16. |
| 17. | Southern | Southern (1–0) | Murray State (1–1) | Stephen F. Austin (2–1) | Stephen F. Austin (2–1) | Georgia Southern (3–1) | Northern Iowa (3–2) | Murray State (5–2) | Northern Iowa (4–3) | Florida A&M (5–2) | Appalachian State (5–3) | South Carolina State (8–1) | Hofstra (8–2) | 17. |
| 18. | Florida A&M | Northwestern State (0–0) | Villanova (1–0) | Furman (1–1) | Furman (1–1) | Furman (2–1) | Nicholls State (3–2) | William & Mary (5–2) | South Carolina State (6–0) | Appalachian State (4–3) | Dayton (9–0) | Dayton (9–0) | Cal Poly (9–1) | 18. |
| 19. | Howard | Villanova (1–0) | Eastern Illinois (1–1) | Eastern Illinois (2–1) | Jackson State (3–1) | Jackson State (4–1) | Troy State (3–2) | Hampton (5–1) | Furman (4–2) | Cal Poly (7–0) (1) | South Carolina State (7–1) | East Tennessee State (6–3) | Eastern Kentucky (7–3) | 19. |
| 20. | Northwestern State | Howard (0–0) | McNeese State (1–0) | Georgia Southern (1–1) | Georgia Southern (2–1) | Eastern Washington (4–0) | Murray State (4–2) | Eastern Washington (5–1) | Jackson State (5–2) | William & Mary (6–3) | East Tennessee State (5–3) | Liberty (8–1) | Northeastern (8–2) | 20. |
| 21. | New Hampshire | Eastern Kentucky (0–0) | Georgia Southern (1–1) | Eastern Washington (2–0) | Eastern Washington (3–0) | Northwestern State (2–1) | Richmond (4–1) | Florida A&M (4–2) | Florida A&M (5–2) | Dayton (8–0) | Hofstra (7–2) | Hofstra (7–2) | Northwestern State (7–3) | 21. |
| 22. | Eastern Kentucky | New Hampshire (0–0) | Eastern Kentucky (0–1) | Chattanooga (2–0) | Chattanooga (2–0) | James Madison (3–1) | SW Texas State (3–1) | Furman (3–2) | Appalachian State (3–3) | South Carolina State (6–1) | Liberty (7–1) | Cal Poly (8–1) | South Carolina State (8–2) | 22. |
| 23. | Nicholls State | Georgia Southern (1–0) | Howard (0–1) | Northwestern State (1–1) | Northern Iowa (1–2) | Northern Iowa (2–2) | William & Mary (4–2) | South Carolina State (5–0) | Dayton (7–0) | Chattanooga (6–1) | Cal Poly (7–1) | Eastern Kentucky (6–3) | Dayton (9–1) | 23. |
| 24. | SW Missouri State | Eastern Illinois (0–1) | Northwestern State (0–1) | Weber State (2–0) | Northwestern State (1–1) | Nicholls State (2–2) | Connecticut (4–0) | Northern Iowa (3–3) | North Carolina A&T (5–1) | Hofstra (6–2) | Eastern Kentucky (5–3) | Northeastern (7–2) | Bucknell (10–0) | 24. |
| 25. | Buffalo | Buffalo (1–0) | Nicholls State (1–1) | Nicholls State (1–1) | James Madison (2–1) | Murray State (2–2) | Hampton (4–1) | SW Texas State (3–2) | Troy State (4–3) | Nicholls State (5–3) | Northeastern (6–2) | Northwestern State (6–3) | Liberty (8–2) | 25. |
| | Preseason | Week 1 Sept 2 | Week 2 Sept 9 | Week 3 Sept 16 | Week 4 Sept 23 | Week 5 Sept 30 | Week 6 Oct 7 | Week 7 Oct 14 | Week 8 Oct 21 | Week 9 Oct 28 | Week 10 Nov 4 | Week 11 Nov 11 | Week 12 Nov 18 | |
| | | Dropped: 23 Nicholls State24 SW Missouri State | Dropped: 22 New Hampshire25 Buffalo | Dropped: 17 Murray State22 Eastern Kentucky23 Howard | Dropped: 24 Weber State | Dropped: 22 Chattanooga | Dropped: 18 Furman20 Eastern Washington21 Northwestern State22 James Madison | Dropped: 14 Appalachian State21 Richmond24 Connecticut | Dropped: 15 Nicholls State17 Murray State25 SW Texas State | Dropped: 17 Northern Iowa19 Furman24 North Carolina A&T25 Troy State | Dropped: 20 William & Mary23 Chattanooga25 Nicholls State | Dropped: 16 Northern Arizona | Dropped: 19 East Tennessee State | |