1997 NCAA Division I-A football season

1997 NCAA Division I-A season
Sun Life Stadium (formerly named Pro Player Stadium) was supposed to be the site of the national championship game, but the title was split
Number of teams	112
Preseason AP #1	Penn State Nittany Lions
Post-season
Duration	December 20, 1997 – January 2, 1998
Bowl games	20
AP Poll #1	Michigan Wolverines
Coaches Poll #1	Nebraska Cornhuskers
Heisman Trophy	Charles Woodson, Michigan CB
Bowl Alliance Championship
1998 Orange Bowl
Site	Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Winner	Nebraska Cornhuskers
Division I-A football seasons
← 1996 1998 →

1997 ACC football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#3 Florida State $		8	–	0		11	–	1
#6 North Carolina		7	–	1		11	–	1
Virginia		5	–	3		7	–	4
#25 Georgia Tech		5	–	3		7	–	5
Clemson		4	–	4		7	–	5
NC State		3	–	5		6	–	5
Wake Forest		3	–	5		5	–	6
Maryland		1	–	7		2	–	9
Duke		0	–	8		2	–	9

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

1997 Big East football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#21 Syracuse $		6	–	1		9	–	4
#23 Virginia Tech		5	–	2		7	–	5
West Virginia		4	–	3		7	–	5
Pittsburgh		4	–	3		6	–	6
Miami (FL)		3	–	4		5	–	6
Boston College		3	–	4		4	–	7
Temple		3	–	4		4	–	8
Rutgers		0	–	7		0	–	11

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

1997 Big Ten football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#1 Michigan $		8	–	0		12	–	0
#12 Ohio State		6	–	2		10	–	3
#16 Penn State		6	–	2		9	–	3
#15 Purdue		6	–	2		9	–	3
Wisconsin		5	–	3		8	–	5
Iowa		4	–	4		7	–	5
Michigan State		4	–	4		7	–	5
Northwestern		3	–	5		5	–	7
Minnesota		1	–	7		3	–	9
Indiana		1	–	7		2	–	9
Illinois		0	–	8		0	–	11

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

1997 Big 12 football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Northern Division
#2 Nebraska † xy$		8	–	0		13	–	0
#8 Kansas State %		7	–	1		11	–	1
#23 Missouri		5	–	3		7	–	5
Colorado		3	–	5		5	–	6
Kansas		3	–	5		6	–	5
Iowa State		1	–	7		1	–	10
Southern Division
#20 Texas A&M xy		6	–	2		9	–	4
#24 Oklahoma State		5	–	3		8	–	4
Texas Tech		5	–	3		6	–	5
Texas		2	–	6		4	–	7
Oklahoma		2	–	6		4	–	8
Baylor		1	–	7		2	–	9
Championship: Nebraska 54, Texas A&M 15
† – Coaches Poll National Champion $ – Bowl Alliance representative as champion % – Bowl Alliance at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

1997 Big West Conference football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Utah State +		4	–	1		6	–	6
Nevada +		4	–	1		5	–	6
Boise State		3	–	2		4	–	7
Idaho		2	–	3		5	–	6
North Texas		2	–	3		4	–	7
New Mexico State		0	–	5		2	–	9

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

1997 Conference USA football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#19 Southern Miss $		6	–	0		9	–	3
Tulane		5	–	1		7	–	4
East Carolina		4	–	2		5	–	6
Cincinnati		2	–	4		8	–	4
Memphis		2	–	4		4	–	7
Houston		2	–	4		3	–	8
Louisville		0	–	6		1	–	10

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

1997 Mid-American Conference football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
East Division
Marshall x$		7	–	1		10	–	3
Miami		6	–	2		8	–	3
Ohio		6	–	2		8	–	3
Bowling Green		3	–	5		3	–	8
Kent State		3	–	5		3	–	8
Akron		2	–	7		2	–	9
West Division
Toledo x		7	–	1		9	–	3
Western Michigan		6	–	2		8	–	3
Ball State		4	–	4		5	–	6
Eastern Michigan		4	–	5		4	–	7
Central Michigan		1	–	7		2	–	9
Northern Illinois		0	–	8		0	–	11
Championship: Marshall 34, Toledo 14
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

1997 Pacific-10 football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#9 Washington State +		7	–	1		10	–	2
#5 UCLA +		7	–	1		10	–	2
#14 Arizona State		6	–	2		9	–	3
#18 Washington		5	–	3		8	–	4
Arizona		4	–	4		7	–	5
USC		4	–	4		6	–	5
Oregon		3	–	5		7	–	5
Stanford		3	–	5		5	–	6
California		1	–	7		3	–	8
Oregon State		0	–	8		3	–	8

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

1997 SEC football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Eastern Division
#7 Tennessee x$		7	–	1		11	–	2
#10 Georgia		6	–	2		10	–	2
#4 Florida		6	–	2		10	–	2
South Carolina		3	–	5		5	–	6
Kentucky		2	–	6		5	–	6
Vanderbilt		0	–	8		3	–	8
Western Division
#11 Auburn xy		6	–	2		10	–	3
#13 LSU x		6	–	2		9	–	3
#22 Ole Miss		4	–	4		8	–	4
Mississippi State		4	–	4		7	–	4
Alabama		2	–	6		4	–	7
Arkansas		2	–	6		4	–	7
Championship: Tennessee 30, Auburn 29
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season, play of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I-A level, began in late summer 1997 and culminated with the major bowl games in early January 1998. The national championship was split for the third time in the 1990s. The Michigan Wolverines finished the season atop the AP Poll after completing a 12–0 campaign with a Big Ten Conference championship and a victory in the Rose Bowl over Washington State. The Nebraska Cornhuskers garnered the top ranking in the Coaches' Poll with a 13–0 record, a Big 12 Conference championship, and a win over Tennessee in the Orange Bowl. Michigan's Charles Woodson, who played primarily at cornerback, but also saw time on offense as a wide receiver and on special teams as a punt returner, won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first primarily defensive player to win the award. The 1997 season was the third and final season in which the major bowl games were organized under the Bowl Alliance system. The Bowl Championship Series was instituted the following year.