1993 NCAA Division I-AA football season

The 1993 NCAA Division I-AA football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I-AA level, began in August 1993, and concluded with the 1993 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 18, 1993, at Marshall University Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia. The Youngstown State Penguins won their second I-AA championship, defeating the Marshall Thundering Herd by a score of 17−5.[1] It was the third consecutive year that Marshall and Youngstown State faced off in the I-AA title game.

1993 NCAA Division I-AA season
Regular season
Number of teams118
DurationAugust–November
Payton AwardDoug Nussmeier (QB, Idaho)
Playoff
DurationNovember 27–December 18
Championship dateDecember 18, 1993
Championship siteMarshall University Stadium
Huntington, West Virginia
ChampionYoungstown State
NCAA Division I-AA football seasons

Conference changes and new programs

edit
  • A 1991 NCAA rule change required athletic programs to maintain all of their sports at the same division level by the 1993 season. In order to comply, 28 Division I programs with football teams at the Division II and Division III levels were forced to upgrade their programs to the Division I level, and all of them (at least initially) chose Division I-AA as their new football home.
  • The rule change led directly to the establishment of the Pioneer Football League, a non-scholarship football conference at the Division I-AA level with six founding members, all of which had played in Division II or III: Butler, Dayton, Drake, Evansville, San Diego, and Valparaiso.
  • It also led to the creation of the American West Conference, initially a football-only conference at the Division I-AA level with five founding members, all formerly in Division II: UC Davis, Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, Sacramento State, and Southern Utah.[2]
  • The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, an existing Division I conference, also began sponsoring football in order to accommodate these new I-AA football programs.
School1992 Conference1993 Conference
BuffaloD-III IndependentI-AA Independent
ButlerMIFC (D-II)Pioneer (I-AA)
California–DavisNorthern California (D-II)American West+
Cal PolyWestern (D-II)American West (I-AA)
Cal State NorthridgeWestern (D-II)American West (I-AA)
CanisiusD-III IndependentMAAC (I-AA)
Central Connecticut StateD-II IndependentI-AA Independent
Charleston SouthernD-III IndependentI-AA Independent
DavidsonD-III IndependentI-AA Independent
DaytonD-III IndependentPioneer (I-AA)
DrakeD-III IndependentPioneer (I-AA)
DuquesneD-III IndependentI-AA Independent
EvansvilleD-III IndependentPioneer (I-AA)
GeorgetownD-III IndependentMAAC (I-AA)
Georgia SouthernI-AA IndependentSouthern
IonaLiberty (D-III)MAAC (I-AA)
James MadisonI-AA IndependentYankee
Marist)Liberty (D-III)I-AA Independent
MonmouthNew ProgramI-AA Independent
NortheasternI-AA IndependentYankee
Sacramento StateWestern (D-II)American West (I-AA)
St. Francis (PA)D-III IndependentI-AA Independent
St. John's (NY)Liberty (D-III)MAAC (I-AA)
St. Mary's (CA)D-II IndependentI-AA Independent
St. Peter'sD-III IndependentMAAC (I-AA)
San DiegoD-III IndependentPioneer (I-AA)
SienaD-III IndependentMAAC (I-AA)
Southern UtahWestern (D-II)American West (I-AA)
Troy StateD-II IndependentI-AA Independent
UABD-III IndependentI-AA Independent
ValparaisoMIFC (D-II)Pioneer (I-AA)
WagnerLiberty (D-III)I-AA Independent
William & MaryI-AA IndependentYankee

+ The UC Davis Aggies, although a member of the new American West Conference, were listed in Division II polls,[3] and participated in the Division II postseason.[4]

Conference standings

edit
1993 American West Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 7 UC Davis +^3101020
Southern Utah +310371
Sacramento State220460
Cal Poly130640
Cal State Northridge130460
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
  • Although UC Davis was a conference member, they participated in NCAA Division II polls and postseason.
Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll
1993 Big Sky Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 3 Montana $^7001020
No. 11 Idaho ^5201130
No. 20 Eastern Washington520730
Montana State430740
Northern Arizona340740
Weber State340740
Boise State160380
Idaho State070290
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1993 Gateway Football Conference standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 13 Northern Iowa $^510840
Southwest Missouri State420740
Western Illinois420470
Illinois State231641
Eastern Illinois231371
Indiana State240470
Southern Illinois150290
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1993 Ivy League football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 16 Penn $7001000
Dartmouth610730
Princeton520820
Brown340460
Cornell340460
Yale250370
Harvard160370
Columbia160280
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1993 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Iona $500920
Canisius410550
St. John's320830
Georgetown230450
Saint Peter's140370
Siena0500100
  • $ – Conference champion
1993 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 8 Howard $^6001110
South Carolina State420830
Delaware State420650
No. 21 North Carolina A&T330830
Florida A&M330560
Bethune–Cookman150380
Morgan State060290
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1993 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 17 Eastern Kentucky $^800840
No. 22 Tennessee Tech710830
Tennessee–Martin530650
Middle Tennessee440560
Murray State440470
Tennessee State440470
Morehead State260380
Southeast Missouri State260380
Austin Peay0801100
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1993 Patriot League football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Lehigh $410740
Lafayette311542
Bucknell320470
Holy Cross230380
Colgate131371
Fordham1401100
  • $ – Conference champion
1993 Pioneer Football League standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
Dayton $ 50  91 
Drake 32  82 
Butler 32  46 
Evansville 23  64 
San Diego 14  64 
Valparaiso 14  55 
  • $ – Conference champion
1993 Southern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Georgia Southern $^7101030
No. 9 Marshall ^6201140
Western Carolina530650
Furman440551
The Citadel440750
Appalachian State440470
East Tennessee State350560
Chattanooga260470
VMI1701100
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1993 Southland Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 McNeese State $^7001030
No. 4 NE Louisiana ^610930
No. 14 Stephen F. Austin ^520840
Northwestern State340560
Sam Houston State250470
North Texas250470
Nicholls State250380
SW Texas State160290
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1993 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 15 Southern $7001110
No. 23 Alcorn State610830
Grambling State430740
Jackson State331551
Alabama State331541
Mississippi Valley State232442
Texas Southern160290
Prairie View A&M0700110
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from The Sports Network Poll
1993 Yankee Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
New England Division
No. 6 Boston University x$^8001210
No. 25 UMass620920
Connecticut530650
New Hampshire440650
Rhode Island260470
Maine0800110
Mid-Atlantic Division
No. 10 William & Mary x^710930
No. 18 Delaware ^620940
James Madison440650
Richmond350560
Northeastern260290
Villanova170380
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1993 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Troy State ^  1101
Youngstown State ^  1020
UAB  920
Wagner  920
No. 12 UCF ^  930
No. 24 Towson  820
No. 19 Western Kentucky  830
Hofstra  631
Saint Mary's  631
Davidson  640
Central Connecticut  550
Liberty  550
Marist  550
Samford  560
Duquesne  460
Saint Francis  370
Charleston Southern  380
Monmouth  250
Buffalo  1100
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Conference champions

edit
Conference champions

American West ConferenceSouthern Utah and UC Davis
Big Sky Conference – Montana
Gateway Football Conference – Northern Iowa
Ivy League – Penn
Metro Atlantic Athletic ConferenceIona
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Howard
Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky
Patriot League – Lehigh
Pioneer Football LeagueDayton
Southern Conference – Georgia Southern
Southland Conference – McNeese State
Southwestern Athletic Conference – Southern
Yankee Conference – Boston University

Postseason

edit

NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket

edit

Only the top four teams in the field were seeded, with the NCAA placing others teams in the bracket to avoid early round matchups between teams from the same conference.[5] This was the first season that the NCAA did not use an in-house poll process for I-AA ranking purposes; independent polling by The Sports Network wire service was used.[6] The site of the title game, Marshall University Stadium, had been predetermined months earlier.[7]

First Round
November 27
Campus sites
Quarterfinals
December 4
Campus sites
Semifinals
December 11
Campus sites
National Championship Game
December 18
Marshall University Stadium
Huntington, WV
        
Eastern Kentucky12
(1) Georgia Southern*14
(1) Georgia Southern14
Youngstown State*34
UCF30
Youngstown State*56
Youngstown State*35
Idaho16
Northern Iowa21
(4) Boston University*27**
(4) Boston University14
Idaho*21
Idaho34'
Northeast Louisiana*31
Youngstown State17
Marshall5
Delaware49
(2) Montana*48
Delaware31
Marshall*34
Howard14
Marshall*28*
Marshall*24
Troy State21
William & Mary28
(3) McNeese State*34
(3) McNeese State*28
Troy State35
Stephen F. Austin20
Troy State*42

* Next to team name denotes host institution
* Next to score denotes overtime period
Source:[8]

References

edit
  1. ^ "1993 NCAA Division I Football Championship" (PDF). NCAA.org. p. 15. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  2. ^ Senior, Ryan (July 16, 1993). "Cal Poly moving to Division I". Santa Maria Times. Santa Maria, California. p. C-1. Retrieved February 10, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "College polls, NCAA Division II". Waterloo Courier. Waterloo, Iowa. November 2, 1993. p. D2. Retrieved February 10, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "NCAA Division II Playoffs". St. Louis Post Dispatch. November 28, 1993. p. 8F. Retrieved February 10, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Fairbank, Dave (November 23, 1993). "Many factors put W&M on the road". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. p. D3. Retrieved February 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Geise, George (September 30, 1993). "New I-AA poll lacks clout, but still a big improvement". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Montana. p. 1C. Retrieved April 15, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Mead, Doug (June 27, 1993). "Western ranked second". Asheville Citizen-Times. Asheville, North Carolina. p. 1D. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  8. ^ "UCF faces Youngstown St. in Division I-AA playoffs". The Palm Beach Post. November 22, 1993. p. 11C. Retrieved February 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.