2017 NCAA Division II football season | |
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Regular season | August 30 – November 11, 2017 |
Playoffs | November 18 – December 16, 2017 |
National Championship | Children's Mercy Park Kansas City, KS December 16, 2017 |
Champion | Texas A&M–Commerce |
Harlon Hill Trophy | Luis Perez (QB, Texas A&M–Commerce) |
The 2017 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, began on August 31, 2017 and ended with the Division II championship on December 16, 2017 at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. [1] Northwest Missouri State were the defending champions from the previous season. [2] Texas A&M–Commerce won the school's first Division II National Championship and second overall, defeating West Florida, 37–27.
Coverage of the Division 2 Playoffs was on ESPN's streaming service, ESPN 3, up until the championship, which was broadcast on ESPN 2.
School | Former conference | New conference |
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Brevard Tornadoes | South Atlantic | Independent (D-III) |
Davenport Panthers | Independent (NAIA) | GLIAC |
Findlay Oilers | GLIAC | G-MAC |
Hillsdale Chargers | GLIAC | G-MAC |
Lake Erie Storm | GLIAC | G-MAC |
Limestone Saints | Independent | South Atlantic |
Ohio Dominican Panthers | GLIAC | G-MAC |
Oklahoma Panhandle State Aggies | Lone Star | CSFL (NAIA) |
Saint Joseph's Pumas | GLVC | School closed |
Walsh Cavaliers | GLIAC | G-MAC |
Oklahoma Baptist completed their transition to Division II and became eligible for the postseason.
The GNAC and NSIC moved from Super Region 3 to Super Region 4, while the GLIAC and GLVC moved in the opposite direction. The newly-expanded G-MAC joined Super Region 1, replacing the CIAA, which moved to Super Region 2.
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2017 NCAA Division II Football Championship | |
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Teams | 28 |
Finals Site | |
Champion |
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Runner-up |
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Semifinalists | |
Winning coach |
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The 2017 NCAA Division II Football Championship was the 45th edition of the Division II playoffs. The playoffs began on November 18 and concluded with the championship game on December 16.
The field consisted of 28 teams, seven from each of the four super regions. The participants in each region were determined by the regional rankings; if a conference's highest-ranked team was ranked in the top eight, that team qualified via the "earned access" provision, and all other participants were selected directly from the rankings. The top seed in each region received a first-round bye. After the quarterfinals, the regional winners were reseeded one through four, with No. 1 meeting No. 4 in the semifinals and No. 2 meeting No. 3.
Date | Game | Site | Teams | Affiliations | Results |
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Dec 2 | Corsicana Bowl | Tiger Stadium Corsicana, Texas | Central Oklahoma Bronchos (7–4) Tarleton State Texans (6–5) | MIAA Lone Star | Central Oklahoma 38 Tarleton State 31 |
C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl | Bulldawg Stadium Copperas Cove, Texas | Washburn Ichabods (6–5) Angelo State Rams (6–5) | MIAA Lone Star | Washburn 41 Angelo State 25 | |
Live United Texarkana Bowl | Razorback Stadium Texarkana, Arkansas | Pittsburg State Gorillas (7–4) Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys (8–3) | MIAA GAC | Pittsburg State 41 Arkansas Tech 31 | |
Mineral Water Bowl | Tiger Stadium Excelsior Springs, Missouri | Central Missouri Mules (8–3) Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs (9–2) | MIAA NSIC | Central Missouri 38 Minnesota–Duluth 28 |
The NCAA Division II Football Championship is an American college football tournament played annually to determine a champion at the NCAA Division II level. It was first held in 1973, as a single-elimination playoff with eight teams. The tournament field has subsequently been expanded three times: to 16 teams in 1988, 24 teams in 2004, and 28 teams in 2016.
The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is a baseball tournament held each June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Baseball Championship tournament—featuring 64 teams in the first round—which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight participating teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets, with the winners of each bracket playing in a best-of-three championship series.
The North Dakota Fighting Hawks represent the University of North Dakota, competing as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) in the NCAA Division I's Football Championship Subdivision. From 1973 to 2008, they played in the NCAA's NCAA Division II, winning the national championship in 2001. From 1955 to 1972, they competed in the NCAA's College Division where they participated in and won three bowl games.
The NCAA Division I Baseball Championship is held each year from May through June and features 64 college baseball teams in the United States, culminating in the eight-team Men's College World Series (MCWS) at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Dakota Marker is the trophy awarded to the winner of the annual football game played between the rival Division I Championship Subdivision North Dakota State University Bison and the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits. Both schools are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
The Big 12 Championship Game is a college football game held by the Big 12 Conference between the best and the second-best Big 12 team. The game was played each year since the conference's formation in 1996 until 2010 and returned during the 2017 season. From 1996 to 2010, the championship game pitted the Big 12 North Division champion against the South Division champion in a game held after the regular season was completed. From 2017 onward, the game features the two teams with the best conference records.
The Valdosta State football team represents Valdosta State University in football. The Blazers are a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) in NCAA Division II. Valdosta State University has had a football team since 1981. The Blazers play in Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia, which has a capacity of 11,249. The stadium is also the home of the historical Valdosta High School Wildcats. The Blazers have won a total of four Division II National Championship titles.
The 2008 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began on August 30, 2008, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 15, 2008, at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs defeated the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats, 21–14, to win their first Division II national title.
The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football program represents Northwest Missouri State University in college football. They participate in Division II sports within the NCAA. The team plays their home games at Bearcat Stadium, located on campus in Maryville, Missouri.
The Northwest Missouri State−Pittsburg State football rivalry, also known as the Fall Classic at Arrowhead, is a college football game between Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) rivals Northwest Missouri State University and Pittsburg State University. From 2002 to 2013, the game was played at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs. The games were played at the teams' home field, due to being unable to reach terms with the Kansas City Chiefs, from 2014 to 2018. The game is set to return to Arrowhead Stadium in 2019.
The 2009 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began on August 29, 2009, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 12, 2009 at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats defeated the Grand Valley State, 30–23, to win their third Division II national title.
The 2007 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began on August 30, 2007, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 15, 2007 at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Valdosta State Blazers defeated the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats, 25–20, to win their second Division II national title.
The 2013 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began on August 31, 2013, and concluded with the National Championship Game of the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 21, 2013, at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama. This was the final championship played in Florence, after twenty-eight straight finals, before the game moves to Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas. The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats defeated the Lenoir–Rhyne Bears, 43–28, to win their fourth national title.
The 2016 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, began on September 1, 2016 and ended with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 17, 2016 at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Northwest Missouri State successfully defended its national title from the previous season by defeating North Alabama, 29–3.
The 2018 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, began on August 30, 2018, and ended with the Division II championship on December 15, 2018, at the McKinney Independent School District Stadium in McKinney, Texas, hosted by the Lone Star Conference. The game was originally scheduled for Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, on the last year of a five-year contract, but that contract was terminated in September 2018 to allow off-season renovation of the field for its primary tenant, professional soccer club Sporting KC.
The 2017 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in NCAA Division II for the 2017 season. It was played at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, on December 16, 2017, with kickoff at 5:00 p.m. EST, and television coverage on ESPN2.
The 2016 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in NCAA Division II for the 2016 season. It was played at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, on December 17, 2016, with kickoff at 4:00 p.m. EST, and television coverage on ESPN2.
The 2015 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in NCAA Division II for the 2015 season. It was played at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, on December 19, 2015, with kickoff at 3:00 p.m. EST, and television coverage on ESPN2.
The 2014 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in NCAA Division II for the 2014 season. It was played at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas, on December 20, 2014, with kickoff at 4:00 p.m. EST, and television coverage on ESPN2.
The 2013 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in NCAA Division II for the 2013 season. It was played at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, on December 21, 2013, with kickoff at noon EST, and television coverage on ESPN2.