2005 NCAA Division I-AA football season

The 2005 NCAA Division I-AA football season, the 2005 season of college football for teams in Division I-AA, began on September 1, 2005, and concluded on December 16, 2005. In the 2005 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, played in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Appalachian State Mountaineers defeated the Northern Iowa Panthers.^[3]

2005 NCAA Division I-AA season
2005 I-AA National Championship trophy (left).
Regular season
Number of teams	120
Duration	September 1 – November 25
Payton Award	Erik Meyer[1]
Buchanan Award	Chris Gocong[2]
Playoff
Duration	November 26 – December 16
Championship date	December 16, 2005
Championship site	Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee
Champion	Appalachian State
NCAA Division I-AA football seasons
«2004 2006»

Rule changes for 2005

There are several rules that have changed for the 2005 season.^[4] Following are some highlights:

• In an effort to bring spearing under control, the word "intentional" was removed from the rules.
• A listing of examples for unsportsmanlike acts was developed in order to encourage more consistent application of the rule. Examples of such acts include, but are not limited to:
  • Imitating a slash of the throat;
  • Resembling the firing of a weapon;
  • Bowing at the waist;
  • Punching one’s own chest excessively;
  • Crossing one’s arms in front of the chest;
  • Placing one’s hand by the ear as if to indicate that the player cannot hear the spectators;
  • Diving into the end zone when unchallenged by an opponent;
  • Entering the end zone with an unnatural stride (e.g., high stepping);
  • Going significantly beyond the end line to interact with spectators;
  • Standing over a prone player in a taunting manner;
  • Attempting to make the ball spin as if it were a top;
  • Performing a choreographed act with a teammate(s) (e.g., pretending to take a photo, falling down in unison); and
  • Entering the field of play by coaches or substitutes in protest of officials' calls.
• Additionally, the committee added language to the rule that reads: "Spontaneous celebrating with teammates on the field of play, provided it is not prolonged, taunting or intended to bring attention to the individual player, is allowed."

Conference changes and new programs

School	2004 Conference	2005 Conference
Florida Atlantic	I-AA Independent	Sun Belt (I-A)
FIU	I-AA Independent	Sun Belt (I-A)
Southeastern Louisiana	I-AA Independent	Southland

I-AA team wins over I-A teams

• September 1 – Northwestern State 27, Louisiana–Monroe 23
• September 17 – UC Davis 20, Stanford 17

Conference standings

2005 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   North Division No. 5 New Hampshire x+^   7 – 1     11 – 2   No. 19 UMass   6 – 2     7 – 4   Hofstra   5 – 3     8 – 4   Maine   3 – 5     5 – 6   Northeastern   2 – 6     3 – 9   Rhode Island   2 – 6     4 – 7   South Division No. 8 Richmond x+^   7 – 1     9 – 4   No. 25 James Madison   5 – 3     7 – 4   Towson   3 – 5     7 – 4   Delaware   3 – 5     6 – 5   William & Mary   3 – 5     5 – 6   Villanova   2 – 6     4 – 7   + – Conference co-champions x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2005 Big Sky Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 13 E. Washington $^   5 – 2     7 – 5   No. 12 Montana ^   5 – 2     8 – 4   No. 18 Montana State   5 – 2     7 – 4   Portland State   4 – 3     6 – 5   Weber State   4 – 3     6 – 5   Idaho State   3 – 4     5 – 6   Sacramento State   1 – 6     2 – 9   Northern Arizona   1 – 6     3 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2005 Big South Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 24 Coastal Carolina +   3 – 1     9 – 2   Charleston Southern +   3 – 1     7 – 4   Gardner–Webb   2 – 2     5 – 6   VMI   2 – 2     3 – 8   Liberty   0 – 4     1 – 10   + – Conference co-champions Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2005 Gateway Football Conference standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Northern Iowa +^   5 – 2     11 – 4   No. 7 Southern Illinois +^   5 – 2     9 – 4   No. 14 Youngstown State +   5 – 2     8 – 3   No. 22 Illinois State   4 – 3     7 – 4   Western Kentucky   4 – 3     6 – 5   Western Illinois   3 – 4     5 – 6   Missouri State   2 – 5     4 – 6   Indiana State   0 – 7     0 – 11   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2005 Great West Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 6 Cal Poly +^   4 – 1     9 – 4   UC Davis +   4 – 1     6 – 5   North Dakota State   3 – 2     7 – 4   South Dakota State   3 – 2     6 – 5   Southern Utah   1 – 4     1 – 9   Northern Colorado   0 – 5     4 – 7   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2005 Ivy League football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 15 Brown $   6 – 1     9 – 1   Princeton   5 – 2     7 – 3   Harvard   5 – 2     7 – 3   Yale   4 – 3     4 – 6   Cornell   4 – 3     6 – 4   Penn   3 – 4     5 – 5   Dartmouth   1 – 6     2 – 8   Columbia   0 – 7     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2005 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Duquesne $   4 – 0     7 – 3   Marist   3 – 1     7 – 4   La Salle   2 – 2     4 – 7   Iona   1 – 3     3 – 7   Saint Peter's   0 – 4     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion	2005 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 10 Hampton $^   8 – 0     11 – 1   No. 20 South Carolina State   7 – 1     9 – 2   Delaware State   6 – 2     7 – 4   Florida A&M   5 – 3     6 – 5   Bethune–Cookman   4 – 4     7 – 4   Norfolk State   2 – 6     4 – 7   North Carolina A&T   2 – 6     3 – 8   Howard   1 – 7     4 – 7   Morgan State   1 – 7     2 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2005 Northeast Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Central Connecticut State +   5 – 2     7 – 4   Stony Brook +   5 – 2     6 – 5   Monmouth   4 – 3     6 – 4   Albany   4 – 3     5 – 6   Wagner   3 – 4     6 – 5   Sacred Heart   3 – 4     4 – 6   Saint Francis (PA)   3 – 4     3 – 8   Robert Morris   1 – 6     2 – 8   + – Conference co-champions
2005 Ohio Valley Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 16 Eastern Illinois $^   8 – 0     9 – 3   Eastern Kentucky   7 – 1     7 – 4   Jacksonville State   6 – 2     6 – 5   Tennessee–Martin   4 – 4     6 – 5   Samford   4 – 4     5 – 6   Tennessee Tech   3 – 5     4 – 7   Southeast Missouri State   2 – 6     2 – 9   Tennessee State   1 – 6     2 – 9   Murray State   0 – 7     2 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2005 Patriot League football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 21 Lafayette +^   5 – 1     8 – 4   No. 23 Colgate +^   5 – 1     8 – 4   Lehigh   4 – 2     8 – 3   Holy Cross   3 – 3     6 – 5   Georgetown   2 – 4     4 – 7   Fordham   2 – 4     2 – 9   Bucknell   0 – 6     1 – 10   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2005 Pioneer Football League standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   North Division San Diego xy$   4 – 0     11 – 1   Dayton   3 – 1     9 – 1   Drake   2 – 2     6 – 4   Valparaiso   1 – 3     3 – 8   Butler   0 – 4     0 – 11   South Division Morehead State xy   3 – 0     8 – 4   Jacksonville   2 – 1     4 – 4   Davidson   1 – 2     4 – 6   Austin Peay   0 – 3     2 – 9   Championship: San Diego 47, Morehead State 40 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant
2005 Southern Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 1 Appalachian State $^   6 – 1     12 – 3   No. 3 Furman ^   5 – 2     11 – 3   No. 9 Georgia Southern ^   5 – 2     8 – 4   Western Carolina   4 – 3     5 – 4   Wofford   3 – 4     6 – 5   Chattanooga   3 – 4     6 – 5   The Citadel   2 – 5     4 – 7   Elon   0 – 7     3 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll	2005 Southland Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 4 Texas State +^   5 – 1     11 – 3   No. 17 Nicholls State +^   5 – 1     6 – 4   McNeese State   3 – 3     5 – 4   Northwestern State   3 – 3     5 – 5   Southeastern Louisiana   2 – 4     4 – 6   Sam Houston State   2 – 4     3 – 7   Stephen F. Austin   1 – 5     5 – 6   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2005 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   East Division Alabama A&M xy   7 – 2     9 – 3   Alabama State   6 – 3     6 – 5   Mississippi Valley State   5 – 4     6 – 5   Alcorn State   5 – 4     6 – 5   Jackson State   2 – 7     2 – 9   West Division No. 11 Grambling State xy$   9 – 0     11 – 1   Southern   4 – 5     4 – 5   Prairie View A&M   3 – 6     5 – 6   Arkansas–Pine Bluff   3 – 6     3 – 8   Texas Southern   1 – 8     1 – 10   Championship: Grambling State 45, Alabama A&M 6 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from The Sports Network Poll
2005 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Savannah State   –     0 – 11

Conference champions

Automatic berths

Conference	Champion
Atlantic 10 Conference	New Hampshire and Richmond
Big Sky Conference	Eastern Washington, Montana, and Montana State
Gateway Football Conference	Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, and Youngstown State
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference	Hampton
Ohio Valley Conference	Eastern Illinois
Patriot League	Colgate and Lafayette
Southern Conference	Appalachian State
Southland Conference	Nicholls State and Texas State

Invitation

Conference	Champion
Big South Conference	Charleston Southern and Coastal Carolina
Great West Football Conference	Cal Poly and UC Davis
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference	Duquesne
Northeast Conference	Central Connecticut State and Stony Brook
Pioneer Football League	San Diego

Abstains

Conference	Champion
Ivy League	Brown
Southwestern Athletic Conference	Grambling State

Postseason

NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket

	First Round[5] November 26 Campus sites					Quarterfinals December 3 Campus sites					Semifinals December 9 and December 10 Campus sites					National Championship Game December 16 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee
		Colgate	21
	1	New Hampshire*	55
						1	New Hampshire*	21
							Northern Iowa	24
	Eastern Washington		38
	Northern Iowa*		41
												Northern Iowa	40
											4	Texas State*	37
		Georgia Southern	35
	4	Texas State*	50
						4	Texas State*	14
							Cal Poly	7
	Cal Poly		35
	Montana*		21
																6	Northern Iowa*	16
																2	Appalachian State	21
		Lafayette	23
	2	Appalachian State*	34
						2	Appalachian State*	38
							Southern Illinois	24
	Southern Illinois		21
	Eastern Illinois*		6
											2	Appalachian State*	29
												Furman	23
		Richmond	38
	3	Hampton*	10
						Richmond*		20
						Furman		24
	Nicholls State		12
	Furman*		14

* Host institution

SWAC Championship Game

Date	Location	Venue	West Div. Champion	East Div. Champion	Result
December 10	Birmingham, Alabama	Legion Field	Grambling State	Alabama A&M	Grambling State, 45–6[6]

Final poll standings

Standings are from The Sports Network final 2005 poll.

Rank[7]	Team	Record
1	Appalachian State Mountaineers	12–3
2	Northern Iowa Panthers	11–4
3	Furman Paladins	11–3
4	Texas State Bobcats	11–3
5	New Hampshire Wildcats	11–2
6	Cal Poly Mustangs	9–4
7	Southern Illinois Salukis	9–4
8	Richmond Spiders	9–4
9	Georgia Southern Eagles	8–4
10	Hampton Pirates	11–1
11	Grambling State Tigers	11–1
12	Montana Grizzlies	8–4
13	Eastern Washington Eagles	7–5
14	Youngstown State Penguins	8–3
15	Brown Bears	9–1
16	Eastern Illinois Panthers	9–3
17	Nicholls State Colonels	6–4
18	Montana State Bobcats	7–4
19	Massachusetts Minutemen	7–4
20	South Carolina State Bulldogs	9–2
21	Lafayette Leopards	8–4
22	Illinois State Redbirds	7–4
23	Colgate Raiders	8–4
24	Coastal Carolina Chanticleers	9–2
25	James Madison Dukes	7–4