2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season

2002 NCAA Division I-AA season
Duration	August – November 2002
Playoff
Duration	November 30 – December 20, 2002
Championship site	Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, TN
Champion	Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Payton Award	Tony Romo – QB (Eastern Illinois)
Buchanan Award	Rashean Mathis – FS (Bethune-Cookman)
Division I-AA football season
«2001 2003»

2002 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Maine $^		7	–	2		11	–	3
Northeastern $^		7	–	2		10	–	3
Villanova ^		6	–	3		11	–	4
UMass		6	–	3		8	–	4
William & Mary		5	–	4		6	–	5
Richmond		4	–	5		4	–	7
Delaware		4	–	5		6	–	6
Hofstra		4	–	5		6	–	6
James Madison		4	–	6		5	–	7
New Hampshire		2	–	7		3	–	8
Rhode Island		1	–	8		3	–	9

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll

2002 Big Sky football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Montana $^		5	–	2		11	–	3
Idaho State $		5	–	2		8	–	3
Montana State $^		5	–	2		7	–	6
Eastern Washington		3	–	4		6	–	5
Northern Arizona		3	–	4		6	–	5
Portland State		3	–	4		6	–	5
Sacramento State		3	–	4		5	–	8
Weber State		1	–	6		3	–	8

$ – Conference champion ^ – Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll

2002 Big South football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Gardner–Webb $		3	–	0		8	–	1
Liberty		1	–	2		2	–	9
Charleston Southern		0	–	3		4	–	8

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll

2002 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Saint Mary's		0	–	0		6	–	6
FIU		0	–	0		5	–	6
Cal Poly		0	–	0		3	–	8
Florida Atlantic		0	–	0		2	–	9
Savannah State		0	–	0		1	–	8
Southern Utah		0	–	0		1	–	10

$ – Conference champion ^ – Division I-AA playoff participant

2002 Gateway Football Conference standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Western Illinois $^		6	–	2		11	–	2
Western Kentucky $^		6	–	2		12	–	3
Youngstown State		4	–	3		7	–	4
Illinois State		4	–	3		6	–	5
Indiana State		3	–	4		5	–	7
Northern Iowa		2	–	5		5	–	6
Southern Illinois		2	–	5		4	–	8
SW Missouri State		1	–	6		4	–	7

$ – Conference champion ^ – Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll

2002 Ivy League football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Penn $		7	–	0		9	–	1
Harvard		6	–	1		7	–	3
Princeton		4	–	3		6	–	4
Yale		4	–	3		6	–	4
Cornell		3	–	4		4	–	6
Dartmouth		2	–	5		3	–	7
Brown		2	–	5		2	–	8
Columbia		0	–	7		1	–	9

$ – Conference champion

2002 MEAC football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Bethune-Cookman $^		7	–	1		11	–	2
Florida A&M		5	–	3		7	–	5
Hampton		5	–	3		7	–	5
Morgan State		5	–	3		7	–	5
South Carolina State		4	–	4		7	–	5
Howard		4	–	4		6	–	5
Norfolk State		2	–	6		5	–	6
North Carolina A&T		2	–	6		4	–	8
Delaware State		2	–	6		4	–	8

$ – Conference champion ^ – Division I-AA playoff participant

The 2002 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 Football Championship Subdivision level, began in August 2002, and concluded with the National Championship Game of the NCAA Division I Football Championship on December 20, 2002, at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers won their first I-AA championship, defeating the McNeese State Cowboys by a final score of 34−14

Atlantic 10 Conference – Maine and Northeastern
Big Sky Conference – Idaho State, Montana, and Montana State
Big South Conference – Gardner-Webb
Gateway Football Conference – Western Illinois and Western Kentucky
Ivy League – Penn
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – Duquesne
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Bethune-Cookman
Northeast Conference – Albany (NY)
Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Illinois and Murray State
Patriot League – Colgate and Fordham
Pioneer Football League – Dayton
Southern Conference – Georgia Southern
Southland Football League – McNeese State
Southwestern Athletic Conference – Grambling State