2007 NCAA Division II football season

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.[2]

2007 NCAA Division II football season
Regular season	August 30 – November 10, 2007
Playoffs	November 17 – December 15, 2007[1]
National Championship	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL
Champion	Valdosta State
Harlon Hill Trophy	Danny Woodhead, Chadron State

The Harlon Hill Trophy was awarded to Danny Woodhead, running back from Chadron State, for the second consecutive year.

Conference and program changes

School	Former conference	New conference
Mary Marauders	Independent	NSIC
Mansfield Mountaineers	PSAC	Dropped program
North Carolina Central Eagles	CIAA	Independent (FCS)
Presbyterian Blue Hose	SAC	Independent (FCS)
Seton Hill Griffins	Independent (NAIA)	WVIAC
UNC Pembroke Braves	New program	Independent

Chowan and Mary completed their transitions to Division II and became eligible for the postseason.

Conference standings

Northeast Region

2007 Northeast-10 Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Bryant $^   8 – 1         8 – 3   American International   7 – 2         7 – 3   S. Connecticut ^   7 – 2         9 – 4   Bentley   6 – 3         7 – 3   Stonehill   5 – 4         5 – 5   C. W. Post   4 – 5         4 – 6   Merrimack   4 – 5         4 – 6   Assumption   3 – 6         4 – 7   Pace   1 – 8         1 – 10   Saint Anselm   0 – 9         0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA Poll

2007 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   East No. 17 West Chester x^   5 – 0         9 – 3   Bloomsburg   4 – 1         7 – 3   Kutztown   2 – 3         5 – 6   East Stroudsburg   2 – 3         3 – 6   Millersville   2 – 3         3 – 8   Cheyney   0 – 5         0 – 10   West No. 4 California (PA) x^   6 – 0         13 – 1   No. 18 Indiana (PA) ^   5 – 1         9 – 3   Slippery Rock   4 – 2         9 – 2   Edinboro   3 – 3         7 – 4   Shippensburg   2 – 4         3 – 8   Lock Haven   1 – 5         1 – 10   Clarion   0 – 6         0 – 11   x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA Poll

2007 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   No. 13 Shepherd $^   7 – 1         10 – 2   Charleston (WV)   6 – 2         8 – 3   West Liberty State   6 – 2         8 – 3   West Virginia State   5 – 3         7 – 3   Glenville State   5 – 3         6 – 5   Fairmont State   3 – 5         6 – 5   Seton Hill #   3 – 5         3 – 7   West Virginia Wesleyan   1 – 7         3 – 8   Concord   0 – 8         1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant # – Provisional Division II member Rankings from AFCA Poll

Southeast Region

2007 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   North Virginia Union xy   6 – 1         9 – 3   Elizabeth City State   5 – 2         5 – 5   Saint Paul's   4 – 3         5 – 5   Virginia State   3 – 4         4 – 6   Bowie State   3 – 4         3 – 7   South Shaw xy$^   6 – 1         8 – 4   Fayetteville State   4 – 3         4 – 6   Johnson C. Smith   2 – 5         3 – 7   St. Augustine's †   2 – 5         2 – 8   Livingstone   0 – 7         0 – 10   Championship: Shaw 31, Virginia Union 24 (2OT) $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant † – St. Augustine's vacated both wins. Rankings from AFCA Poll	2007 Gulf South Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   No. 10 Delta State $^   8 – 0         10 – 2   No. 1 Valdosta State ^   7 – 1         13 – 1   No. 6 North Alabama ^   7 – 1         10 – 2   Henderson State   6 – 2         7 – 3   Harding   5 – 3         6 – 4   Arkansas Tech   3 – 5         5 – 5   Arkansas–Monticello   3 – 5         4 – 7   Ouachita Baptist   2 – 6         4 – 6   Southern Arkansas   2 – 6         3 – 7   West Georgia   1 – 7         2 – 9   West Alabama   0 – 8         1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA Poll	2007 South Atlantic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   No. 14 Carson–Newman +   5 – 1         10 – 1   No. 12 Catawba +^   5 – 1         11 – 2   Newberry   4 – 2         9 – 2   Tusculum   4 – 2         6 – 5   Wingate   2 – 4         7 – 4   Mars Hill   1 – 5         5 – 5   Lenoir–Rhyne   0 – 6         2 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA poll
2007 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   No. 16 Tuskegee $   7 – 0         12 – 0   Albany State ^   6 – 1         8 – 3   Fort Valley State   5 – 2         8 – 3   Morehouse   4 – 3         7 – 3   Lane   4 – 3         7 – 3   Stillman   3 – 4         7 – 4   Kentucky State   3 – 4         3 – 8   Clark Atlanta   2 – 5         3 – 8   Benedict   1 – 6         2 – 9   Miles   0 – 7         2 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA Poll	2007 NCAA Division II Southeast Region independents football records Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   North Greenville   –         5 – 6   UNC Pembroke   –         4 – 7   Brevard #   –         2 – 9   Chowan   –         2 – 9   # – Provisional Division II member Rankings from AFCA Poll

Northwest Region

2007 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   No. 4 Grand Valley State $^   9 – 0         12 – 1   No. 22 Ashland ^   8 – 1         8 – 2   Hillsdale   7 – 3         8 – 3   Saginaw Valley State *   7 – 3         7 – 3   Michigan Tech   6 – 4         6 – 5   Ferris State   5 – 5         6 – 5   Indianapolis   5 – 5         6 – 5   Northwood   5 – 5         5 – 5   Northern Michigan   4 – 6         4 – 6   Findlay   3 – 7         4 – 7   Mercyhurst   3 – 7         4 – 7   Wayne State (MI)   2 – 8         3 – 8   Gannon   0 – 10         0 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant * – Saginaw Valley State forfeited wins against Gannon, Ferris State, Northern Michigan, and Findlay. Rankings from AFCA poll	2007 North Central Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   No. 7 Nebraska–Omaha $^   8 – 0         10 – 1   No. 9 North Dakota ^   7 – 1         10 – 2   No. 11 Central Washington ^   6 – 2         10 – 3   South Dakota   5 – 3         6 – 5   Minnesota State   3 – 5         5 – 6   Minnesota–Duluth   3 – 5         4 – 6   Augustana (SD)   2 – 6         4 – 7   St. Cloud State   1 – 7         4 – 7   Western Washington   1 – 7         2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA Poll	2007 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   No. 23 Winona State $^   9 – 0         10 – 2   Wayne State (NE)   7 – 2         7 – 5   Mary   7 – 2         7 – 4   Bemidji State   6 – 3         7 – 4   Northern State   5 – 4         5 – 6   Concordia–St. Paul   3 – 6         4 – 7   MSU Moorhead   3 – 6         4 – 7   Upper Iowa   2 – 7         3 – 8   SW Minnesota State   2 – 7         2 – 9   Minnesota–Crookston   1 – 8         2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA Poll
2007 Great Lakes Football Conference standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Tiffin $   5 – 0         9 – 2   Central State #   3 – 2         5 – 5   Missouri–Rolla   3 – 2         4 – 7   Saint Joseph's (IN)   3 – 2         4 – 7   Kentucky Wesleyan   1 – 4         3 – 8   Lincoln (MO)   0 – 5         2 – 8   $ – Conference champion # – Provisional Division II member Rankings from AFCA Poll	2007 NCAA Division II Northwest Region independents football records Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Western Oregon   –         9 – 2   Dixie State #   –         3 – 8   Humboldt State   –         2 – 8   # – Provisional Division II member Rankings from AFCA Poll

Southwest Region

2007 Lone Star Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   North Texas A&M–Commerce   5 – 4         5 – 6   SW Oklahoma State   4 – 5         6 – 5   Central Oklahoma   4 – 5         4 – 6   SE Oklahoma State   3 – 6         4 – 6   Northeastern State   3 – 6         3 – 7   East Central   2 – 7         2 – 9   South No. 8 W. Texas A&M $^   9 – 0         12 – 1   No. 15 Abilene Christian ^†   8 – 1         10 – 3   No. 21 Tarleton State   7 – 2         9 – 2   No. 25 Midwestern State   6 – 3         8 – 3   Eastern New Mexico   3 – 6         5 – 6   Texas A&M–Kingsville   3 – 6         3 – 8   Angelo State   2 – 7         2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant † – Abilene Christian vacated all ten wins. Rankings from AFCA Poll	2007 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   No. 2 NW Missouri St. $^   9 – 0         12 – 2   No. 24 Washburn ^   7 – 2         8 – 4   Missouri Western   6 – 3         9 – 3   Pittsburg State   6 – 3         8 – 3   Central Missouri   6 – 3         7 – 4   Missouri Southern   4 – 5         6 – 5   Truman   4 – 5         6 – 5   Fort Hays State   2 – 7         4 – 7   Emporia State   1 – 8         3 – 8   Southwest Baptist   0 – 9         0 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA Poll	2007 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   No. 5 Chadron State $^   8 – 0         12 – 1   No. 19 Mesa State ^   7 – 1         10 – 2   Colorado Mines   6 – 2         7 – 5   Nebraska–Kearney   5 – 3         6 – 4   Western New Mexico   4 – 4         4 – 6   New Mexico Highlands   3 – 5         4 – 6   Adams State   2 – 6         2 – 9   Fort Lewis   1 – 7         1 – 9   Western State   0 – 8         1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA Poll
2007 NCAA Division II Southwest Region independents football records Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   OK Panhandle State   –         0 – 10   Rankings from AFCA Poll

Conference summaries

Conference Champions

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Shaw Great Lakes Football Conference – Tiffin Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Grand Valley State Gulf South Conference – Delta State Lone Star Conference – West Texas A&M Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association – Northwest Missouri State North Central Conference – Nebraska–Omaha Northeast-10 Conference – Bryant Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference – Winona State Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – West Chester (East), California (PA) (West) Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Chadron State South Atlantic Conference – Carson-Newman and Catawba Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Tuskegee West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Shepherd

Postseason

2007 NCAA Division II Football Championship
Teams	24
Finals Site	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, Alabama
Champion	Valdosta St. (2nd title, title game)
Runner-up	NW Missouri St. (5th title game)
Semifinalists	California (PA) Grand Valley St.
Winning Coach	championship

The 2007 NCAA Division II National Football Championship playoffs involved 24 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football.[3]

The tournament began on November 17, 2008 and concluded on December 15, 2008 with the 2007 NCAA Division II National Football Championship game at Braly Municipal Stadium near the campus of the University of North Alabama in Florence, Alabama.[3]

In the championship game the Valdosta State University Blazers defeated the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats, 25–21, to win their second national championship.

Participants

School	Conference	Season Record
Abilene Christian University	Lone Star Conference	9–2
Albany State University	Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	8–2
Ashland University	Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	8–1
Bryant University	Northeast Ten Conference	8–2
California University of Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference	11–0
Catawba College	South Atlantic Conference	10–1
Central Washington University	North Central Conference	8–2
Chadron State College	Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference	11–0
Delta State University	Gulf South Conference	9–1
Grand Valley State University	Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	10–0
Indiana University of Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference	8–2
Mesa State College	Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference	10–1
University of Nebraska at Omaha	North Central Conference	10–0
University of North Alabama	Gulf South Conference	9–1
University of North Dakota	North Central Conference	9–1
Northwest Missouri State University	Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association	9–1
Shaw University	Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association	8–3
Shepherd University	West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	9–1
Southern Connecticut State University	Northeast Ten Conference	8–3
Valdosta State University	Gulf South Conference	9–1
Washburn University	Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association	8–3
West Chester University of Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference	9–2
West Texas A&M University	Lone Star Conference	11–0
Winona State University	Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference	10–1

Bids by conference

Conference	Total	Schools	Super Region
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association	1	Shaw University	3
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	2	Ashland University Grand Valley State University	1
Gulf South Conference	3	Delta State University University of North Alabama Valdosta State University	3
Lone Star Conference	2	Abilene Christian University West Texas A&M University	2
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association	2	Northwest Missouri State University Washburn University	2
North Central Conference	3	Central Washington University University of Nebraska at Omaha University of North Dakota	1
Northeast Ten Conference	2	Southern Connecticut State University Bryant University	4
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference	1	Winona State University	1
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference	3	California University of Pennsylvania Indiana University of Pennsylvania West Chester University of Pennsylvania	4
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference	2	Chadron State College Mesa State College	2
South Atlantic Conference	1	Catawba College	3
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	1	Albany State University	3
West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	1	Shepherd University	4

Playoff format

The first-round games were conducted on the campus of one of the competing institutions as determined by the NCAA Division II Football Committee. Two teams in each super regional earned first-round byes. The first-round winners advanced to face a bye team in their super regional. Second-round winners met in the quarterfinals and quarterfinal winners advanced to play in the semifinals.[3]

First-round, second-round, quarterfinal and semifinal games were played on the campus of one of the competing institutions as determined by the NCAA Division II Football Committee. The home team at the championship was determined by the Division II Football Committee and the Shoals National Championship Committee.

National television coverage

The championship game was played at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama and broadcast live on ESPN2 on December 15.[3]

Final standings

Place	School
1st	Valdosta State University
2nd	Northwest Missouri State University
3rd	California University of Pennsylvania
	Grand Valley State University
5th	Chadron State College
	Central Washington University
	University of North Alabama
	Shepherd University
9th	Abilene Christian University
	Catawba College
	Delta State University
	Indiana University of Pennsylvania
	University of Nebraska at Omaha
	University of North Dakota
	Southern Connecticut State University
	West Texas A&M University
17th	Albany State University
	Ashland University
	Bryant University
	Mesa State College
	Shaw University
	Washburn University
	West Chester University
	Winona State University

Super Regional 1

	First round November 17					Second round November 24					Super Regional finals December 1
						2	Grand Valley State	21
	6	Winona State	2			3	North Dakota	14
	3	North Dakota	44								4	Central Washington	21
											2	Grand Valley State	41
						1	Nebraska–Omaha	17
	5	Ashland	24			4	Central Washington	20
	4	Central Washington	40

Super Regional 3

	First round November 17					Second round November 24					Super Regional finals December 1
						2	Northwest Missouri State	56
	6	Washburn	39			3	West Texas A&M	28
	3	West Texas A&M	40								2	Northwest Missouri State	26
											1	Chadron State	13
						1	Chadron State (3OT)	76
	5	Mesa State	12			4	Abilene Christian	73
	4	Abilene Christian	56

Super Regional 2

	First round November 17					Second round November 24					Super Regional finals December 1
						2	North Alabama	20
	6	Shaw	7			3	Delta State	17
	3	Delta State	45								2	North Alabama	27
											1	Valdosta State	37
						1	Valdosta State	55
	5	Albany State	35			4	Catawba	29
	4	Catawba	66

Super Regional 4

	First round November 17					Second round November 24					Super Regional finals December 1
						2	Shepherd Rams	41
	6	Indiana (PA)	45			6	Indiana (PA)	34
	3	West Chester	35								2	Shepherd	38
											1	California (PA)	58
						1	California (PA)	43
	5	Bryant	28			4	S. Connecticut	7
	4	S. Connecticut	45

Semifinals and championship

	Semifinals December 8					Final December 15
	SR1 Champion	Grand Valley State	16
	SR2 Champion	Northwest Missouri State	34
						SR2 Champion	Northwest Missouri State	21
						SR3 Champion	Valdosta State	25
	SR3 Champion	Valdosta State	28
	SR4 Champion	California (PA)	24

References

1. "2005-2009 Grand Valley State Schedules". College Football Warehouse. cfbdatawarehouse.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
2. "2007 NCAA Division II National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 14. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
3. "D-II Playoffs at a Glance". 2007-12-17. Retrieved 2009-12-14.

External links

• 2007 Division II Football Playoffs at espn.com