1997 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

The culminating game of the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Youngstown State, 10–9.

[3] The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1997 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket.

[5] Seeded eighth in the playoffs, the Penguins defeated ninth-seed Hampton, first-seed Villanova, and third-seed Eastern Washington to reach the final.

This was the fifth appearance for Youngstown State in a Division I-AA championship game, having won three titles (1991, 1993, and 1994) against one loss (1992).

[6] The Cowboys, seeded sixth, defeated 11-seed Montana, second-seed Western Illinois, and fourth-seed Delaware to reach the final.