The game was played on December 19, 2003, at Finley Stadium, home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
The culminating game of the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Delaware, 40–0.
The Fightin' Blue Hens, seeded second in the tournament, defeated Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa, and third-seed Wofford to reach the final.
This was the second appearance for Delaware in a Division I-AA championship game, having lost in 1982. Colgate finished their regular season with a 12–0 record (7–0 in conference).
[3] The Raiders, seeded fourth in the tournament, defeated UMass, Western Illinois, and Florida Atlantic to reach the final.