- NCAA Division I FCS Consensus Mid-Major Football National Championship
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The NCAA Division I FCS Mid Major National Football Championship was a label that began in 2001 and ended after the 2007 season. Prior to 2001, mid-major National Champions were named by various polls like Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette and the Dopke collegesportsreport.com polls, but no "consensus" champion was named. Beginning with the 2008 season, the Sports Network ceased the mid-major poll and began including the teams previously ranked in the mid-major poll into more serious consideration for the full Division I FCS poll.
Generally, the teams that were ranked in the poll were from three conferences, the Pioneer Football League, the Northeast Conference and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Association (before pulling sponsorship of FCS football after the 2007 season). These conferences were three of six Division I FCS football conferences that did not receive automatic bids to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision championship tournament. (Beginning with the 2010 season, the winner of the Northeast Conference will be awarded an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.)
The Sports Network Cup was awarded annually to the winner. Like the Stanley Cup, the Sports Network Cup was a traveling trophy. It spent the year at the winning school and is passed on to the next winner annually.
The polls that were used to determine the annual champion are the Sports Network (for which the trophy is named), Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette, and the Dopke College Sports Report Polls.
(Notes: A team does not have to be named the national champion by all three polls in order to win the Sports Network Cup. They must only be named so by the Sports Network. Hence, the trophy is named the Sports Network Cup. "Consensus" in this instance then means more in the regard of the Sports Network's authority to name a national champion rather than an agreement by all three major polls.)
Contents
Mid-major national football consensus champions
Year Champion Coach League Record 2001 Sacred Heart Pioneers Jim Fleming Northeast Conference 11–0 2002 Dayton Flyers Mike Kelly Pioneer Football League 11–1 2003 Duquesne Dukes Greg Gattuso Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference 8–3 2004 Monmouth Hawks Kevin Callahan Northeast Conference 10–1 2005 San Diego Toreros Jim Harbaugh Pioneer Football League 10–1 2006 San Diego Toreros Jim Harbaugh Pioneer Football League 11–1 2007 Dayton Flyers Mike Kelly Pioneer Football League 11–1 Previous Sports Network No. 1s
Season Champion Runner-up 1993 Dayton Flyers 27 Iona Gaels 3 1994 St. John's Red Storm 17 Butler Bulldogs 13 1995 Duquesne Dukes 15 Drake Bulldogs 9 1996 Dayton Flyers 27 Duquesne Dukes 3 1997 Georgetown Hoyas 28 Dayton Flyers 3 1998 Robert Morris Colonials 14 Drake Bulldogs 10 1999 Dayton Flyers 14 Robert Morris Colonials 6 2000 Duquesne Dukes 17 Drake Bulldogs 7 2001 Sacred Heart Pioneers 21 Dayton Flyers 7 2002 Dayton Flyers 17 Albany Great Danes 7 2003 Duquesne Dukes 28 Valparaiso Crusaders 3 2004 Monmouth Hawks 19 Drake Bulldogs 5 2005 San Diego Toreros 26 Duquesne Dukes 0 2006 San Diego Toreros 21 Drake Bulldogs 3 2007 Dayton Flyers 30 San Diego Toreros 0 *Note: Score equals the number of first place votes
See also
- College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS
- NCAA Division I Football Championship
- NCAA Division II National Football Championship
- NCAA Division III National Football Championship
- NAIA National Football Championship
- NJCAA National Football Championship
External links
Categories:- College football championships
- Recurring sporting events established in 2001
- 2007 disestablishments
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