2003 marked the end of several programs from several different conferences while the usual conference skipping was also in effect.
2003 I-AA (FCS) Over I-A (FBS) Victories (10)
- Florida Atlantic @ Middle Tennessee, 20-19
- Western Illinois @ Eastern Michigan, 34-12
- Cal Poly @ UTEP, 34-13
- Eastern Washington @ Idaho, 8-5
- Stephen F. Austin @ Louisiana-Monroe, 23-21
- Villanova @ Temple, 23-20
- Colgate @ Buffalo, 38-15
- Northwestern State @ Louisiana-Monroe, 14-10
- Idaho @ Montana, 41-28
- Delaware @ Navy, 21-17
Playoff Bracket, Notes, and National Champion
The I-AA playoff format remained the same for the third straight season with the seeding of only the top four teams and the use of campus sites through the semifinals. The National Championship was played on December 19 at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the seventh season in a row.
The home team is listed on the bottom of each matchup in the bracket below while an asterisk (*) denotes the number of overtime periods played if a game went to overtime. Delaware (15-1 Overall, 8-1 Atlantic 10 Conference) won their first I-AA title in their second appearance after losing the 1982 Championship game. The Blue Hens shut out Colgate (15-1 Overall, 7-0 Patriot League) 40-0.
Conference Changes
There were no conference changes in effect for the 2003 season.
Team Changes
Four teams decided to end their football programs. The trio from the MAAC consisting of Canisius, Fairfield, and Saint John’s (NY) all dropped their programs after the 2002 season. Morris Brown was in the middle of a transition to the I-AA level, but they too decided to cut the football program.
Coastal Carolina started a new program and immediately joined the Big South Conference. Southeastern Louisiana decided to restart its program after having last played in 1985. They were I-AA independent upon their return.
Elon and VMI both swapped conferences with Elon going from the Big South to the Southern Conference while VMI did the opposite. Two teams joined the Ohio Valley Conference: Jacksonville State from the Southland Conference and Samford (previously I-AA independent).
| Team | Old Conference | New Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Canisius | MAAC (I-AA) | Dropped Fooball |
| Coastal Carolina | New Program | Big South (I-AA) |
| Elon | Big South (I-AA) | Southern (I-AA) |
| Fairfield | MAAC (I-AA) | Dropped Fooball |
| Jacksonville State | Southland (I-AA) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
| Morris Brown | I-AA Independent | Dropped Fooball |
| Saint John’s (NY) | MAAC (I-AA) | Dropped Fooball |
| Samford | I-AA Independent | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Restarted Program | I-AA Independent |
| VMI | Southern (I-AA) | Big South (I-AA) |
2002 Season ———————————————————————————————————————————————————- 2004 Season