The 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on August 26, 2017 and ended on December 9, 2017.

The Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs played in the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship. Alabama defeated Georgia in overtime, 26–23.

The UCF Knights also claim a national championship for this season after finishing first in the Colley Matrix poll, and are listed as "Final National Poll Leaders" in the NCAA's official record book (the NCAA reserves the term "National Champion" for the winner of the AP Poll or Coaches Poll).^[3] UCF finished the season as the only undefeated team in NCAA Division I FBS and defeated the Auburn Tigers in the Peach Bowl. Auburn had defeated College Football Playoff national champion Alabama and runner-up Georgia during the season.

Rule changes

Game rules

The following rule changes were recommended by the NCAA Football Rules Committee for the 2017 season:^[4]

• Prohibiting defensive players running toward the line of scrimmage from leaping or hurdling any offensive lineman on field goal or PAT attempts (15 yards). Previously, defensive players were allowed to leap or hurdle offensive linemen as long as they do not land on another player. The NFL also adopted this rule for the 2017 season.
• Requiring players to wear knee pads and pants that cover the knees, repealing a change from the 2011 season that changed this from a requirement to a recommendation. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) also adopted a similar rule.
• Include the nameplate on the back of the jersey in the definition of a "horse-collar tackle".
• Expanded the interpretation of an "unfair act" to include committing intentional fouls designed to manipulate the game clock, which result in unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against each player committing the foul (which count towards their limit of two in the same game before ejection) and resetting of the game clock, similar to a rule change made in the NFL in 2017.

The committee left the current targeting rules unchanged for the 2017 season, despite discussions to modify the rule to eject a player for targeting only if the call is confirmed, not if the call stands due to lack of "indisputable video evidence" to overturn the ruling on the field.

Points of emphasis this season include speeding up games by:

• Promptly starting the second half when the halftime clock reaches 0:00.
• Penalizing coaches 15 yards and unsportsmanlike conduct for stepping onto the field to argue a call.
• Starting the game clock immediately upon spotting the ball after a ball carrier goes out of bounds before the 2:00 mark of each half.

Recruiting rules

• In April 2017, the NCAA Division I Council approved a suite of rule changes affecting the recruiting process. The most significant of these are:^[5]
  • Effective with the 2017–18 school year, a national early signing period for high school players was introduced. The exact timing of the signing period was not set at the date of announcement; it would eventually be set for December (see below).
  • The current limit of 25 new scholarships (or financial aid agreements) per academic year became an absolute limit (with only narrowly defined exceptions). This was seen by media as ending the phenomenon of oversigning.
  • FBS programs may no longer conduct so-called "satellite camps"—i.e., camps or clinics that feature active FBS coaches or football staff members held at locations distant from the school's campus. Effective immediately, FBS coaches may only work at camps for a total of 10 days in June and July, and can only attend camps if they are located on their school's campus, or at an off-campus facility where their program regularly practices or plays home games. Schools were allowed to honor contracts for satellite camps that were signed before January 18, 2017.^[6]
• The following month, the Collegiate Commissioners Association, which controls the letter of intent program, approved the recruiting changes approved by the Division I Council. The early signing period for high schoolers was fixed as the first three days of the midyear signing period for junior college players; in 2017, this window fell on December 20–22.^[7]

Conference realignment

Membership changes

Coastal Carolina was in the second year of its FBS transition. It was counted as an FBS opponent for scheduling purposes, with full FBS membership and bowl eligibility following in the 2018 season.

The UAB football team returned after a two-year absence. The program was shut down by school administrators following the 2014 season but was reinstated less than a year later. UAB resumed its place as a full football-sponsoring member of Conference USA.

Upcoming changes

Idaho and New Mexico State played their final seasons as football members of the Sun Belt Conference. Idaho also played its last season at the FBS level; following the decision of the Sun Belt to not extend its football membership agreements with the two schools after their expirations in 2017, Idaho announced that it would downgrade to FCS and add football to its standing membership in the Big Sky Conference. New Mexico State reverted to FBS Independent status for 2018 and beyond.

Updated stadiums

Two schools opened new stadiums for the 2017 season:

• Colorado State opened Sonny Lubick Field at Colorado State Stadium, now known as Canvas Stadium. The on-campus facility, with a capacity of 41,201, replaced the off-campus Hughes Stadium, which had been home to the Rams since 1968.
• Georgia State moved from the Georgia Dome, which was demolished during the 2017 season, to Georgia State Stadium, now known as Center Parc Stadium. This is the third incarnation of a stadium that opened in 1996 as the Centennial Olympic Stadium, built for the 1996 Summer Olympics. The stadium was planned from the beginning to be retrofitted into a baseball park for the Atlanta Braves, and opened in that form as Turner Field in 1997. After the Braves vacated Turner Field following their 2016 season to move into the venue now known as Truist Park, Georgia State bought Turner Field and adjacent property for a major campus expansion project. In its football form, the stadium had an initial capacity of 24,333 with possible future expansion to 33,000.

Several other schools debuted major improvements to their existing venues for 2017:

• Arizona State is continuing a four-phase renovation of Sun Devil Stadium. The third phase, completed for the 2017 season, includes the addition of a new video board above the north end zone.
• Coastal Carolina made its FBS debut in an expanded Brooks Stadium. The expansion project began immediately after the 2015 season, a few months after Coastal announced it would join the Sun Belt Conference in 2016 for non-football sports and 2017 for football. The venue, which previously held 9,200 people, had a capacity of 15,000 for the 2017 season, and will be further expanded to 20,000 in 2018.^[8]
• West Virginia completed approximately $50 million in renovations to Milan Puskar Stadium. Work on the west and south side gates and concourses, including renovations to concessions, restrooms, and additional space for EMS and police operations, was finished for 2017, mirroring similar work on the north and east sides completed for 2016.
• Louisiana Tech opened a new pressbox and suite complex on the west side of Joe Aillet Stadium which includes new ticketing facilities and restrooms. Also included in the renovations were new LED stadium lighting fixtures.
• Notre Dame debuted the Campus Crossroads project, which added three new 8-story structures on the South, West and East sides of Notre Dame Stadium. The expansion, which added new premium stadium seats on the East and West sides of the stadium, also features more than 750,000 square feet of teaching, research, and performance space.

Two schools announced naming rights deals for their stadiums:

• Kentucky renamed Commonwealth Stadium to Kroger Field per a 12-year naming rights deal with the Cincinnati-based supermarket company. This made UK the first Southeastern Conference school to enter into such a deal for its football stadium.^[9]
• New Mexico renamed University Stadium to Dreamstyle Stadium per a 10-year naming rights deal with Albuquerque-based construction firm Dreamstyle Remodeling.^[10]

Kickoff games

"Week Zero"

A recent rule change allows Hawaii, and teams that have a scheduled game at Hawaii, to play during the "Week Zero" kickoff weekend in late August. This change better accommodates the long-standing "Hawaii rule" that allows schools which travel between Hawaii and the mainland (including schools based in Hawaii) to schedule an extra game each season. Four schools took advantage of the extra week, opening the 2017 FBS season on Saturday, August 26:^[11]

• Hawaii defeated UMass, 38–35^[12]
• BYU defeated FCS opponent Portland State, 20–6^[13]
• USF defeated San Jose State, 42–22^[14]
• Colorado State defeated Oregon State 58–27 in the first game played at the newly opened Canvas Stadium.^[15]
• Stanford and Rice played in Sydney on August 26 (August 27 local time) for the second Sydney Cup,^[16] won by Stanford in a 62–7 blowout.^[17] This was the second straight year a Pac-12 team went to Australia, as California defeated Hawaii in the first Sydney Cup to open the 2016 season.

Week 1

The vast majority of FBS teams opened the season during the official Week 1 (as usual, held the weekend before Labor Day). Additionally, several neutral-site "kickoff weekend" games were held:

• Advocare Classic (AT&T Stadium, Arlington): No. 11 Michigan defeated No. 17 Florida, 33–17, on September 2
• Belk Kickoff Game (Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte): South Carolina defeated North Carolina State, 35–28, on September 2
• Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games
  • No. 1 Alabama defeated No. 3 Florida State, 24–7, at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia) on September 2
  • No. 25 Tennessee defeated Georgia Tech, 42–41 in double overtime, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 4
• Advocare Texas Kickoff (Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans^{[note 1]}): No. 13 LSU shut out BYU, 27–0, on September 2

Regular season top 10 matchups

Rankings reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 10 and beyond will list College Football Playoff Rankings first and AP Poll second. Teams that fail to be a top 10 team for one poll or the other will be noted.

• Week 1
  • No. 1 Alabama defeated No. 3 Florida State 24–7 (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia)
• Week 2
  • No. 5 Oklahoma defeated No. 2 Ohio State 31–16 (Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio)
• Week 9
  • No. 6 Ohio State defeated No. 2 Penn State 39–38 (Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio)
• Week 11
  • No. 5/5 Oklahoma defeated No. 6/8 TCU 38–20 (Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma)
  • No. 7/7 Miami (FL) defeated No. 3/3 Notre Dame 41–8 (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida)
  • No. 10/10 Auburn defeated No. 1/2 Georgia 40–17 (Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama)
• Week 13
  • No. 6/6 Auburn defeated No. 1/1 Alabama 26–14 (Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama)
• Week 14
  • No. 1/1 Clemson defeated No. 7/7 Miami (FL) 38–3 (2017 ACC Championship Game, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina)
  • No. 3/2 Oklahoma defeated No. 11/10 TCU 41–17 (2017 Big 12 Championship Game, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas)
  • No. 6/6 Georgia defeated No. 2/4 Auburn 28–7 (2017 SEC Championship Game, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia)
  • No. 8/8 Ohio State defeated No. 4/3 Wisconsin 27–21 (2017 Big Ten Championship Game, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana)

Conference standings

Conference summaries

Through the 2015 season, conferences were required to have a minimum of 12 football members to play a conference championship game outside of the NCAA limit of 12 regular-season games. The NCAA removed this requirement effective with the 2016 season.^[18] At that time, all FBS conferences except the Big 12 and Sun Belt Conferences held championship games for football. The Big 12 reinstated its championship game for the 2017 season, while the Sun Belt determined its 2017 football champion solely by regular-season records before launching a championship game starting in 2018.

Rankings reflect the Week 14 AP Poll before the conference championship games were played.

Power 5 Conferences

Group of Five Conferences

^CFP College Football Playoff participant

Postseason

Bowl selections

There were 39 post-season bowl games, with two teams advancing to a 40th – the CFP National Championship game. Normally, a team is required to have a .500 minimum winning percentage during the regular season to become bowl eligible. If there are not enough winning teams to fulfill all open bowl slots, teams with losing records may be chosen to fill all 78 bowl slots. Additionally, on the rare occasion in which a conference champion does not meet eligibility requirements, they are usually still chosen for bowl games via tie-ins for their conference. For the 2017 season, no team with a losing record was chosen for a bowl game. Three bowl-eligible teams, including one with a winning record, were denied bowl bids.

Bowl eligible teams

• American Athletic Conference (7): Houston, Memphis, Navy, South Florida, SMU, Temple, UCF
• Atlantic Coast Conference (10): Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
• Big 12 Conference (8): Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, TCU, West Virginia
• Big Ten Conference (8): Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
• Conference USA (10): Florida Atlantic, FIU, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Southern Miss, UAB, Western Kentucky, UTSA*
• Independents (2): Army, Notre Dame
• Mid-American Conference (7): Akron, Buffalo*, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan*
• Mountain West Conference (6): Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State, Wyoming
• Pac-12 Conference (9): Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State
• Southeastern Conference (9): Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas A&M
• Sun Belt Conference (5): Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia State, New Mexico State, Troy

An asterisk (*) indicates the team did not receive a bowl bid.

Number of bowl berths available: 78

Number of bowl-eligible teams: 81

As there were more bowl-eligible teams than berths available, three bowl-eligible teams did not receive an invitation:

• Buffalo (6–6)
• UTSA (6–5)
• Western Michigan (6–6)

Bowl ineligible teams

• The American (5): Cincinnati, UConn, East Carolina, Tulane, Tulsa
• ACC (4): North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Syracuse
• Big Ten (6): Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rutgers
• Big 12 (2): Baylor, Kansas
• Conference USA (4): Charlotte, Old Dominion, Rice, UTEP
• Independent (2): BYU, UMass
• MAC (5): Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH)
• Mountain West (6): Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV
• Pac-12 (3): California, Colorado, Oregon State
• SEC (5): Arkansas, Ole Miss*, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida
• Sun Belt (7): Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Idaho, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana–Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State

Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 49

* Ole Miss, who finished their regular season with a 6–6 record, is under a self-imposed two-year bowl ban that applies for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

College Football Playoff

Since the 2014–15 postseason, six College Football Playoff (CFP) bowl games have hosted two semifinal playoff games on a rotating basis. For this season, the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl hosted the semifinal games, with the winners advancing to the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Conference performance in bowl games

Rankings

College Football Playoff

Final rankings

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes taking place on or after May 1, 2017. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2017, see 2016 NCAA Division I FBS end-of-season coaching changes.

End of season

This list includes coaching changes announced during the season that did not take effect until the end of the season.

Awards and honors

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player.

• Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
• Bryce Love, RB, Stanford
• Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma

Other overall

• Archie Griffin Award (MVP): McKenzie Milton, QB, UCF
• AP Player of the Year: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
• Chic Harley Award (Player of the Year): Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
• Maxwell Award (top player): Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
• SN Player of the Year: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
• Walter Camp Award (top player): Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma

Special overall

• Burlsworth Trophy (top player who began as walk-on):
  • Luke Falk, QB, Washington State
  • Troy Fumagalli, TE, Wisconsin
  • Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
  • Anthony Miller, WR, Memphis
• Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player): Saquon Barkley, RB/RS, Penn State
• KCU Top NCAA Canadian Award (inaugural award): Nathan Rourke, QB, Ohio
• Campbell Trophy ("academic Heisman"):
  • Sam Benger, Carnegie Mellon (D-III)
  • Braxton Berrios, Miami
  • Mason Hampton, Boise State
  • Justin Jackson, Northwestern
  • Micah Kiser, Virginia
  • Justin Lea, Jacksonville State (FCS)
  • Brad Lundblade, Oklahoma State
  • Marcus Martin, Slippery Rock (D-II)
  • Chandon Sullivan, Georgia State
  • Blaise Taylor, Arkansas State
  • Marlon Walls, Stephen F. Austin (FCS)
  • Chris Weber, Nebraska
  • Jake Wieneke, South Dakota State (FCS)
• Wuerffel Trophy (humanitarian-athlete):
  • Blaise Taylor, Arkansas State
  • Courtney Love, Kentucky
  • Drue Tranquill, Notre Dame
• Senior CLASS Award (senior student-athlete):
  • J. T. Barrett, QB, Ohio State
  • Daniel Carlson, K, Auburn
  • Shaquem Griffin, LB, UCF
  • Josey Jewell, LB, Iowa
  • Micah Kiser, LB, Virginia
  • Billy Price, C, Ohio State
  • Frank Ragnow, C, Arkansas
  • J. K. Scott, P, Alabama
  • Johnny Townsend, P, Florida
  • Logan Woodside, QB, Toledo

Offense

Quarterback

• Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback):
  • J. T. Barrett, Ohio State
  • Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
  • Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
• Johnny Unitas Award (senior/4th year quarterback):
  • J.T. Barrett, Ohio State
  • Ryan Finley, NC State
  • Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
  • Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
• Manning Award (quarterback):
  • J. T. Barrett, Ohio State
  • Kelly Bryant, Clemson
  • Sam Darnold, USC
  • Jalen Hurts, Alabama
  • Lamar Jackson, Louisville
  • Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
  • Trace McSorley, Penn State
  • McKenzie Milton, UCF
  • Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
  • Jarrett Stidham, Auburn
  • Khalil Tate, Arizona
• Sammy Baugh Trophy (passing quarterback):
  • Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State

Running back

• Doak Walker Award (running back): Finalists:
  • Saquon Barkley, Penn State
  • Bryce Love, Stanford
  • Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin

Wide receiver

• Fred Biletnikoff Award (wide receiver):
  • Michael Gallup, Colorado State
  • David Sills V, West Virginia
  • James Washington, Oklahoma State

Tight end

• John Mackey Award (tight end):
  • Mark Andrews, Oklahoma
  • Troy Fumagalli, Wisconsin
  • Mike Gesicki, Penn State

Lineman

• Dave Rimington Trophy (center): Billy Price, Ohio State
• Joe Moore Award (offensive line): Notre Dame

Defense

• Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player):
  • Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State
  • Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama
  • Josey Jewell, LB, Iowa
  • Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
  • Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
• Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player):
  • Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State
  • Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama
  • Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
• Lott Trophy (defensive impact): Josey Jewell, LB, Iowa

Defensive line

• Bill Willis Award (defensive lineman): Christian Wilkins, Clemson
• Dick Butkus Award (linebacker):
  • Devin Bush Jr., Michigan
  • Tremaine Edmunds, Virginia Tech
  • T. J. Edwards, Wisconsin
  • Dorian O'Daniel, Clemson
  • Roquan Smith, Georgia
• Jack Lambert Trophy (linebacker): Josey Jewell, Iowa
• Ted Hendricks Award (defensive end): Bradley Chubb, NC State

Defensive back

• Paycom Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back):
  • DeShon Elliott, Texas
  • Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
  • Josh Jackson, Iowa
• Jack Tatum Trophy (defensive back): Josh Jackson, Iowa

Special teams

• Lou Groza Award (placekicker):
  • Daniel Carlson, Auburn
  • Dominik Eberle, Utah State
  • Matt Gay, Utah
• Ray Guy Award (punter):
  • Michael Dickson, Texas
  • J. K. Scott, Alabama
  • Mitch Wishnowsky, Utah
• Jet Award (return specialist): Dante Pettis, Washington
• Peter Mortell Award (holder):
  • Mac Loudermilk (UCF)
  • Connor McGinnis (Oklahoma)
  • Montgomery VanGorder (Notre Dame)

Other positional awards

• Outland Trophy (interior lineman on either offense or defense):
  • Orlando Brown, Oklahoma
  • Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame
  • Ed Oliver, Houston

Coaches

• AFCA Coach of the Year: Scott Frost, UCF
• AP Coach of the Year:
  • Scott Frost, UCF
  • Kirby Smart, Georgia
  • Dabo Swinney, Clemson
• Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year: Scott Frost, UCF
• Home Depot Coach of the Year: Scott Frost, UCF
• Paul "Bear" Bryant Award: Scott Frost, UCF
• Sporting News Coach of the Year: Kirby Smart, Georgia
• Walter Camp Coach of the Year: Mark Richt, Miami (FL)

Assistants

• AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year: Van Malone, SMU
• Broyles Award: Tony Elliott, Clemson

All-Americans

Television viewers and ratings

Most watched regular season games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the AP Poll before (10/31) and the CFP Rankings thereafter.

Conference championship games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the CFP Rankings.

College Football Playoff

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the CFP Rankings.