Pre-Season 1997 Sagarin Football Rankings
| RANK | CONFERENCE | DIVISION | RATING | TEAMS |
| 1 | BIG TEN | A | 82.47 | 11 |
| 2 | BIG 12 | A | 79.73 | 12 |
| 3 | SOUTHEASTERN | A | 79.54 | 12 |
| 4 | PACIFIC-10 | A | 79.51 | 10 |
| 5 | ATLANTIC COAST | A | 75.64 | 9 |
| 6 | BIG EAST | A | 74.66 | 8 |
| 7 | CONFERENCE USA | A | 71.31 | 7 |
| 8 | WESTERN ATHLETIC | A | 66.8 | 16 |
| 9 | I-A INDEPENDENTS | A | 62.38 | 9 |
| 10 | MID-AMERICAN | A | 57.75 | 12 |
| 11 | BIG WEST | A | 57.22 | 6 |
| 12 | BIG SKY | AA | 51.51 | 9 |
| 13 | ATLANTIC 10 | AA | 50.01 | 12 |
| 14 | GATEWAY | AA | 49.38 | 7 |
| 15 | SOUTHLAND | AA | 49.05 | 8 |
| 16 | SOUTHERN | AA | 46.95 | 9 |
| 17 | OHIO VALLEY | AA | 40.77 | 8 |
| 18 | IVY LEAGUE | AA | 37.79 | 8 |
| 19 | I-AA INDEPENDENTS | AA | 34.33 | 13 |
| 20 | MID-EASTERN | AA | 33.82 | 9 |
| 21 | SOUTHWESTERN | AA | 33.23 | 9 |
| 22 | PATRIOT LEAGUE | AA | 30.92 | 7 |
| 23 | PIONEER | AA | 12.38 | 6 |
| 24 | NORTHEAST | AA | -0.53 | 5 |
| 25 | METRO ATLANTIC | AA | -12.42 | 10 |