1997 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team

1997 South Carolina State Bulldogs football
Heritage Bowl, L 28–34 vs. Southern
ConferenceMid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Ranking
Sports NetworkNo. 22
Record9–3 (5–2 MEAC)
Head coach
Home stadiumOliver C. Dawson Stadium
1997 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 9 Hampton $^   7 0     10 2  
No. 22 South Carolina State   5 2     9 2  
No. 10 Florida A&M ^   5 2     9 3  
Howard   4 3     7 4  
North Carolina A&T   3 4     7 4  
Morgan State   2 5     3 7  
Bethune–Cookman   1 6     4 7  
Delaware State   1 6     3 8  
Norfolk State   0 0     3 7  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
  • Norfolk State games did not count as conference games.
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 1997 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team represented South Carolina State University as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by 15th-year head coach Willie Jeffries, the Bulldogs compiled an overall record of 9–3, with a mark of 5–2 in conference play, and finished tied for second in the MEAC. In the postseason, the Bulldogs lost to Southern in the Heritage Bowl.