| Year Game Played: | 2017 |
| Game Name: | NCAA Division I Football Championship |
| Subheader: | FCS National Championship Game |
| Visitor Name Short: | Youngstown State |
| Visitor Nickname: | Penguins |
| Home Nickname: | Dukes |
| Visitor School: | Youngstown State University |
| Home Name Short: | James Madison |
| Football Season: | 2016 |
| Home School: | James Madison Dukes |
| Visitor Record: | 12–3 |
| Home Record: | 13–1 |
| Visitor Conference: | MVFC |
| Home Conference: | CAA |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Home 1Q: | 14 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 7 |
| Home 2Q: | 7 |
| Home 3Q: | 7 |
| Home 4Q: | 0 |
| Visitor Coach: | Bo Pelini |
| Home Coach: | Mike Houston |
| Visitor Rank Stats: | 13 |
| Visitor Seed: | — |
| Home Rank Stats: | 5 |
| Home Seed: | 4 |
| Date Game Played: | January 7 |
| Stadium: | Toyota Stadium |
| City: | Frisco, Texas |
| Mvp: | Khalid Abdullah (RB, James Madison)[1] |
| Odds: | James Madison by 9[2] |
| Referee: | Marshall Lewis (Sun Belt)[3] |
| Attendance: | 14,423 |
| Us Network: | ESPN2 |
| Us Announcers: | Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Ahmad D. Brooks (color), Quint Kessenich (sideline)[4] |
| Different Previous: | 2016 |
| Different Next: | 2018 |
The 2017 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision for the 2016 season. It was played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on January 7, 2017, with kickoff at 12:00 noon EST, and was the culminating game of the 2016 FCS Playoffs. With sponsorship from Northwestern Mutual, the game was officially known as the NCAA FCS Football Championship Presented by Northwestern Mutual.
The participants of the 2017 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game were the finalists of the 2016 FCS Playoffs, which began with a 24-team bracket. No. 4 seed James Madison and unseeded Youngstown State qualified for the final by winning their semifinal games. James Madison was the designated home team for the final game.
See main article: 2016 Youngstown State Penguins football team. Youngstown State finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (6–2 in conference). In the FCS playoffs, they defeated Samford, Jacksonville State, Wofford, and second-seeded Eastern Washington to reach the finals. The Penguins entered the championship game with a 4–2 record in prior FCS/Division I-AA finals, contested during the 1991 through 1999 seasons.
See main article: 2016 James Madison Dukes football team. James Madison finished their regular season with a 10–1 record (8–0 in conference). Their only loss was to North Carolina of the FBS, 56–28. In the FCS playoffs, they defeated New Hampshire, Sam Houston State, and top-seeded North Dakota State to reach the finals. The Dukes entered the championship game with a 1–0 record in prior FCS/Division I-AA finals, having defeated Montana for the 2004 season title.