2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season

2008 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
Number of teams	125
Duration	August 28 – November 22
Payton Award	Armanti Edwards
Buchanan Award	Greg Peach
Playoff
Duration	November 29 – December 19
Championship date	December 19, 2008
Championship site	Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee
Champion	Richmond
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons
«2007 2009»

The 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season, the 2008 season of college football for teams in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), began on August 28, 2008, and concluded on December 19, 2008, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the 2008 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game, where the Richmond Spiders defeated the Montana Grizzlies to win the NCAA Division I Football Championship.

This was the first season in which a standard provision of NCAA rules allowed FCS teams to schedule 12 regular-season games (not counting conference championship games). In years when the period starting with the Thursday before Labor Day and ending with the final Saturday in November contains 14 Saturdays, FCS programs may play 12 games instead of the regular 11.

FCS team wins over FBS teams

August 30 – Cal Poly 29, San Diego State 27
September 6 – New Hampshire 28, Army 10

Notable upsets

• August 30 – Arkansas–Monticello 21, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 0 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• August 31 – Fayetteville State 33, North Carolina Central 22 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• September 4 – St. Francis (IL) 21, Valparaiso 0 (NAIA over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 4 – Washburn 35, Missouri State 27 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• September 5 – Stonehill 14, Wagner 13 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• September 6 – Methodist 32, Campbell 21 (Division III over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 6 – UNC Pembroke 21, Davidson 9 (Division II over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 6 – Henderson State 34, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 0 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• September 13 – Franklin (IN) 31, Butler 28 (Division III over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 20 – UNC Pembroke 22, Jacksonville 21 (Division II over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 20 – Marian (IN) 13, Valparaiso 10 (NAIA over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• October 4 – Tuskegee 34, Alabama A&M 24 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• October 11 – Wesley (DE) 23, Iona 12 (Division III over Division I FCS non-scholarship)

Conference changes and new programs

• The Gateway Football Conference adopted its present-day name, Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC).
• Following the 2007 season, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference dropped its football sponsorship.

School	2007 Conference	2008 Conference
Bryant	Northeast-10 (D-II)	FCS Independent
Campbell	New Program	Pioneer
Duquesne	MAAC	NEC
Iona		FCS Independent
La Salle		Dropped Program
Marist		FCS Independent
North Carolina Central	D-II Independent
North Dakota	North Central (D-II)	Great West (FCS)
North Dakota State	Great West	MVFC
Presbyterian	FCS Independent	Big South
Samford	Ohio Valley	SoCon
South Dakota	North Central (D-II)	Great West (FCS)
South Dakota State	Great West	MVFC
Stony Brook	FCS Independent	Big South
Western Kentucky		FBS Independent

Conference standings

2008 Big Sky Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Montana $^   7 – 1     14 – 2   No. 7 Weber State $^   7 – 1     10 – 4   Montana State   5 – 3     7 – 5   Eastern Washington   5 – 3     6 – 5   Northern Arizona   4 – 4     6 – 5   Sacramento State   3 – 5     6 – 6   Portland State   3 – 5     4 – 7   Northern Colorado   1 – 7     1 – 10   Idaho State   1 – 7     1 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2008 Big South Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 14 Liberty $   5 – 0     10 – 2   Stony Brook   3 – 2     5 – 6   Charleston Southern   3 – 2     7 – 5   Gardner–Webb   2 – 3     5 – 6   Coastal Carolina   1 – 4     6 – 6   VMI   1 – 4     4 – 7   Presbyterian   1 – 4     4 – 8   $ – Conference champion Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2008 Colonial Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   North Division No. 8 New Hampshire x^   6 – 2     10 – 3   No. 18 Maine ^   5 – 3     8 – 5   UMass   4 – 4     7 – 5   Hofstra   2 – 6     4 – 8   Rhode Island   1 – 7     3 – 9   Northeastern   1 – 7     2 – 10   South Division No. 3 James Madison x$^   8 – 0     12 – 2   No. 6 Villanova ^   7 – 1     10 – 3   No. 1 Richmond ^   6 – 2     13 – 3   No. 20 William & Mary   5 – 3     7 – 4   Delaware   2 – 6     4 – 8   Towson   1 – 7     3 – 9   $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2008 Great West Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 10 Cal Poly $^   3 – 0     8 – 3   UC Davis   2 – 1     5 – 7   North Dakota   1 – 2     6 – 4   South Dakota   1 – 2     6 – 5   Southern Utah   1 – 3     4 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2008 Ivy League football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 15 Harvard +   6 – 1     9 – 1   Brown +   6 – 1     7 – 3   Penn   5 – 2     6 – 4   Yale   4 – 3     6 – 4   Princeton   3 – 4     4 – 6   Cornell   2 – 5     4 – 6   Columbia   2 – 5     2 – 8   Dartmouth   0 – 7     0 – 10   + – Conference co-champions Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2008 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 13 South Carolina State $^   8 – 0     10 – 2   Florida A&M   5 – 3     9 – 3   Bethune–Cookman   5 – 3     8 – 3   Hampton   5 – 3     6 – 5   Delaware State   5 – 3     5 – 6   Morgan State   4 – 4     6 – 6   Norfolk State   3 – 5     5 – 7   North Carolina A&T   1 – 7     3 – 9   Howard   0 – 8     1 – 10   Winston-Salem State *   0 – 0     3 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – Ineligible for conference championship Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2008 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 4 Northern Iowa +^   7 – 1     12 – 3   No. 11 Southern Illinois +^   7 – 1     9 – 3   South Dakota State   6 – 2     7 – 5   Western Illinois   4 – 4     6 – 5   North Dakota State   4 – 4     6 – 5   Missouri State   3 – 5     4 – 7   Youngstown State   3 – 5     4 – 8   Illinois State   2 – 6     3 – 8   Indiana State   0 – 8     0 – 12   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2008 Northeast Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Albany $   7 – 0     9 – 3   Monmouth   6 – 1     7 – 5   Sacred Heart   4 – 3     8 – 3   Central Connecticut State   4 – 3     7 – 4   Robert Morris   4 – 3     5 – 6   Duquesne   2 – 5     3 – 7   Wagner   1 – 6     3 – 8   Saint Francis (PA)   0 – 7     0 – 11   $ – Conference champion	2008 Ohio Valley Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 19 Eastern Kentucky $^   7 – 1     8 – 4   Jacksonville State   6 – 2     8 – 3   Tennessee–Martin   6 – 2     8 – 4   Tennessee State   5 – 3     8 – 4   Murray State   4 – 4     5 – 7   Eastern Illinois   3 – 5     5 – 7   Southeast Missouri State   2 – 6     4 – 8   Austin Peay   2 – 6     2 – 9   Tennessee Tech   1 – 7     3 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2008 Patriot League football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 16 Colgate $^   5 – 0     9 – 3   Holy Cross   5 – 1     7 – 4   Lehigh   4 – 2     5 – 6   Lafayette   3 – 3     7 – 4   Bucknell   2 – 4     5 – 6   Fordham   1 – 5     5 – 6   Georgetown   0 – 5     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2008 Pioneer Football League standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Jacksonville $   7 – 1     9 – 4   San Diego   6 – 2     9 – 2   Dayton   6 – 2     9 – 3   Butler   4 – 4     6 – 5   Drake   4 – 4     6 – 5   Morehead State   4 – 4     6 – 6   Davidson   3 – 5     4 – 7   Valparaiso   2 – 6     3 – 8   Campbell   0 – 8     1 – 10   $ – Conference champion	2008 Southern Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 5 Appalachian State $^   8 – 0     11 – 3   No. 9 Wofford ^   7 – 1     9 – 3   No. 17 Elon   6 – 2     8 – 4   Furman   4 – 4     7 – 5   Samford   4 – 4     6 – 5   Georgia Southern   4 – 4     6 – 5   The Citadel   2 – 6     4 – 8   Western Carolina   1 – 7     3 – 9   Chattanooga   0 – 8     1 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll
2008 Southland Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 12 Central Arkansas* $   6 – 1     10 – 2   No. 22 Texas State ^   5 – 2     8 – 5   McNeese State   4 – 3     7 – 3   Northwestern State   4 – 3     7 – 5   Nicholls State   3 – 4     3 – 6   Southeastern Louisiana   2 – 5     5 – 7   Sam Houston State   2 – 5     4 – 6   Stephen F. Austin   2 – 5     4 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – Ineligible for postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2008 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   East Division Jackson State xy   6 – 1     7 – 5   Alabama A&M   4 – 3     5 – 7   Alabama State   2 – 5     3 – 8   Mississippi Valley State   1 – 6     3 – 8   Alcorn State   1 – 6     2 – 10   West Division Grambling State xy$   7 – 0     11 – 2   Prairie View A&M   6 – 1     9 – 1   Southern   5 – 2     6 – 5   Arkansas–Pine Bluff   2 – 5     3 – 9   Texas Southern   1 – 6     4 – 8   Championship: Grambling State 41, Jackson State 9 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant	2008 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Bryant   –     7 – 4   Savannah State   –     5 – 7   Marist   –     4 – 7   North Carolina Central   –     4 – 7   Iona   –     3 – 8

Conference champions

Automatic berths

Conference	Champion	Record*
Big Sky Conference	Montana	11–0, 8–0
Colonial Athletic Association	James Madison	10–1, 8–0
Missouri Valley Football Conference	Southern Illinois	9–2, 7–1
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference	South Carolina State	10–2, 8–0
Ohio Valley Conference	Eastern Kentucky	8–3, 7–1
Patriot League	Colgate	9–2, 5–0
Southern Conference	Appalachian State	10–2, 8–0
Southland Conference	Texas State	8–4, 5–2

Invitation

Conference	Champion	Record*
Great West Conference	Cal Poly	8–2, 3–0
Big South Conference	Liberty	10–2, 5–0
Northeast Conference	Albany	8–3, 7–0
Pioneer Football League	Jacksonville	9–3, 7–1

Abstains

Conference	Champion	Record*
Ivy League	Brown	7–3, 6–1
Southwestern Athletic Conference	Grambling State	11–2, 7–0

*Overall record, Conference record

Postseason

NCAA Division I playoff bracket

	First Round November 29 Campus sites					Quarterfinals December 6 Campus sites					Semifinals December 12 and December 13 Campus sites					National Championship Game December 19 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee
		Wofford	35
	1	James Madison*	38
						1	James Madison*	31
							Villanova	27
	Colgate		28
	Villanova*		55
											1	James Madison*	27
											4	Montana	35
		Texas State	13
	4	Montana*	31
						4	Montana*	24
							Weber State	13
	Weber State		49
	Cal Poly*		35
																4	Montana	7
																7	Richmond	24
		South Carolina State	21
	2	Appalachian State*	37
						2	Appalachian State*	13
							Richmond	33
	Eastern Kentucky		10
	Richmond*		38
												Richmond	21
											3	Northern Iowa*	20
		Maine	15
	3	Northern Iowa*	40
						3	Northern Iowa*	36
							New Hampshire	34
	New Hampshire		29
	Southern Illinois*		20

* Host institution

SWAC Championship Game

Date	Location	Venue	West Div. Champion	East Div. Champion	Result
December 13	Birmingham, Alabama	Legion Field	Grambling State	Jackson State	Grambling State, 41–9

Gridiron Classic

The Gridiron Classic is an annual game between the champions of the Northeast Conference and the Pioneer Football League that has been held since December 2006.

Date	Location	Venue	NEC Champion	PFL Champion	Result
December 6	Albany, New York	University Field	Albany	Jacksonville	Albany, 28–0

Final poll standings

Standings are from The Sports Network final 2008 poll.

Rank	Team	Record
1	Richmond Spiders	13–3
2	Montana Grizzlies	14–2
3	James Madison Dukes	12–2
4	Northern Iowa Panthers	12–3
5	Appalachian State Mountaineers	11–3
6	Villanova Wildcats	10–3
7	Weber State Wildcats	10–4
8	New Hampshire Wildcats	10–3
9	Wofford Terriers	9–3
10	Cal Poly Mustangs	8–3
11	Southern Illinois Salukis	9–3
12	Central Arkansas Bears	10–2
13	South Carolina State Bulldogs	10–3
14	Liberty Flames	10–2
15	Harvard Crimson	9–1
16	Colgate Raiders	9–3
17	Elon Phoenix	8–4
18	Maine Black Bears	8–5
19	Eastern Kentucky Colonels	8–4
20	William & Mary Tribe	7–4
21	McNeese State Cowboys	7–4
22	Texas State Bobcats	8–5
23	Jacksonville State Gamecocks	8–3
24	Grambling State Tigers	11–2
25	Prairie View A&M Panthers	9–1

Rule changes for 2008

The NCAA football rules committee made several rule changes for 2008, and includes the following:

• The 25-second play clock was replaced by a 40-second version similar to one that was used in the NFL until 2005.
• The penalty for kicking the ball out of bounds on the kickoff is increased, placing the ball at the 40-yard line, similar to the NFL.
• All face-mask penalties result in a 15-yard penalty. Incidental contact with the face mask is no longer penalized.
• All horse-collar tackles are now subject to a 15-yard penalty.
• If a coach challenges a play and they win the challenge, they are given a second challenge to use later in the game, and each coach has a maximum of two challenges per game even if both are decided in their favor.