2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season

2008 NCAA Division I FCS season
Logo for the 2008 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game
Duration	August 28 – November 22
Playoff
Duration	November 29 – December 19
Championship site	Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, TN
Champion	Richmond Spiders
Payton Award	Armanti Edwards
Buchanan Award	Greg Peach
Division I FCS football season
«2007 2009»

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

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.

Conference and program changes

• The Gateway Football Conference changed its name to its now-current name, Missouri Valley Football Conference.
• Following the 2007 season, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference was forced to drop its football sponsorship after La Salle dropped its program. The two remaining teams, Iona and Marist, were forced to become independents. Iona would eventually drop its own program at the end of the 2008 season.

School	2007 Conference	2008 Conference
Bryant	Northeast-10 (D-II)	FCS Independent
Campbell	New Program	Pioneer
Duquesne	MAAC	Northeast
Iona	MAAC	FCS Independent
La Salle	MAAC	Dropped Program
Marist	MAAC	FCS Independent
North Dakota State	Great West	Missouri Valley
Presbyterian	D-II Independent	Big South
Samford	Ohio Valley	Southern
South Dakota State	Great West	Missouri Valley
Stony Brook	FCS Independent	Big South

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 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 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 23, Iona 12 (Division III over Division I FCS non-scholarship)

Conference standings

2008 Big Sky football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #2 Montana $^   7 – 1         14 – 2   #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 FCS Poll	2008 Big South football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #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   $ – Conference champion Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2008 CAA football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   North #8 New Hampshire x^   6 – 2         10 – 3   #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 #3 James Madison x$^   8 – 0         12 – 2   #6 Villanova ^   7 – 1         10 – 3   #1 Richmond ^   6 – 2         13 – 3   #20 William & Mary   5 – 3         7 – 4   Delaware   2 – 6         4 – 8   Towson   1 – 7         3 – 9   x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll
2008 Great West football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #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 FCS Poll	2008 Ivy League football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #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 champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2008 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   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   Winston-Salem State*   0 – 0         3 – 8   Howard   0 – 8         1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * Not eligible for conference championship Rankings from AP Poll
2008 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #4 Northern Iowa $^   7 – 1         12 – 3   #11 [[{{{school}}}|Southern Illinois]] ^   7 – 1         9 – 3   [[{{{school}}}|South Dakota State]]   6 – 2         7 – 5   [[{{{school}}}|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   [[{{{school}}}|Illinois State]]   2 – 6         3 – 8   [[{{{school}}}|Indiana State]]   0 – 8         0 – 12   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS 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   0 – 7         0 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2008 Ohio Valley football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #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 FCS Poll
2008 Patriot League football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #16 [[{{{school}}}|Colgate]] $^   5 – 0         9 – 3   [[{{{school}}}|Holy Cross]]   5 – 1         7 – 4   [[{{{school}}}|Lehigh]]   4 – 2         5 – 6   Lafayette   3 – 3         7 – 4   [[{{{school}}}|Bucknell]]   2 – 4         5 – 6   [[{{{school}}}|Fordham]]   1 – 5         5 – 6   [[{{{school}}}|Georgetown]]   0 – 5         2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS 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 ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2008 Southern Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #5 Appalachian State $^   8 – 0         11 – 3   #9 [[{{{school}}}|Wofford]] ^   7 – 1         9 – 3   #17 [[{{{school}}}|Elon]]   6 – 2         8 – 4   [[{{{school}}}|Furman]]   4 – 4         7 – 5   [[{{{school}}}|Samford]]   4 – 4         6 – 5   Georgia Southern   4 – 4         6 – 5   The Citadel   2 – 6         4 – 8   [[{{{school}}}|Western Carolina]]   1 – 7         3 – 9   [[{{{school}}}|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   #12 Central Arkansas $   6 – 1         10 – 2   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 Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	Template:2008 SWAC football standings	Template:2008 Division I FCS independent football standings

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 FCS 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
		[[{{{school}}}|Wofford]]	35
	1	James Madison*	38
						1	James Madison*	31
							Villanova	27
	[[{{{school}}}|Colgate]]		28
	[[{{{school}}}|Villanova]]*		55
											1	James Madison*	27
											4	Montana	35
		[[{{{school}}}|Texas State]]	13
	4	Montana*	31
						4	Montana*	24
							Weber State	13
	Weber State		49
	Cal Poly*		35
																4	Montana	7
																	Richmond	24
		South Carolina State	21
	2	Appalachian State*	37
						2	Appalachian State*	13
							Richmond	33
	[[{{{school}}}|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
	[[{{{school}}}|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	[[{{{school}}}|Villanova Wildcats]]	10–3
7	Weber State Wildcats	10–4
8	New Hampshire Wildcats	10–3
9	[[{{{school}}}|Wofford Terriers]]	9–3
10	Cal Poly Mustangs	8–3
11	[[{{{school}}}|Southern Illinois Salukis]]	9–3
12	[[{{{school}}}|Central Arkansas Bears]]	10–2
13	South Carolina State Bulldogs	10–3
14	Liberty Flames	10–2
15	Harvard Crimson	9–1
16	[[{{{school}}}|Colgate Raiders]]	9–3
17	[[{{{school}}}|Elon Phoenix]]	8–4
18	Maine Black Bears	8–5
19	[[{{{school}}}|Eastern Kentucky Colonels]]	8–4
20	William & Mary Tribe	7–4
21	[[{{{school}}}|McNeese State Cowboys]]	7–4
22	[[{{{school}}}|Texas State Bobcats]]	8–5
23	Jacksonville State Gamecocks	8–3
24	[[{{{school}}}|Grambling State Tigers]]	11–2
25	[[{{{school}}}|Prairie View A&M Panthers]]	9–1

See also

• 2008 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team
• 2008 Bryant Bulldogs football team
• 2008 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team
• 2008 Delaware State Hornets football team
• 2008 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team
• 2008 Montana Grizzlies football team
• 2008 Montana State Bobcats football team

• 2008 Morgan State Bears football team
• 2008 North Dakota State Bison football team
• 2008 Northern Iowa Panthers football team
• 2008 Penn Quakers football team
• 2008 Richmond Spiders football team
• 2008 Savannah State Tigers football team
• 2008 William & Mary Tribe football team