2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season

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.[3]

2008 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
DurationAugust 28 – November 22
Payton AwardArmanti Edwards[1]
Buchanan AwardGreg Peach[2]
Playoff
DurationNovember 29 – December 19
Championship dateDecember 19, 2008
Championship siteFinley Stadium
Chattanooga, Tennessee
ChampionRichmond
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons

Rule changes for 2008

The NCAA football rules committee made several rule changes for 2008, and includes the following:[4][5]

  • 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.

In addition to the rules changes, 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.

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.
School2007 Conference2008 Conference
BryantNortheast-10 (D-II)FCS Independent
CampbellNew ProgramPioneer
DuquesneMAACNortheast
IonaMAACFCS Independent
La SalleMAACDropped Program
MaristMAACFCS Independent
North Dakota StateGreat WestMissouri Valley
PresbyterianD-II IndependentBig South
SamfordOhio ValleySouthern
South Dakota StateGreat WestMissouri Valley
Stony BrookFCS IndependentBig South

FCS team wins over FBS teams

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 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  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2008 Colonial Athletic Association football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
North
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
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  
Winston-Salem State *  0 –0     3 –8  
Howard  0 –8     1 –10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • * Not eligible 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  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
Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll
2008 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East
Jackson State x  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
Grambling State x$  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
December 13, 2008
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
2008 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
Savannah State   –     5 –7  
Marist   –     4 –7  
North Carolina Central   –     4 –7  
Iona   –     3 –8  
Winston–Salem State   –     3 –8  
Western Kentucky   –     2 –10  

Conference champions

Automatic berths
ConferenceChampionRecord*
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
ConferenceChampionRecord*
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
ConferenceChampionRecord*
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[6]
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
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
DateLocationVenueWest Div. ChampionEast Div. ChampionResult
December 13 Birmingham, Alabama Legion Field Grambling State Jackson State Grambling State, 41–9[7]

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.

DateLocationVenueNEC ChampionPFL ChampionResult
December 6 Albany, New York University Field Albany Jacksonville Albany, 28–0[8]

Final poll standings

Standings are from The Sports Network final 2008 poll.

Rank[9]TeamRecord
1Richmond Spiders13–3
2Montana Grizzlies14–2
3James Madison Dukes12–2
4Northern Iowa Panthers12–3
5Appalachian State Mountaineers11–3
6Villanova Wildcats10–3
7Weber State Wildcats10–4
8New Hampshire Wildcats10–3
9Wofford Terriers9–3
10Cal Poly Mustangs8–3
11Southern Illinois Salukis9–3
12Central Arkansas Bears10–2
13South Carolina State Bulldogs10–3
14Liberty Flames10–2
15Harvard Crimson9–1
16Colgate Raiders9–3
17Elon Phoenix8–4
18Maine Black Bears8–5
19Eastern Kentucky Colonels8–4
20William & Mary Tribe7–4
21McNeese State Cowboys7–4
22Texas State Bobcats8–5
23Jacksonville State Gamecocks8–3
24Grambling State Tigers11–2
25Prairie View A&M Panthers9–1

References
  1. "Armanti Edwards wins 2008 Walter Payton Award". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 2011-04-04. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
  2. "Greg Peach captures 2008 Buck Buchanan Award". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 2011-04-04. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
  3. Associated Press (2008-12-19). "Richmond cruises to first football title". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
  4. "NCAA Football Rules Committee Proposes Rules to Enhance Student-Athlete Safety and Encourage Consistent Pace of Play" (Press release). NCAA. 2008-02-13. Archived from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved 20 December 2008.
  5. Olin Buchanan (2008-02-13). "More new timing rules among NCAA proposal". Rivals. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
  6. "2008 Playoff Bracket". NCAA. Archived from the original on 27 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  7. Associated Press (2008-12-13). "Grambling St. 41, Jackson St. 9". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
  8. Associated Press (2008-12-06). "Albany, N.Y. 28, Jacksonville 0". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
  9. "Final Sports Network's 2008 FCS College Football Poll". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
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