2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season

2009 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
Duration	August – November
Payton Award	Armanti Edwards
Buchanan Award	Arthur Moats
Playoff
Duration	November 28 – December 18
Championship date	December 18, 2009
Championship site	Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee
Champion	Villanova
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons
«2008 2010»

The 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season, the 2009 season of college football for teams in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), began in August 2009 and concluded with the 2009 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game on December 18, 2009, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, won by Villanova 23–21 over Montana.

Rule changes for 2009

The NCAA football rules committee proposed several rule changes for 2009. Before these rules were officially adopted, the proposals had to be approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel. The rule changes include the following:

• If the home team wears colored jerseys, the visiting team may also wear colored jerseys; so long as the two teams have agreed to do so.
• If the punter carries the ball outside of the tackle box, he is no longer protected under the roughing the kicker penalty.
• Deliberately grabbing the chin strap is now included as part of the face mask penalty.
• The edge of the tackle box is defined as being 5 yards to the left and right of the snapper, rather than 2 parallel lines from the position of the offensive tackles.

FCS team wins over FBS teams

In the 2009 season, FCS teams played a total of 91 games against FBS opponents. Notably, four of the five victorious FCS teams—all except Central Arkansas—were members of the Colonial Athletic Association. All four made that season's playoffs and advanced to the quarterfinals. Richmond lost in that round to Appalachian State, while Villanova defeated both New Hampshire (quarterfinals) and William & Mary (semifinals) on its way to the national title.

• September 3 – Villanova 27, Temple 24
• September 5 – Richmond 24, Duke 16
• September 5 – William & Mary 26, Virginia 14
• September 12 – New Hampshire 23, Ball State 16
• September 19 – Central Arkansas 28, Western Kentucky 7

Notable upsets

• August 27 – Quincy 26, Indiana State 20 ^OT (Division II over Division I FCS)
• September 5 – Arkansas-Monticello 27, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• September 5 – Shaw 20, Bethune-Cookman 6 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• September 5 – Saint Joseph's (IN) 31, Valparaiso 6 (Division II over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 5 – Stonehill 45, Wagner 42 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• September 12 – Birmingham–Southern 35, Campbell 28 ^OT (Division III over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 12 – Lenoir-Rhyne 42, Davidson 0 (Division II over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 12 – Urbana 13, Dayton 10 (Division II over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 26 – Carthage 34, Valparaiso 24 (Division III over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 26 – Concordia (AL) 23, Savannah State 21 (USCAA over Division I FCS)
• September 26 – Central Washington 33, Idaho State 22 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• October 17 – Sioux Falls 28, North Dakota 13 (NAIA over Division I FCS)
• November 14 – Webber International 35, Savannah State 20 (NAIA over Division I FCS)
• November 26 – Tuskegee 21, Alabama State 0 (Division II over Division I FCS)

Conference and program changes

Dropped programs

After Northeastern's final game of the season, a 33–27 win over Rhode Island on November 21, the school announced that it was dropping the football program. The Huskies ended their 74th season with a 3–8 record, but school officials cited that losing seasons were not the determining factor.

On December 3, Hofstra also announced that it was dropping their football program in favor of academic funding. The football team, which finished the season 5–6 after a 52–38 win over Massachusetts, ended their program after 73 years.

The Colonial Athletic Association, where both teams played, decided to replace the two teams with new programs at Old Dominion and Georgia State in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Old Dominion started its program during the 2009 season; Georgia State started theirs in 2010.

Conference changes

School	2008 Conference	2009 Conference
Bryant	FCS Independent	Northeast
Iona	FCS Independent	Dropped Program
Marist	FCS Independent	Pioneer
Old Dominion	New Program	FCS Independent
Western Kentucky	FCS Independent	Sun Belt (FBS)

Eastern Illinois coach's death

On Saturday, November 28, just hours after Eastern Illinois lost to Southern Illinois 48–7 in the first round of the FCS playoffs, Eastern Illinois' offensive coordinator Jeffrey O. Hoover, age 41, was killed in a car accident. The single-vehicle accident occurred south of Effingham when Hoover, his family and EIU strength coach Eric Cash struck a deer while driving home from Carbondale, the home of SIU.

Hoover's death was the second Eastern Illinois coaching death within a month. On November 4, women's basketball assistant coach Jackie Moore, 28, died after collapsing during a workout on campus.

Conference standings

2009 Big Sky Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Montana $^   8 – 0     14 – 1   No. 13 Eastern Washington ^   6 – 2     8 – 4   No. 17 Weber State ^   6 – 2     7 – 5   Montana State   5 – 3     7 – 4   Northern Arizona   4 – 4     5 – 6   Sacramento State   4 – 4     5 – 6   Northern Colorado   1 – 7     3 – 8   Portland State   1 – 7     2 – 9   Idaho State   1 – 7     1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2009 Big South Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 22 Liberty +   5 – 1     8 – 3   Stony Brook +   5 – 1     6 – 5   Charleston Southern   4 – 2     6 – 5   Gardner–Webb   3 – 3     6 – 5   Coastal Carolina   3 – 3     5 – 6   VMI   1 – 5     2 – 9   Presbyterian   0 – 6     0 – 11   + – Conference co-champions Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2009 Colonial Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   North Division No. 7 New Hampshire x^   6 – 2     10 – 3   Maine   4 – 4     5 – 6   Hofstra   3 – 5     5 – 6   UMass   3 – 5     5 – 6   Northeastern   3 – 5     3 – 8   Rhode Island   0 – 8     1 – 10   South Division No. 1 Villanova x+^   7 – 1     14 – 1   No. 5 Richmond x+^   7 – 1     11 – 2   No. 4 William & Mary ^   6 – 2     11 – 3   Delaware   4 – 4     6 – 5   James Madison   4 – 4     6 – 5   Towson   1 – 7     2 – 9   + – Conference co-champions x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2009 Great West Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   UC Davis $   3 – 1     6 – 5   North Dakota   2 – 2     6 – 5   South Dakota   2 – 2     5 – 5   Southern Utah   2 – 2     5 – 6   Cal Poly   1 – 3     4 – 7   $ – Conference champion	2009 Ivy League football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 20 Penn $   7 – 0     8 – 2   Harvard   6 – 1     7 – 3   Brown   4 – 3     6 – 4   Columbia   3 – 4     4 – 6   Princeton   3 – 4     4 – 6   Yale   2 – 5     4 – 6   Dartmouth   2 – 5     2 – 8   Cornell   1 – 6     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2009 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 8 South Carolina State $^   7 – 1     10 – 2   No. 23 Florida A&M   6 – 2     8 – 3   Norfolk State   5 – 3     7 – 4   Morgan State   4 – 4     6 – 5   Bethune–Cookman   4 – 4     5 – 6   Delaware State   4 – 4     4 – 7   Hampton   3 – 5     5 – 6   North Carolina A&T   2 – 5     4 – 6   Howard   0 – 8     2 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2009 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 6 Southern Illinois $^   8 – 0     11 – 2   No. 11 South Dakota State ^   7 – 1     8 – 3   No. 18 Northern Iowa   5 – 3     7 – 4   Illinois State   5 – 3     6 – 5   Missouri State   4 – 4     6 – 5   Youngstown State   4 – 4     6 – 5   North Dakota State   2 – 6     3 – 8   Indiana State   1 – 7     1 – 10   Western Illinois   0 – 8     1 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2009 Northeast Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Central Connecticut State $   7 – 1     9 – 3   Albany   6 – 2     7 – 4   Wagner   5 – 3     6 – 5   Robert Morris   5 – 3     5 – 6   Monmouth   4 – 4     5 – 6   Bryant   4 – 4     5 – 6   Duquesne   2 – 6     3 – 8   Sacred Heart   2 – 6     2 – 8   Saint Francis (PA)   1 – 7     2 – 9   $ – Conference champion	2009 Ohio Valley Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 16 Jacksonville State   6 – 1     8 – 3   No. 19 Eastern Illinois $^   6 – 2     8 – 4   Tennessee Tech   5 – 3     6 – 5   Eastern Kentucky   5 – 3     5 – 6   UT Martin   4 – 4     5 – 6   Tennessee State   3 – 4     4 – 7   Austin Peay   3 – 5     4 – 7   Murray State   2 – 6     3 – 8   Southeast Missouri State   1 – 7     2 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Jacksonville State had the best record in conference play, but was not eligible for the FCS playoffs because of APR violations. Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2009 Patriot League football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 14 Holy Cross $^   5 – 1     9 – 3   No. 21 Colgate   4 – 2     9 – 2   No. 24 Lafayette   4 – 2     8 – 3   Lehigh   4 – 2     4 – 7   Fordham   2 – 4     5 – 6   Bucknell   2 – 4     4 – 7   Georgetown   0 – 6     0 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2009 Pioneer Football League standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Butler +   7 – 1     11 – 1   Dayton +   7 – 1     9 – 2   Drake   6 – 2     8 – 3   Jacksonville   6 – 2     7 – 4   Marist   5 – 3     7 – 4   San Diego   3 – 5     4 – 7   Davidson   3 – 5     3 – 7   Campbell   2 – 6     3 – 8   Morehead State   1 – 7     3 – 8   Valparaiso   0 – 8     1 – 10   + – Conference co-champions	2009 Southern Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 3 Appalachian State $^   8 – 0     11 – 3   No. 9 Elon ^   7 – 1     9 – 3   Furman   5 – 3     6 – 5   Chattanooga   4 – 4     6 – 5   Georgia Southern   4 – 4     5 – 6   Samford   3 – 5     5 – 6   Wofford   2 – 6     3 – 8   The Citadel   2 – 6     4 – 7   Western Carolina   1 – 7     2 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2009 Southland Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 10 Stephen F. Austin +^   6 – 1     10 – 3   No. 12 McNeese State +^   6 – 1     9 – 2   No. 25 Texas State   5 – 2     7 – 4   Southeastern Louisiana   4 – 3     6 – 5   Sam Houston State   3 – 4     5 – 6   Central Arkansas   2 – 5     5 – 6   Nicholls State   2 – 5     3 – 9   Northwestern State   0 – 7     0 – 11   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll	2009 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   East Division Alabama A&M xy   4 – 3     7 – 5   Alcorn State   3 – 4     3 – 6   Jackson State   3 – 4     3 – 7   Alabama State   1 – 6     4 – 7   Mississippi Valley State   1 – 6     3 – 8   West Division No. 15 Prairie View A&M xy$   7 – 0     9 – 1   Grambling State   5 – 2     7 – 4   Texas Southern   5 – 2     6 – 5   Southern   3 – 4     6 – 6   Arkansas–Pine Bluff   3 – 4     5 – 5   Championship: Prairie View A&M 30, Alabama A&M 24 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from The Sports Network Poll	2009 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Old Dominion   –     9 – 2   North Carolina Central   –     4 – 7   Savannah State   –     2 – 8   Winston–Salem State   –     1 – 10

Conference champions

Automatic berths

• Big Sky Conference – Montana
• Colonial Athletic Association – Villanova
• Missouri Valley Football Conference – Southern Illinois
• Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – South Carolina State
• Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Illinois (Jacksonville State had the best record in conference play, but was not eligible for the FCS playoffs because of APR violations.)
• Patriot League – Holy Cross
• Southern Conference – Appalachian State
• Southland Conference – Stephen F. Austin

Invitation

• Great West Conference – UC Davis
• Big South Conference – Liberty and Stony Brook, co-champions
• Northeast Conference – Central Connecticut State
• Pioneer Football League – Butler and Dayton, co-champions; Butler received the conference's berth in the Gridiron Classic.

In order to be eligible for the playoffs, these teams must have a minimum of eight Division I wins, with at least two against teams in automatic bid conferences. They also must be ranked an average of 16 or better in the national rankings, made up of the following components:

• The Sports Network media poll
• The FCS Coaches poll
• A variation of the Gridiron Power Index, using only five of the computer rankings used in that system

No team in the invitational conferences qualified. Starting in 2010, the Big South and NEC will become automatic bid conferences with the expansion of the playoff field to 20 teams.

Abstains

• Ivy League – Penn (8–2, 7–0)
• Southwestern Athletic Conference – Prairie View A&M (9–1, 7–0)

(Overall Record, Conference Record)

Postseason

NCAA Division I playoff bracket

	First Round November 28 Campus sites					Quarterfinals December 5 Campus sites					Semifinals December 11 and December 12 Campus sites					National Championship Game December 18 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee
		South Dakota State (8–3)	48
	1	Montana* (11–0)	61
						1	Montana*	51
							Stephen F. Austin	0
	Eastern Washington (8–3)		33
	Stephen F. Austin* (9–2)		44
											1	Montana*	24
												Appalachian State	17
		Elon (9–2)	13
	4	Richmond* (10–1)	16
						4	Richmond*	31
							Appalachian State	35
	South Carolina State (10–1)		13
	Appalachian State* (9–2)		20
																1	Montana	21
																3	Villanova	23
		Holy Cross (9–2)	28
	2	Villanova* (10–1)	38
						2	Villanova*	46
							New Hampshire	7
	New Hampshire (9–2)		49
	McNeese State* (9–2)		13
											3	Villanova*	14
												William & Mary	13
		Eastern Illinois (8–3)	7
	3	Southern Illinois* (10–1)	48
						3	Southern Illinois*	3
							William & Mary	24
	Weber State (7–4)		0
	William & Mary* (9–2)		38

* Host institution

SWAC Championship Game

Date	Location	Venue	West Div. Champion	East Div. Champion	Result
December 12	Birmingham, Alabama	Legion Field	Prairie View A&M	Alabama A&M	Prairie View A&M 30–24

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 5	Indianapolis	Butler Bowl	Central Connecticut State	Butler	Butler 28–23

Final poll standings

Standings are from The Sports Network final poll.

Rank	Team	Record
1	Villanova Wildcats	14–1
2	Montana Grizzlies	14–1
3	Appalachian State Mountaineers	11–3
4	William & Mary Tribe	11–3
5	Richmond Spiders	11–2
6	Southern Illinois Salukis	11–2
7	New Hampshire Wildcats	10–3
8	South Carolina State Bulldogs	10–2
9	Elon Phoenix	9–3
10	Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks	10–3
11	South Dakota State Jackrabbits	8–4
12	McNeese State Cowboys	9–3
13	Eastern Washington Eagles	8–4
14	Holy Cross Crusaders	9–3
15	Prairie View A&M Panthers	9–1
16	Jacksonville State Gamecocks	8–3
17	Weber State Wildcats	7–5
18	Northern Iowa Panthers	7–4
19	Eastern Illinois Panthers	8–4
20	Penn Quakers	8–2
21	Colgate Raiders	9–2
22	Liberty Flames	8–3
23	Florida A&M Rattlers	8–3
24	Lafayette Leopards	8–3
25	Texas State Bobcats	7–4

Standings are from the FCS Coaches final poll.

Rank	Team	Record
1	Villanova Wildcats	14–1
2	Montana Grizzlies	14–1
T-3	Appalachian State Mountaineers	11–3
T-3	William & Mary Tribe	11–3
5	Richmond Spiders	11–2
6	Southern Illinois Salukis	11–2
7	New Hampshire Wildcats	10–3
8	South Carolina State Bulldogs	10–2
9	Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks	10–3
10	Elon Phoenix	9–3
11	South Dakota State Jackrabbits	8–4
12	McNeese State Cowboys	9–3
13	Eastern Washington Eagles	8–4
14	Holy Cross Crusaders	9–3
15	Eastern Illinois Panthers	8–4
16	Jacksonville State Gamecocks	8–3
17	Weber State Wildcats	7–5
18	Northern Iowa Panthers	7–4
19	Prairie View A&M Panthers	9–1
20	Colgate Raiders	9–2
21	Liberty Flames	8–3
22	Florida A&M Rattlers	8–3
23	Penn Quakers	8–2
24	Texas State Bobcats	7–4
25	Lafayette Leopards	8–3