2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season

2009 NCAA Division I FCS season
Duration	August – November
Playoff
Duration	November 28 – December 18
Championship site	Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, TN
Champion	Villanova Wildcats
Payton Award	Armanti Edwards[1]
Buchanan Award	Arthur Moats[2]
Division I FCS football season
«2008 2010»

The 2009 NCAA Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) football season, part of the college football season, began in August 2009 and concluded with the national championship game on December 18, 2009, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, won by Villanova 23–21 over Montana.^[3]

Rule changes for 2009

The NCAA football rules committee proposed several rule changes for 2009.^[4] 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 – William & Mary 26, Virginia 14
• September 5 – Richmond 24, Duke 16
• 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.^[5] The Huskies ended their 74th season with a 3–8 record, but school officials cited that losing seasons were not the determining factor.^[5]

On December 3, Hofstra also announced that it was dropping their football program in favor of academic funding.^[6] 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.^[7] 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.^[8]

Hoover's death was the second Eastern Illinois coaching death within a month. On November 4, assistant women's basketball coach Jackie Moore, 28, died after collapsing during a workout on campus.^[7]

Conference standings

2009 Big Sky football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #2 Montana $^   8 – 0         14 – 1   #13 Eastern Washington ^   6 – 2         8 – 4   #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 FCS Poll	2009 Big South football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #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 ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2009 CAA football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   North #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 #1 Villanova x+^   7 – 1         14 – 1   #5 Richmond x+^   7 – 1         11 – 2   #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 FCS Poll
2009 Great West 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 SLO   1 – 3         4 – 7   $ – Conference champion Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2009 Ivy League football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #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 The Ivy League does not participate in the FCS Playoffs Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2009 MEAC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #8 South Carolina State $^   7 – 1         10 – 2   #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 FCS Poll
2009 MVFC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #6 Southern Illinois $^   8 – 0         11 – 2   #11 South Dakota St. ^   7 – 1         8 – 3   #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 FCS Poll	2009 NEC 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 ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2009 OVC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #16 Jacksonville State   6 – 1         8 – 3   #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 – 8         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 FCS Poll
2009 Patriot League football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #14 Holy Cross $^   5 – 1         9 – 3   #21 Colgate   4 – 2         9 – 2   #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 FCS 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 Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2009 Southern Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #3 Appalachian State $^   8 – 0         11 – 3   #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 FCS Poll
2009 Southland Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #10 Stephen F. Austin +^   6 – 1         10 – 3   #12 McNeese State +^   6 – 1         9 – 2   #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 FCS Poll	2009 SWAC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   East Alabama A&M x   4 – 3         7 – 5   Alcorn State   3 – 4         3 – 6   Jackson State   3 – 5         3 – 7   Alabama State   1 – 6         4 – 7   Mississippi Valley State   1 – 7         3 – 8   West #15 Prairie View A&M x$   7 – 0         9 – 1   Grambling State   5 – 3         7 – 5   Texas Southern   5 – 2         6 – 5   Arkansas–Pine Bluff   4 – 4         6 – 5   Southern   3 – 5         6 – 6   Championship: Prairie View A&M 30, Alabama A&M 24 December 12, 2009 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from The Sports Network FCS 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   Lamar   –         2 – 8   Savannah State   –         2 – 8   Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll

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 FCS 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
																2	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
											2	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 (8-3)		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

See also

2009 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team 2009 Bryant Bulldogs football team 2009 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team 2009 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team 2009 Eastern Washington Eagles football team 2009 Georgetown Hoyas football team 2009 New Hampshire Wildcats football team

2009 Northern Iowa Panthers football team 2009 Old Dominion Monarchs football team 2009 Penn Quakers football team 2009 Richmond Spiders football team 2009 Savannah State Tigers football team 2009 William & Mary Tribe football team

References

1. "Armanti Edwards wins 2009 Walter Payton Award". The Sports Network. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
2. "Arthur Moats captures 2009 Buck Buchanan Award". The Sports Network. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
3. "2009: 32nd Annual Division I Championship". NCAA. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
4. Kristin L. Musall. "NCAA Football Rules Committee proposed changes (PDF)" (PDF). NCAA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2009-08-01. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
5. Ryan, Andrew (23 November 2009). "Northeastern calls an end to football". boston.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2009. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
6. "Hofstra to End Intercollegiate Football Program to Invest in Academic Initiatives". Press release. Hofstra University. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
7. Mitchell, Fred (30 November 2009). "Eastern Illinois assistant football coach dies in car crash". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
8. Huffman, Tony (30 November 2009). "EIU football coach killed in I-57 accident". Effingham Daily News. Retrieved 6 December 2009.