2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season

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.[3]

2009 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
DurationAugust – November
Payton AwardArmanti Edwards[1]
Buchanan AwardArthur Moats[2]
Playoff
DurationNovember 28 – December 18
Championship dateDecember 18, 2009
Championship siteFinley Stadium
Chattanooga, Tennessee
ChampionVillanova
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons

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.

Notable upsets

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
School2008 Conference2009 Conference
BryantFCS IndependentNortheast
IonaFCS IndependentDropped Program
MaristFCS IndependentPioneer
Old DominionNew ProgramFCS Independent
Western KentuckyFCS IndependentSun 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, women's basketball assistant coach Jackie Moore, 28, died after collapsing during a workout on campus.[7]

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
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
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
Rankings from AP Poll
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 FCS Poll
2009 Southwestern Athletic Conference 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
No. 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  
Savannah State   –     2 –8  
Winston–Salem State   –     1 –10  

Conference champions

Automatic berths

Invitation

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

(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 (7–4) 0
William & Mary* (9–2) 38

* Host institution

SWAC Championship Game
DateLocationVenueWest Div. ChampionEast Div. ChampionResult
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.

DateLocationVenueNEC ChampionPFL ChampionResult
December 5 Indianapolis Butler Bowl Central Connecticut State Butler Butler 28–23

Final poll standings

References
  1. "Armanti Edwards wins 2009 Walter Payton Award". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 2011-04-04. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
  2. "Arthur Moats captures 2009 Buck Buchanan Award". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 2011-04-04. 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 from the original (PDF) on 2009-08-02. 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. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. 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. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  9. "Independents". Reno Gazette-Journal (Reno, Nevada). November 30, 2009. p. 5D. Retrieved February 17, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
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