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, 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.
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 | 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 – 21, 0
- August 31 – 33, 22
- September 4 – 21, 0
- September 4 – 35, 27
- September 5 – 14, Wagner 13
- September 6 – 32, Campbell 21
- September 6 – 21, 9
- September 6 – 34, 0
- September 13 – 31, 28
- September 20 – 22, 21
- September 20 – 13, 10
- October 4 – 34, 24
- October 11 – 23, 12
Conference standings
Conference champions
Automatic berths
Invitation
Abstains
Postseason
NCAA FCS Playoff bracket
[SWAC Championship Game]
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 | 10–3 | |
| 7 | Weber State Wildcats | 10–4 |
| 8 | New Hampshire Wildcats | 10–3 |
| 9 | 9–3 | |
| 10 | Cal Poly Mustangs | 8–3 |
| 11 | 9–3 | |
| 12 | 10–2 | |
| 13 | 10–3 | |
| 14 | 10–2 | |
| 15 | Harvard Crimson | 9–1 |
| 16 | 9–3 | |
| 17 | 8–4 | |
| 18 | 8–5 | |
| 19 | 8–4 | |
| 20 | William & Mary Tribe | 7–4 |
| 21 | 7–4 | |
| 22 | Texas State Bobcats | 8–5 |
| 23 | Jacksonville State Gamecocks | 8–3 |
| 24 | 11–2 | |
| 25 | 9–1 |