2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season

Conference changes and new programs

FCS team wins over FBS teams

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 – 26, 20 OT (Division II over Division I FCS)
• September 5 – 27, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• September 5 – 20, Bethune-Cookman 6 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• September 5 – 31, 6 (Division II over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 5 – 45, Wagner 42 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• September 12 – 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 – 13, Dayton 10 (Division II over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 26 – 34, 24 (Division III over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 26 – 23, Savannah State 21 (USCAA over Division I FCS)
• September 26 – 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 – 35, Savannah State 20 (NAIA over Division I FCS)
• November 26 – 21, Alabama State 0 (Division II over Division I FCS)

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

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

December 5 Campus sites December 11 and December 12 Campus sites

December 18 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee | team-width= | RD1-seed01= | RD1-team01= South Dakota State (8–3) | RD1-score01= 48 | RD1-seed02= 1 | RD1-team02= Montana* (11–0) | RD1-score02= 61 | RD1-seed03= | RD1-team03= Eastern Washington (8–3) | RD1-score03= 33 | RD1-seed04= | RD1-team04= Stephen F. Austin* (9–2) | RD1-score04=44 | RD1-seed05= | RD1-team05= Elon (9–2) | RD1-score05= 13 | RD1-seed06= 4 | RD1-team06= Richmond* (10–1) | RD1-score06= 16 | RD1-seed07= | RD1-team07= South Carolina State (10–1) | RD1-score07= 13 | RD1-seed08= | RD1-team08= Appalachian State* (9–2) | RD1-score08= 20 | RD1-seed09= | RD1-team09= Holy Cross (9–2) | RD1-score09= 28 | RD1-seed10= 2 | RD1-team10= Villanova* (10–1) | RD1-score10= 38 | RD1-seed11= | RD1-team11= New Hampshire (9–2) | RD1-score11= 49 | RD1-seed12= | RD1-team12= McNeese State* (9–2) | RD1-score12= 13 | RD1-seed13= | RD1-team13= Eastern Illinois (8–3) | RD1-score13= 7 | RD1-seed14= 3 | RD1-team14= Southern Illinois* (10–1) | RD1-score14= 48 | RD1-seed15= | RD1-team15= Weber State (7–4) | RD1-score15= 0 | RD1-seed16= | RD1-team16= William & Mary* (9–2) | RD1-score16= 38 | RD2-seed01= 1 | RD2-team01= Montana* | RD2-score01= 51 | RD2-seed02= | RD2-team02= Stephen F. Austin | RD2-score02= 0 | RD2-seed03= 4 | RD2-team03= Richmond* | RD2-score03= 31 | RD2-seed04= | RD2-team04= Appalachian State | RD2-score04= 35 | RD2-seed05= 2 | RD2-team05= Villanova* | RD2-score05=46 | RD2-seed06= | RD2-team06= New Hampshire | RD2-score06=7 | RD2-seed07= 3 | RD2-team07= Southern Illinois* | RD2-score07=3 | RD2-seed08= | RD2-team08= William & Mary | RD2-score08= 24 | RD3-seed01= 1 | RD3-team01= Montana* | RD3-score01=24 | RD3-seed02= | RD3-team02= Appalachian State | RD3-score02=17 | RD3-seed03= 2 | RD3-team03= Villanova* | RD3-score03= 14 | RD3-seed04= | RD3-team04= William & Mary | RD3-score04=13 | RD4-seed01= 1 | RD4-team01= Montana | RD4-score01= 21 | RD4-seed02= 2 | RD4-team02= Villanova | RD4-score02= 23

• Host institution

[[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.

Final poll standings

Standings are from The Sports Network final poll.

Standings are from the FCS Coaches final poll.

References

References

1. "Armanti Edwards wins 2009 Walter Payton Award". The Sports Network.
2. "Arthur Moats captures 2009 Buck Buchanan Award". The Sports Network.
3. (August 2019). "2009: 32nd Annual Division I Championship". NCAA.
4. Mitchell, Fred. (30 November 2009). "Eastern Illinois assistant football coach dies in car crash". [[Chicago Tribune]].
5. Huffman, Tony. (30 November 2009). "EIU football coach killed in I-57 accident". Effingham Daily News.