2008 had an increase in the number of changes from both conferences and teams while tying a record-low number for the number of FCS over FBS wins with the 2005 season (later matched by the 2020 season that saw two wins out of 36 matchups after the pandemic caused mass-scheduling changes).
2008 FCS Over FBS Victories (2)
- Cal Poly @ San Diego State, 29-27
- New Hampshire @ Army, 28-10
Playoff Bracket, Notes, and National Champion
The FCS playoff format remained the same for the eighth consecutive season with the seeding of only the top four teams and the use of campus sites through the semifinals. The National Championship was played on December 19 at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the 12th straight season. It was the penultimate FCS title game played in Chattanooga.
The home team is listed on the bottom of each matchup in the bracket below while an asterisk (*) denotes the number of overtime periods played if a game went to overtime. Richmond (13-3 Overall, 6-2 Colonial Athletic Association) made their debut in the FCS National Championship a winning one by defeating Montana (14-2 Overall, 7-1 Big Sky Conference) 24-7. The Grizzlies were making their sixth title game appearance.
Conference Changes
The Gateway Football Conference changed its name to the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) stopped sponsoring football causing teams to find a new home.
Team Changes
La Salle ended their football program, which caused the end of the MAAC as well. Iona and Marist both became FCS independents while Duquesne joined the Northeast Conference. Western Kentucky left the FCS after spending the 2007 season as an independent team. The Hilltoppers became an FBS independent in 2008.
North Dakota State and South Dakota State both left the Great West Conference to join the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The other two Dakota programs (North Dakota and South Dakota) began their transition from the Division II North Central Conference to the FCS in 2008 as members of the Great West with their first full season of eligibility in 2012.
Two additional programs joined the FCS: Bryant from the Division II Northeast-10 Conference became an FCS Independent and Campbell restarted their football program to join the Pioneer Football League.
Samford hopped from the Ohio Valley Conference to the Southern Conference while Stony Brook and Presbyterian both went from FCS independent into the Big South Conference.
The NCAA did not list Bryant (2012), Central Arkansas (2010), North Carolina Central (2011), North Dakota (2012), Presbyterian (2011), South Dakota (2012), or Winston-Salem State (2011) as eligible FCS teams in 2008. We count those programs as FCS teams for 2008 since they were in a transition to the FCS.
| Team | Old Conference | New Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Bryant | Northeast-10 (Division II) | FCS Independent |
| Campbell | Restarted Program | Pioneer Football League (FCS) |
| Duquesne | MAAC (FCS) | Northeast Conference (FCS) |
| Illinois State | Gateway (FCS) | MVFC (FCS) |
| Indiana State | Gateway (FCS) | MVFC (FCS) |
| Iona | MAAC (FCS) | FCS Independent |
| La Salle | MAAC (FCS) | Dropped Football |
| Marist | MAAC (FCS) | FCS Independent |
| Missouri State | Gateway (FCS) | MVFC (FCS) |
| North Dakota | North Central (Division II) | Great West (FCS) |
| North Dakota State | Great West (FCS) | MVFC (FCS) |
| Northern Iowa | Gateway (FCS) | MVFC (FCS) |
| Presbyterian | FCS Independent | Big South (FCS) |
| Samford | Ohio Valley (FCS) | Southern (FCS) |
| South Dakota | North Central (Division II) | Great West (FCS) |
| South Dakota State | Great West (FCS) | MVFC (FCS) |
| Southern Illinois | Gateway (FCS) | MVFC (FCS) |
| Stony Brook | FCS Independent | Big South (FCS) |
| Western Illinois | Gateway (FCS) | MVFC (FCS) |
| Youngstown State | Gateway (FCS) | MVFC (FCS) |
| Western Kentucky | FCS Independent | FBS Independent |
2007 Season ———————————————————————————————————————————————————- 2009 Season