The last season of the decade saw the end of some programs and the resumption of an old program.
2009 FCS Over FBS Victories (5)
- Villanova @ Temple, 27-24
- Richmond @ Duke, 24-16
- William & Mary @ Virginia, 26-14
- New Hampshire @ Ball State, 23-16
- Central Arkansas @ Western Kentucky, 28-7
Playoff Bracket, Notes, and National Champion
The FCS playoff format remained the same for the ninth and final season, seeding only the top four teams and using campus sites through the semifinals. The National Championship was played on December 18 at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the 13th straight season. It was the last FCS title game played in Chattanooga to date.
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. Villanova (14-1 Overall, 7-1 Colonial Athletic Association) won a close affair 23-21 over Montana (14-1 Overall, 8-0 Big Sky Conference) in their first and only (to date) FCS Championship Game appearance. It was a second consecutive loss for the Grizzlies in the title game.
Conference Changes
There were no conference changes in effect for the 2009 season.
Team Changes
Iona decided to end their football program after the 2008 season when they were an FCS independent. Two other FCS independent teams joined conferences for the 2009 season – Bryant went into the Northeast Conference and Marist went to the Pioneer Football League. Old Dominion decided to bring back its football team and was classified as an FCS independent for the 2009 season.
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 2009. We count those programs as FCS teams for the 2009 season.
| Team | Old Conference | New Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Bryant | FCS Independent | Northeast Conference (FCS) |
| Iona | FCS Independent | Dropped Football |
| Marist | FCS Independent | Pioneer Football League (FCS) |
| Old Dominion | Restarted Program | FCS Independent |
2008 Season ———————————————————————————————————————————————————- 2010 Season