# 2008 NCAA Division III football season

The 2008 NCAA Division III football season, part of the college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States, began in August 2008, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 2008 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Mount Union Purple Raiders won their tenth Division III championship by defeating the Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks, 31−26. This was the fourth of seven straight championship games between Mount Union (3 wins) and Wisconsin–Whitewater (4 wins).
The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Greg Micheli, quarterback from Mount Union.

## Program changes

* After Tri-State University changed its name to Trine University in 2008, the Tri-State Thunder became the Trine Thunder at the start of the 2008 season.

## Conference standings

2008 American Southwest Conference football standings :
| 2008 American Southwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 3 Mary Hardin–Baylor $^  8 –0  12 –2   No. 7 Hardin–Simmons ^  7 –1  9 –2   Louisiana College  5 –3  7 –3   East Texas Baptist  5 –3  5 –5   Mississippi College  5 –3  5 –5   Texas Lutheran  3 –5  4 –6   Sul Ross  2 –6  3 –7   Howard Payne  1 –7  2 –8   McMurry  0 –8  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2008 Atlantic Central Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 13 Wesley $^  3 –0  9 –2   No. 24 Salisbury  2 –1  9 –2   Frostburg State  1 –2  3 –6   Apprentice §  0 –3  2 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant§ – Not an NCAA memberRankings from D3football.com | 2008 Centennial Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 25 Muhlenberg $^  7 –1  9 –2   Johns Hopkins  6 –2  8 –3   Moravian  6 –2  8 –3   Dickinson  5 –3  6 –4   Gettysburg  5 –3  5 –5   Franklin & Marshall  3 –5  4 –6   Ursinus  2 –6  3 –7   McDaniel  1 –7  2 –8   Juniata  1 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2008 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 5 North Central (IL) $^  7 –0  11 –1   No. 9 Wheaton (IL) ^  5 –2  11 –3   Augustana (IL)  5 –2  7 –3   Elmhurst  4 –3  7 –3   Illinois Wesleyan  3 –4  6 –4   Carthage  3 –4  5 –5   Millikin  1 –6  3 –7   North Park  0 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2008 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 23 Ithaca $^  5 –1  9 –2   Hartwick  4 –2  7 –3   Alfred  4 –2  7 –4   St. John Fisher  4 –2  7 –4   Springfield  2 –4  4 –6   Utica  2 –4  3 –7   Norwich  0 –6  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2008 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 8 Franklin (IN) $^  7 –0  11 –2   Rose-Hulman  5 –2  7 –3   Anderson (IN)  4 –3  5 –5   Defiance  4 –3  4 –6   Manchester  3 –4  5 –5   Mount St. Joseph  3 –4  5 –5   Hanover  2 –5  2 –7   Bluffton  0 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2008 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 10 Wartburg $^  7 –1  10 –3   Buena Vista  6 –2  7 –3   Simpson (IA)  5 –3  7 –3   Loras  5 –3  6 –4   Central (IA)  4 –4  6 –4   Luther  4 –4  5 –5   Coe  4 –4  4 –6   Dubuque  1 –7  2 –8   Cornell (IA)  0 –8  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2008 Liberty League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 17 Hobart $^  6 –1  9 –2   RPI  5 –2  8 –2   WPI  4 –3  7 –3   Union (NY)  4 –3  5 –4   Susquehanna  3 –4  4 –6   Rochester (NY)  3 –4  3 –7   Merchant Marine  2 –5  3 –7   St. Lawrence  1 –6  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2008 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 20 Trine $^  6 –0  10 –1   Adrian  5 –1  8 –2   Alma  3 –3  5 –5   Albion  3 –3  4 –6   Hope  3 –3  3 –7   Kalamazoo  1 –5  2 –8   Olivet  0 –6  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2008 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Albright +  5 –2  8 –3   Delaware Valley +  5 –2  8 –3   Lycoming +^  5 –2  7 –4   Lebanon Valley  4 –3  6 –4   Wilkes  4 –3  4 –6   Widener  2 –5  4 –6   King's  2 –5  3 –7   FDU Florham  1 –6  3 –7   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2008 Midwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 16 Monmouth (IL) $^  9 –0  11 –1   Ripon  8 –1  8 –2   St. Norbert  7 –2  7 –3   Carroll (WI)  6 –3  7 –3   Beloit  4 –5  5 –5   Illinois College  4 –5  4 –6   Lake Forest  3 –6  3 –7   Grinnell  2 –7  3 –7   Knox  2 –7  3 –7   Lawrence  0 –9  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2008 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Saint John's (MN) $^  6 –2  8 –3   Carleton  5 –3  7 –3   St. Thomas (MN)  5 –3  7 –3   Concordia–Moorhead  5 –3  6 –4   Gustavus Adolphus  4 –4  6 –4   St. Olaf  4 –4  6 –4   Bethel (MN)  4 –4  5 –5   Augsburg  3 –5  5 –5   Hamline  0 –8  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2008 New England Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Bogan Division Bridgewater State x  6 –1  7 –3   Maine Maritime xy  6 –1  7 –4   Westfield State  4 –3  6 –4   Fitchburg State  4 –3  4 –6   Framingham State  3 –4  5 –5   Coast Guard  3 –4  3 –6   Worcester State  2 –5  2 –8   Massachusetts Maritime  0 –7  0 –10   Boyd Division Plymouth State xy$^  7 –0  10 –2   No. 22 Curry ^  6 –1  10 –2   UMass Dartmouth  4 –3  6 –4   MIT  3 –4  5 –5   Salve Regina  3 –4  4 –5   Western New England  3 –4  3 –7   Endicott  2 –5  3 –7   Nichols  0 –7  2 –8   Championship: Plymouth State 46, Maine Maritime 16 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2008 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Trinity (CT) $  8 –0  8 –0   Williams  6 –2  6 –2   Amherst  5 –3  5 –3   Middlebury  5 –3  5 –3   Bowdoin  4 –4  4 –4   Tufts  4 –4  4 –4   Colby  3 –5  3 –5   Bates  2 –6  2 –6   Hamilton  2 –6  2 –6   Wesleyan  1 –7  1 –7   $ – Conference champion | 2008 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 6 Cortland $^  9 –0  11 –2   Rowan  7 –2  8 –2   Montclair State  7 –2  8 –3   Brockport  6 –3  7 –4   Kean  6 –3  7 –4   TCNJ  4 –5  4 –6   William Paterson  3 –6  4 –6   Western Connecticut  2 –7  2 –8   Buffalo State  1 –8  1 –9   Morrisville State #  0 –9  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant # – Provisional NCAA Division III member Rankings from D3football.com |
| 2008 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 18 Wabash $^  7 –0  10 –2   Wooster  6 –1  8 –2   Denison  4 –3  6 –4   Wittenberg  4 –3  6 –4   Allegheny  4 –3  5 –5   Earlham  4 –3  4 –6   Hiram  2 –5  3 –7   Oberlin  2 –5  2 –8   Ohio Wesleyan  2 –5  2 –8   Kenyon  0 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2008 Northern Athletics Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Aurora $^  7 –0  9 –2   Concordia (WI)  5 –2  5 –5   Lakeland  5 –2  5 –5   Benedictine (IL)  4 –3  4 –6   Wisconsin Lutheran  3 –4  4 –6   Concordia (IL)  2 –5  3 –7   Rockford  2 –5  2 –8   Maranatha Baptist  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2008 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 4 Willamette $^  6 –0  11 –1   Linfield  5 –1  6 –3   Whitworth  4 –2  6 –3   Pacific Lutheran  3 –3  3 –6   Menlo  2 –4  3 –7   Puget Sound  1 –5  3 –6   Lewis & Clark  0 –6  1 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2008 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 Mount Union $^  9 –0  15 –0   No. 19 Otterbein ^  8 –1  9 –2   Baldwin–Wallace  5 –4  5 –5   Ohio Northern  5 –4  5 –5   Capital  4 –5  5 –5   John Carroll  4 –5  5 –5   Wilmington (OH)  4 –5  4 –6   Heidelberg  3 –6  4 –6   Muskingum  2 –7  3 –7   Marietta  1 –8  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2008 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Catholic University +  4 –2  9 –2   Hampden–Sydney +  4 –2  8 –2   Emory & Henry +  4 –2  6 –4   Randolph–Macon +^  4 –2  6 –5   Bridgewater  3 –3  4 –6   Guilford  1 –5  4 –6   Washington and Lee  1 –5  4 –6   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2008 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Thomas More $^  6 –0  8 –3   No. 11 Washington & Jefferson ^  5 –1  11 –2   Grove City  3 –3  6 –4   Westminster (PA)  3 –3  5 –5   Waynesburg  2 –4  5 –5   Bethany (WV)  1 –5  3 –7   Thiel  1 –5  2 –8   Geneva #   –  5 –5   St. Vincent #   –  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant # – Provisional NCAA Divisional III member; games not counted in standings Rankings from D3football.com |
| 2008 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  LaGrange $^  7 –0  9 –2   Huntingdon  6 –1  8 –2   Greenville  5 –2  6 –4   Westminster (MO)  4 –3  4 –5   Eureka *  2 –5  3 –6   Blackburn  2 –5  3 –7   MacMurray *  1 –6  1 –9   Principia  1 –6  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – MacMurray later forfeited a win over Eureka. | 2008 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 15 Occidental $^  6 –0  9 –1   Cal Lutheran  5 –1  7 –2   Redlands  4 –2  7 –2   Claremont–Mudd–Scripps  3 –3  4 –5   La Verne  2 –4  2 –7   Pomona–Pitzer  1 –5  2 –7   Whittier  0 –6  1 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2008 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 12 Millsaps $^  7 –0  11 –1   DePauw  5 –2  8 –2   Trinity (TX)  5 –2  8 –2   Centre  5 –2  7 –3   Austin  3 –4  5 –5   Rhodes  2 –5  4 –6   Sewanee  1 –6  2 –8   Colorado College  0 –7  0 –9   Birmingham–Southern #   –  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant # – Provisional Division III member; games not counted in standings Rankings from D3football.com |
| 2008 University Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 21 Case Western Reserve $^  3 –0  10 –1   Carnegie Mellon  1 –2  5 –5   Washington University  1 –2  5 –5   Chicago  1 –2  3 –6   $ – Conference champion^ – Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2008 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Northwestern (MN) $  4 –0  9 –2   Crown  3 –1  5 –4   Martin Luther  2 –2  7 –3   Minnesota–Morris  1 –3  3 –6   St. Scholastica  0 –4  1 –7   $ – Conference champion | 2008 USA South Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Christopher Newport $^  7 –0  8 –2   Ferrum  5 –2  7 –3   North Carolina Wesleyan  5 –2  6 –4   Averett  4 –3  5 –5   Maryville (TN)  4 –3  5 –5   Shenandoah  2 –5  3 –7   Methodist  1 –6  2 –8   Greensboro  0 –7  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2008 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Wisconsin–Whitewater +^  6 –1  13 –2   No. 14 Wisconsin–Stevens Point +^  6 –1  9 –2   Wisconsin–Eau Claire  4 –3  6 –4   Wisconsin–Stout  3 –4  5 –5   Wisconsin–La Crosse  3 –4  3 –7   Wisconsin–Oshkosh  2 –5  4 –5   Wisconsin–Platteville  2 –5  4 –6   Wisconsin–River Falls  2 –5  3 –7   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2008 NCAA Division III independents football records vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Husson   –  7 –3   Chapman   –  5 –4   SUNY Maritime   –  4 –5   Macalester   –  4 –6   Mount Ida   –  4 –6   Becker   –  2 –7   Gallaudet   –  2 –8 |

## Conference champions

* Conference champions
* American Southwest Conference – Mary Hardin–Baylor
* Atlantic Central Football Conference – Wesley
* Centennial Conference – Muhlenberg
* College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – North Central (IL)
* Empire 8 Conference – Ithaca
* Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference – Franklin
* Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wartburg
* Liberty League – Hobart
* Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Trine
* Middle Atlantic Conference – Albright, Delaware Valley, and Lycoming
* Midwest Conference – Monmouth (IL)
* Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Saint John's (MN)
* New England Football Conference – Bridgewater State and Maine Maritime (Bogan Division), Plymouth State (Boyd Division)
* Championship Game: Plymouth State 46, Maine Maritime 16
* New England Small College Athletic Conference – Trinity (CT)
* New Jersey Athletic Conference – SUNY Cortland
* North Coast Athletic Conference – Wabash
* Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference – Aurora
* Northwest Conference – Willamette
* Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union
* Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Catholic, Emory & Henry, Hampden–Sydney, and Randolph-Macon
* Presidents' Athletic Conference – Thomas More
* Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Occidental
* Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference – Millsaps
* University Athletic Association – Case Western Reserve
* Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Northwestern–St. Paul
* USA South Athletic Conference – Christopher Newport
* Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Stevens Point and Wisconsin–Whitewater

## Postseason

The 2008 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 36th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college football. The championship Stagg Bowl game was held at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia for the 16th time.

### Qualification

Twenty-three conferences met the requirements for an automatic ("Pool A") bid to the playoffs. Besides the NESCAC, which does not participate in the playoffs, four conferences had no Pool A bid. The SLIAC was in the first year of the two-year waiting period, while the ACFC, UAA, and UMAC failed to meet the seven-member requirement. The NWC received a Pool A bid for the first time, having attained seven members and passed through the waiting period.
Schools not in Pool A conferences were eligible for Pool B. The number of Pool B bids was determined by calculating the ratio of Pool A conferences to schools in those conferences and applying that ratio to the number of Pool B schools. The 23 Pool A conferences contained 197 schools, an average of 8.6 teams per conference. Twenty-seven schools were in Pool B, enough for three bids.
The remaining six playoff spots were at-large ("Pool C") teams.

### Playoff bracket

| First Round Campus Sites | First Round Campus Sites | First Round Campus Sites | Second Round Campus Sites | Second Round Campus Sites | Second Round Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia | National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia | National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia |
| Mount Union | Mount Union | 56 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Randolph–Macon | Randolph–Macon | 0 | Mount Union | Mount Union | 42 | | | | | | | | | |
| Hobart | Hobart | 33 | Hobart | Hobart | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| Lycoming | Lycoming | 15 | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 41 | | | | | | |
| Cortland | Cortland | 31 | | | | Cortland | Cortland | 14 | | | | | | |
| Plymouth State | Plymouth State | 14 | Cortland | Cortland | 42 | | | | | | | | | |
| Curry | Curry | 26 | Curry | Curry | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| Ithaca | Ithaca | 21 | | | | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 45 | | | |
| North Central (IL) | North Central (IL) | 44 | | | | | | | Wheaton (IL) | Wheaton (IL) | 24 | | | |
| Thomas More | Thomas More | 23 | North Central (IL) | North Central (IL) | 28 | | | | | | | | | |
| Franklin | Franklin | 62 | Franklin | Franklin | 38 | | | | | | | | | |
| Otterbein | Otterbein | 45 | | | | Franklin | Franklin | 28 | | | | | | |
| Wabash | Wabash | 20 | | | | Wheaton (IL) | Wheaton (IL) | 45 | | | | | | |
| Case Western Reserve | Case Western Reserve | 17 | Wabash | Wabash | 28 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wheaton (IL) | Wheaton (IL) | 14 | Wheaton (IL) | Wheaton (IL) | 59 | | | | | | | | | |
| Trine | Trine | 0 | | | | | | | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 31 |
| Willamette | Willamette | 48 | | | | | | | | | | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 26 |
| Occidental | Occidental | 33 | Willamette | Willamette | 27 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 37 | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 30 | | | | | | | | | |
| Saint John's | Saint John's | 7 | | | | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 34 | | | | | | |
| Wartburg | Wartburg | 26 | | | | Wartburg | Wartburg | 17 | | | | | | |
| Wisconsin–Stevens Point | Wisconsin–Stevens Point | 21 | Wartburg | Wartburg | 30 | | | | | | | | | |
| Monmouth (IL) | Monmouth (IL) | 42 | Monmouth (IL) | Monmouth (IL) | 28 | | | | | | | | | |
| Aurora | Aurora | 13 | | | | | | | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 39 | | | |
| Millsaps | Millsaps | 51 | | | | | | | Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 13 | | | |
| LaGrange | LaGrange | 26 | Washington & Jefferson | Washington & Jefferson | 35 | | | | | | | | | |
| Washington & Jefferson | Washington & Jefferson | 35 | Millsaps | Millsaps | 20 | | | | | | | | | |
| Christopher Newport | Christopher Newport | 29 | | | | Washington & Jefferson | Washington & Jefferson | 7 | | | | | | |
| Wesley | Wesley | 20 | | | | Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 63 | | | | | | |
| Muhlenberg | Muhlenberg | 0 | Wesley | Wesley | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 38 | Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 46 | | | | | | | | | |
| Hardin–Simmons | Hardin–Simmons | 35 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* Overtime