2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season The 2009 NCAA Division I FCS ( Football Championship Subdivision ) football season , part of the college football season , began in August 2009 and concluded with the national championship game on December 18 , 2009 in Chattanooga , Tennessee , won by Villanova 23 – 21 over Montana . Rule changes for 2009 . The NCAA football rules committee proposed several rule changes for 2009 . Before these rules were officially adopted , the proposals had to be approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel . The rule changes include the following : FCS team wins over FBS teams . In the 2009 season , FCS teams played a total of 91 games against FBS opponents . Notably , four of the five victorious FCS teams — all except Central Arkansas — were members of the Colonial Athletic Association . All four made that season ' s playoffs and advanced to the quarterfinals . Richmond lost in that round to Appalachian State , while Villanova defeated both New Hampshire ( quarterfinals ) and William & Mary ( semifinals ) on its way to the national title . Dropped programs . After Northeastern ' s final game of the season , a 33 – 27 win over Rhode Island on November 21 , the school announced that it was dropping the football program . The Huskies ended their 74th season with a 3 – 8 record , but school officials cited that losing seasons were not the determining factor . On December 3 , Hofstra also announced that it was dropping their football program in favor of academic funding . The football team , which finished the season 5 – 6 after a 52 – 38 win over Massachusetts , ended their program after 73 years . The Colonial Athletic Association , where both teams had been placed , will replace the two programs with new programs at Old Dominion and Georgia State in 2011 and 2012 , respectively . Old Dominion started its program during the 2009 season ; Georgia State started theirs in 2010 . 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 and his family 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 , assistant women ' s basketball coach Jackie Moore , 28 , died after collapsing during a workout on campus . Conference champions . Invitation . 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 : 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 . Postseason . NCAA FCS Playoff bracket . < nowiki > * < / nowiki > " Host institution " 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 .