American college football season
The 2008 NCAA Division III football season , part of the
, 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 .[1]
Program changes
After Tri-State University changed its name to Trine Thunder
at the start of the 2008 season.
Conference standings
2008 Atlantic Central Football Conference standings
Conf
Overall
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 member Rankings from D3football.com
2008 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings
Conf
Overall
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 participant Rankings from D3football.com
2008 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
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 participant Rankings from D3football.com
2008 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
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 participant Rankings from D3football.com
2008 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
W
L
No. 10 Wartburg $^
7
–
1
10
–
3
Buena Vista
6
–
2
7
–
3
Simpson
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 participant Rankings from D3football.com
2008 Liberty League football standings
Conf
Overall
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 participant Rankings from D3football.com
2008 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
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 participant Rankings from D3football.com
2008 Midwest Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
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 participant Rankings from D3football.com
2008 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
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 Northern Athletics Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
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
Conf
Overall
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 participant Rankings from D3football.com
2008 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
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 participant Rankings from D3football.com
2008 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
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
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 – Lycoming
Midwest Conference – Monmouth (IL)
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Saint John's (MN)
New England Football Conference – (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
Aurora
Northwest Conference – Willamette
Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union
Old Dominion Athletic Conference – 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
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
Second Round Campus Sites
Quarterfinals Campus Sites
Semifinals Campus Sites
National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia
Mount Union
56
Randolph–Macon
0
Mount Union
42
Hobart
33
Hobart
7
Lycoming
15
Mount Union
41
Cortland
31
Cortland
14
Plymouth State
14
Cortland
42
Curry
26
Curry
0
Ithaca
21
Mount Union
45
North Central (IL)
44
Wheaton (IL)
24
Thomas More
23
North Central (IL)
28
Franklin
62
Franklin
38
Otterbein
45
Franklin
28
Wabash
20
Wheaton (IL)
45
Case Western Reserve
17
Wabash
28
Wheaton (IL)
14
Wheaton (IL)
59
Trine
0
Mount Union
31
Willamette
48
Wisconsin–Whitewater
26
Occidental
33
Willamette
27
Wisconsin–Whitewater
37
Wisconsin–Whitewater
30
Saint John's
7
Wisconsin–Whitewater
34
Wartburg
26
Wartburg
17
Wisconsin–Stevens Point
21
Wartburg
30
Monmouth (IL)
42
Monmouth (IL)
28
Aurora
13
Wisconsin–Whitewater
39
Millsaps
51
Mary Hardin–Baylor
13
LaGrange
26
Washington & Jefferson
35
Washington & Jefferson
35
Millsaps
20
Christopher Newport
29
Washington & Jefferson
7
Wesley
20
Mary Hardin–Baylor
63
Muhlenberg
0
Wesley
14
Mary Hardin–Baylor
38
Mary Hardin–Baylor
46
Hardin–Simmons
35
* Overtime
See also
References