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).

2008 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 2008
Playoffs	November – December 2008
National championship	Salem Football Stadium Salem, VA
Champion	Mount Union (10)
Gagliardi Trophy	Greg Micheli (QB), Mount Union
NCAA Division III football seasons

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 Conf Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com	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 Centennial Conference football standings Conf Overall 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 participant 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 (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 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 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall 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 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 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall 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 Conf Overall 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 champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2008 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall 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 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 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall 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 participant 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 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall 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 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
2008 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall 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 Conf Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com	2008 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall 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 Conf Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com	2008 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall 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 Conf Overall 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 Conf Overall 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 participant Rankings from D3football.com	2008 NCAA Division III independents football records Conf Overall 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					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

• 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season
• 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season
• 2008 NCAA Division II football season