2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season#NCAA FCS Playoff bracket

September 3 – Villanova 27, Temple 24

September 5 – Richmond 24, Duke 16

September 5 – William & Mary 26, Virginia 14

September 12 – New Hampshire 23, Ball State 16

September 19 – Central Arkansas 28, Western Kentucky 7

• August 27 – {{cfb link|year=2009|team=Quincy Hawks|school=Quincy University|title=Quincy}} 26, {{cfb link|year=2009|team=Indiana State Sycamores|title=Indiana State}} 20 ^OT (Division II over Division I FCS)
• September 5 – {{cfb link|year=2009|team=Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils|school=University of Arkansas at Monticello|title=Arkansas-Monticello}} 27, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• September 5 – {{cfb link|year=2009|team=Shaw Bears|school=Shaw University|title=Shaw}} 20, Bethune-Cookman 6 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• September 5 – {{cfb link|year=2009|team=Saint Joseph's Pumas|school=Saint Joseph's College (Indiana)|title=Saint Joseph's (IN)}} 31, {{cfb link|year=2009|team=Valparaiso Crusaders|title=Valparaiso}} 6 (Division II over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 5 – {{cfb link|year=2009|team=Stonehill Skyhawks|school=Stonehill College|title=Stonehill}} 45, Wagner 42 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• September 12 – {{cfb link|year=2009|team=Birmingham–Southern Panthers|school=Birmingham–Southern College|title=Birmingham–Southern}} 35, Campbell 28 ^OT (Division III over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 12 – Lenoir-Rhyne 42, Davidson 0 (Division II over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 12 – {{cfb link|year=2009|team=Urbana Blue Knights|school=Urbana University|title=Urbana}} 13, Dayton 10 (Division II over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 26 – {{cfb link|year=2009|team=Carthage Red Men|school=Carthage College|title=Carthage}} 34, {{cfb link|year=2009|team=Valparaiso Crusaders|title=Valparaiso}} 24 (Division III over Division I FCS non-scholarship)
• September 26 – {{cfb link|year=2009|team=Concordia-Selma Hornets|school=Concordia College, Selma|title=Concordia (AL)}} 23, Savannah State 21 (USCAA over Division I FCS)
• September 26 – {{cfb link|year=2009|team=Central Washington Wildcats|school=Central Washington University|title=Central Washington}} 33, Idaho State 22 (Division II over Division I FCS)
• October 17 – Sioux Falls 28, {{cfb link|year=2009|team=North Dakota Fighting Sioux|school=University of North Dakota|title=North Dakota}} 13 (NAIA over Division I FCS)
• November 14 – {{cfb link|year=2009|team=Webber International Warriors|school=Webber International University|title=Webber International}} 35, Savannah State 20 (NAIA over Division I FCS)
• November 26 – {{cfb link|year=2009|team=Tuskegee Golden Tigers|school=Tuskegee University|title=Tuskegee}} 21, Alabama State 0 (Division II over Division I FCS)

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.{{cite web |last = Mitchell |first = Fred |title = Eastern Illinois assistant football coach dies in car crash |work=Chicago Tribune |date = 30 November 2009 |url = http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/chi-30-eiu-foot-nov30,0,2935484.story |access-date = 6 December 2009}} The single-vehicle accident occurred south of Effingham when Hoover, his family and EIU strength coach Eric Cash struck a deer while driving home from Carbondale, the home of SIU.{{cite news |last=Huffman |first=Tony |title=EIU football coach killed in I-57 accident |newspaper=Effingham Daily News |date=30 November 2009 |url=http://www.effinghamdailynews.com/local/local_story_334111330.html |access-date=6 December 2009 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130122073954/http://www.effinghamdailynews.com/local/local_story_334111330.html |archive-date=22 January 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}

Hoover's death was the second Eastern Illinois coaching death within a month. On November 4, women's basketball assistant coach Jackie Moore, 28, died after collapsing during a workout on campus.

• Big Sky Conference – Montana
• Colonial Athletic Association – Villanova
• Missouri Valley Football Conference – Southern Illinois
• Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – South Carolina State
• Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Illinois (Jacksonville State had the best record in conference play, but was not eligible for the FCS playoffs because of APR violations.)
• Patriot League – Holy Cross
• Southern Conference – Appalachian State
• Southland Conference – Stephen F. Austin

• Great West Conference – UC Davis
• Big South Conference – Liberty and Stony Brook, co-champions
• Northeast Conference – Central Connecticut State
• Pioneer Football League – Butler and Dayton, co-champions; Butler received the conference's berth in the Gridiron Classic.

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:

• The Sports Network media poll
• The FCS Coaches poll
• A variation of the Gridiron Power Index, using only five of the computer rankings used in that system

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.

• Ivy League – Penn (8–2, 7–0)
• Southwestern Athletic Conference – Prairie View A&M (9–1, 7–0)

(Overall Record, Conference Record)

{{16TeamBracket | RD1=First Round
November 28
Campus sites

| RD2=Quarterfinals
December 5
Campus sites

| RD3=Semifinals
December 11 and December 12
Campus sites

| RD4=National Championship Game

December 18
Finley Stadium
Chattanooga, Tennessee

| team-width=

| RD1-seed01=

| RD1-team01= {{cfb link|year=2009|team=South Dakota State Jackrabbits|title=South Dakota State}} (8–3)

| RD1-score01= 48

| RD1-seed02= 1

| RD1-team02= Montana* (11–0)

| RD1-score02= 61

| RD1-seed03=

| RD1-team03= Eastern Washington (8–3)

| RD1-score03= 33

| RD1-seed04=

| RD1-team04= Stephen F. Austin* (9–2)

| RD1-score04=44

| RD1-seed05=

| RD1-team05= {{cfb link|year=2009|team=Elon Phoenix|title=Elon}} (9–2)

| RD1-score05= 13

| RD1-seed06= 4

| RD1-team06= Richmond* (10–1)

| RD1-score06= 16

| RD1-seed07=

| RD1-team07= South Carolina State (10–1)

| RD1-score07= 13

| RD1-seed08=

| RD1-team08= Appalachian State* (9–2)

| RD1-score08= 20

| RD1-seed09=

| RD1-team09= Holy Cross (9–2)

| RD1-score09= 28

| RD1-seed10= 2

| RD1-team10= Villanova* (10–1)

| RD1-score10= 38

| RD1-seed11=

| RD1-team11= New Hampshire (9–2)

| RD1-score11= 49

| RD1-seed12=

| RD1-team12= McNeese State* (9–2)

| RD1-score12= 13

| RD1-seed13=

| RD1-team13= Eastern Illinois (8–3)

| RD1-score13= 7

| RD1-seed14= 3

| RD1-team14= Southern Illinois* (10–1)

| RD1-score14= 48

| RD1-seed15=

| RD1-team15= Weber State (7–4)

| RD1-score15= 0

| RD1-seed16=

| RD1-team16= William & Mary* (9–2)

| RD1-score16= 38

| RD2-seed01= 1

| RD2-team01= Montana*

| RD2-score01= 51

| RD2-seed02=

| RD2-team02= Stephen F. Austin

| RD2-score02= 0

| RD2-seed03= 4

| RD2-team03= Richmond*

| RD2-score03= 31

| RD2-seed04=

| RD2-team04= Appalachian State

| RD2-score04= 35

| RD2-seed05= 2

| RD2-team05= Villanova*

| RD2-score05=46

| RD2-seed06=

| RD2-team06= New Hampshire

| RD2-score06=7

| RD2-seed07= 3

| RD2-team07= Southern Illinois*

| RD2-score07=3

| RD2-seed08=

| RD2-team08= William & Mary

| RD2-score08= 24

| RD3-seed01= 1

| RD3-team01= Montana*

| RD3-score01=24

| RD3-seed02=

| RD3-team02= Appalachian State

| RD3-score02=17

| RD3-seed03= 2

| RD3-team03= Villanova*

| RD3-score03= 14

| RD3-seed04=

| RD3-team04= William & Mary

| RD3-score04=13

| RD4-seed01= 1

| RD4-team01= Montana

| RD4-score01= 21

| RD4-seed02= 2

| RD4-team02= Villanova

| RD4-score02= 23

}}

* Host institution

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.

{{Col-begin}}

{{Col-2}}

Standings are from The Sports Network final poll.

{{Col-2}}

Standings are from the FCS Coaches final poll.

{{Col-end}}

{{Reflist}}

{{NCAA football season navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2009 NCAA Division I Fcs Football Season}}