UNH will open at Southern Illinois
The field of 16 teams competing for the 2008 NCAA Division I Football Championship was announced by the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee on Sunday night.James Madison University (10-1) tops the bracket as the top seed after capturing the automatic qualifying berth from the Colonial Athletic Association. The Dukes, who won the 2004 national championship, are making their ninth tournament appearance.
Second-seeded Appalachian State University (10-2), the three-time defending Football Championship Subdivision national champion, is making its 16th appearance. The Mountaineers captured the Southern Conference automatic berth.
The University of Northern Iowa (10-2), which is making its 14th tournament appearance, is the number-three seed. The Panthers were the national runners-up to Appalachian State in 2005.
Rounding out this year's seeded teams is the University of Montana (11-1) with the number- four seed. The Grizzlies, who won the 1995 and 2001 national championship, are making their 16th straight appearance and 19th overall.
Other first-round hosts include Cal Poly (8-2), University of Richmond (9-3), Missouri Valley Football Conference automatic qualifier Southern Illinois University (9-2), and Villanova University (9-2).
Other automatic qualifiers in the tournament include 2003 national runners-up Colgate University (9-2), which earned the automatic bid from the Patriot League. Eastern Kentucky University (8-3) was the automatic qualifier from the Ohio Valley Conference, while South Carolina State University (10-2) earned the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's automatic bid. Texas State University (8-4) was the automatic qualifier from the Southland Conference and Weber State University (9-3) was the automatic qualifier from the Big Sky Conference.
Other teams in the field are University of Maine (8-4), University of New Hampshire (9-2), Richmond University (9-3) and Wofford College (9-2).
Eight conferences received automatic-qualifying berths: the Big Sky Conference, Colonial Athletic Association, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Missouri Valley Football Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference and Southland Conference.
November 29 at Harrisburg, Virginia
Wofford (9-2) at No. 1 James Madison (10-1)
November 29 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Colgate (9-2) at Villanova (9-2)
November 29 at Missoula, Montana
Texas St. (8-4) at No. 4 Montana (11-1)
November 29 at San Luis Obispo, California
Weber St. (9-3) at Cal Poly (8-2)
November 29 at Boone, North Carolina
South Carolina St. (10-2) at No. 2 Appalachian St. (10-2)
November 29 at Richmond, Virginia
Eastern Ky. (8-3) at Richmond (9-3)
November 29 at Cedar Falls, Iowa
Maine (8-4) at No. 3 UNI (10-2)
November 29 at Carbondale, Illinois
New Hampshire (9-2) at Southern Ill. (9-2)







