2002 NCAA Division I-A football season

2002 NCAA Division I-A season
Heisman Trophy won by Carson Palmer for play during the 2002 season
Number of teams	117[1]
Preseason AP #1	Miami Hurricanes
Post-season
Duration	December 17, 2002 – January 3, 2003
Bowl games	28
Heisman Trophy	Carson Palmer, USC QB
Bowl Championship Series
2003 Fiesta Bowl
Site	Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
Winner	Ohio State Buckeyes
Division I-A football seasons
← 2001 2003 →

The 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season ended the season with a double overtime national championship game. Ohio State and Miami both came into the Fiesta Bowl undefeated. The underdog Buckeyes defeated the Hurricanes 31–24, ending Miami's 34-game winning streak. Jim Tressel won the national championship in only his second year as head coach.

Rose Bowl officials were vocally upset over the loss of the Big Ten champ from the game. Former New England Patriots coach Pete Carroll returned the USC Trojans to a BCS bid in only his second season as head coach. Notre Dame also returned to prominence, as Tyrone Willingham became the first coach in Notre Dame history to win 10 games in his first season.

Beginning with the 2002 season, teams were allowed to schedule twelve regular season games instead of eleven leading to additional revenues for all teams and allowing players the enhanced opportunity to break various statistical records.

Rules changes

The NCAA Rules Committee adopted the following rules changes for the 2002 season:

• The penalty for violating the so-called "Halo Rule" (two yard restricted area around the punt/kick receiver) without making contact with the receiver is increased from five yards to 10 yards.
• Flagrant personal fouls committed during possession by the defense in overtime will be carried over to the next extra period. Previously, those fouls were disregarded but the player committing the foul was ejected from the game.
• All players are required to wear facemasks of the same color.
• Penalties committed during a touchdown play can now either be enforced on the PAT or the ensuing kickoff.

Conference and program changes

No teams upgraded from Division I-AA, leaving the number of Division I-A schools fixed at 117.

• The only conference move during this season saw the University of Central Florida leave the Independent ranks to join the Mid-American Conference as its 14th member.

School	2001 Conference	2002 Conference
Central Florida Knights	I-A Independent	MAC

Conference standings

2002 ACC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #21 Florida State $   7 – 1         9 – 5   #22 Virginia   6 – 2         9 – 5   #13 Maryland   6 – 2         11 – 3   #12 NC State   5 – 3         11 – 3   Clemson   4 – 4         7 – 6   Georgia Tech   4 – 4         7 – 6   Wake Forest   3 – 5         7 – 6   North Carolina   1 – 7         3 – 9   Duke   0 – 8         2 – 10   $ – BCS representative as conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	2002 Big East football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #2 Miami (FL) $   7 – 0         12 – 1   #25 West Virginia   6 – 1         9 – 4   #19 Pittsburgh   5 – 2         9 – 4   #18 Virginia Tech   3 – 4         10 – 4   Boston College   3 – 4         9 – 4   Syracuse   2 – 5         4 – 8   Temple   2 – 5         4 – 8   Rutgers   0 – 7         1 – 11   $ – BCS representative as conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	2002 Big Ten football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #1 Ohio State $+   8 – 0         14 – 0   #8 Iowa %+   8 – 0         11 – 2   #9 Michigan   6 – 2         10 – 3   #16 Penn State   5 – 3         9 – 4   Purdue   4 – 4         7 – 6   Illinois   4 – 4         5 – 7   Minnesota   3 – 5         8 – 5   Wisconsin   2 – 6         8 – 6   Michigan State   2 – 6         4 – 8   Northwestern   1 – 7         3 – 9   Indiana   1 – 7         3 – 9   # – BCS National Champion $ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll[2]
2002 Big 12 football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Northern Division #20 Colorado xy   7 – 1         9 – 5   #7 Kansas State   6 – 2         11 – 2   Iowa State   4 – 4         7 – 7   Nebraska   3 – 5         7 – 7   Missouri   2 – 6         5 – 7   Kansas   0 – 8         2 – 10   Southern Division #5 Oklahoma xy$   6 – 2         12 – 2   #6 Texas x   6 – 2         11 – 2   Texas Tech   5 – 3         9 – 5   Oklahoma State   5 – 3         8 – 5   Texas A&M   3 – 5         6 – 6   Baylor   1 – 7         3 – 9   Championship: Oklahoma 29, Colorado 7 $ – BCS representative as conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll	2002 Conference USA football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #23 TCU +   6 – 2         10 – 2   Cincinnati +   6 – 2         7 – 7   Louisville   5 – 3         7 – 6   Southern Miss   5 – 3         7 – 6   Tulane   4 – 4         8 – 5   UAB   4 – 4         5 – 7   East Carolina   4 – 4         4 – 8   Houston   3 – 5         5 – 7   Memphis   2 – 6         3 – 9   Army   1 – 7         1 – 11   + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll	2002 Mid-American Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   East Division #24 Marshall x$   7 – 1         11 – 2   UCF   6 – 2         7 – 5   Miami   5 – 3         7 – 5   Ohio   4 – 4         4 – 8   Akron   3 – 5         4 – 8   Kent State   1 – 7         3 – 9   Buffalo   0 – 8         1 – 11   West Division Toledo xy   7 – 1         9 – 5   Northern Illinois x   7 – 1         8 – 4   Bowling Green   6 – 2         9 – 3   Ball State   4 – 4         6 – 6   Western Michigan   3 – 5         4 – 8   Central Michigan   2 – 6         4 – 8   Eastern Michigan   1 – 7         3 – 9   Championship: Marshall 49, Toledo 45 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll
2002 Mountain West Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Colorado State $   6 – 1         10 – 4   New Mexico   5 – 2         7 – 7   Air Force   4 – 3         8 – 5   San Diego State   4 – 3         4 – 9   Utah   3 – 4         5 – 6   UNLV   3 – 4         5 – 7   BYU   2 – 5         5 – 7   Wyoming   1 – 6         2 – 10   $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	2002 Pacific-10 football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #10 Washington State $+   7 – 1         10 – 3   #4 USC %+   7 – 1         11 – 2   Arizona State   5 – 3         8 – 6   UCLA   4 – 4         8 – 5   Oregon State   4 – 4         8 – 5   California   4 – 4         7 – 5   Washington   4 – 4         7 – 6   Oregon   3 – 5         7 – 6   Arizona   1 – 7         4 – 8   Stanford   1 – 7         2 – 9   $ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll	2002 SEC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Eastern Division #3 Georgia x$   7 – 1         13 – 1   Florida   6 – 2         8 – 5   Tennessee   5 – 3         8 – 5   Kentucky   3 – 5         7 – 5   South Carolina   3 – 5         5 – 7   Vanderbilt   0 – 8         2 – 10   Western Division #11 Alabama   6 – 2         10 – 3   Arkansas xy   5 – 3         9 – 5   #14 Auburn x   5 – 3         9 – 4   LSU x   5 – 3         8 – 5   Ole Miss   3 – 5         7 – 6   Mississippi State   0 – 8         3 – 9   Championship: Georgia 30, Arkansas 3 $ – BCS representative as conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Alabama had the best division record, but did not participate in postseason play due to NCAA probation. Rankings from AP Poll
2002 Sun Belt football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   North Texas $   6 – 0         8 – 5   New Mexico State   5 – 1         7 – 5   Arkansas State   3 – 3         6 – 7   Middle Tennessee   2 – 4         4 – 8   Louisiana–Lafayette   2 – 4         3 – 9   Louisiana–Monroe   2 – 4         3 – 9   Idaho   1 – 5         2 – 10   $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	2002 WAC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #15 Boise State $   8 – 0         12 – 1   Hawaii   7 – 1         10 – 4   Fresno State   6 – 2         9 – 5   San Jose State   4 – 4         6 – 7   Nevada   4 – 4         5 – 7   Rice   3 – 5         4 – 7   Louisiana Tech   3 – 5         4 – 8   SMU   3 – 5         3 – 9   UTEP   1 – 7         2 – 10   Tulsa   1 – 7         1 – 11   $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll	2002 Division I-A independents football records Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   South Florida   –         9 – 2   #17 Notre Dame   –         10 – 3   Connecticut   –         6 – 6   Utah State   –         4 – 7   Troy   –         4 – 8   Navy   –         2 – 10   Rankings from AP Poll

Bowl Championship Series rankings

WEEK	#1	#2	EVENT
OCT 21	Oklahoma	Miami
OCT 28	Oklahoma	Miami	Ohio State 34, Minnesota 3
NOV 4	Oklahoma	Ohio State	Texas A&M 30, Oklahoma 26
NOV 11	Ohio State	Miami	Ohio State 23, Illinois 16
NOV 18	Miami	Ohio State	Miami 28, Pittsburgh 21
NOV 25	Miami	Ohio State	Miami 49, Syracuse 7
DEC 2	Miami	Ohio State	Miami 56, Va. Tech 45
FINAL	Miami	Ohio State

Final BCS rankings

BCS	School	Record	BCS Bowl game
1	Ohio State	13-0	Fiesta
2	Miami Hurricanes	12-1	Fiesta
3	Georgia	12-1	Sugar
4	USC	10-2	Orange
5	Iowa	11-1	Orange
6	Washington State	10-2	Rose
7	Oklahoma	11-2	Rose
8	Kansas State	10-2
9	Notre Dame	10-2
10	Texas	10-2
11	Michigan	9-3
12	Penn State	9-3
13	Colorado	9-4
14	Florida State	9-4	Sugar
15	West Virginia	9–4

Bowl games

The Rose Bowl normally features the champions of the Big Ten and the Pac-10. However, Big Ten-champion Ohio State, finishing #2 in the BCS, had qualified to play in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl for the national championship against Miami (Fla.)^[3] Earlier in the season, Ohio State had defeated Washington State 25-7.

After the national championship was set, the Orange Bowl had the next pick, and invited #3 (#5 BCS) Iowa from the Big Ten. When it was the Rose Bowl's turn to select, the best available team was #8 (#7 BCS) Oklahoma, who won the Big 12 Championship Game. When it came time for the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl to make a second pick, both wanted Pac-10 co-champion USC. However, a BCS rule stated that if two bowls wanted the same team, the bowl with the higher payoff had priority.^[4] The Orange Bowl immediately extended an at-large bid to the #5 Trojans and paired them with at-large #3 Iowa in a Big Ten/Pac-10 "Rose Bowl East" matchup in the 2003 Orange Bowl. The Rose Bowl was left to pair Oklahoma with Pac-10 co-champion Washington State.^[4] Rose Bowl committee executive director Mitch Dorger was not pleased with the results.^[4]

As such, the BCS instituted a new rule, whereby a bowl losing its conference champion to the BCS championship could "protect" the second-place team from that conference from going to another bowl. This left the Sugar Bowl with #14 BCS Florida State, the winner of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Notre Dame at 10-2 and #9 in the BCS standings was invited to the 2003 Gator Bowl. Kansas State at #8 also was left out.

BCS bowls

• Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State (BCS #2 Big Ten Champ) 31, Miami (BCS #1 Big East Champ) 24 (2 OT)
• Sugar Bowl: Georgia (BCS #3 SEC Champ) 26, Florida State (BCS #14 ACC Champ) 13
• Orange Bowl: USC (BCS #4) 38, Iowa (BCS #5 At-Large) 17
• Rose Bowl: Oklahoma (BCS #7 Big 12 Champ) 34, Washington State (BCS #6 Pac-10 Champ) 14

Other New Years Day bowls

• Cotton Bowl Classic: Texas 35, LSU 20
• Capital One Bowl: Auburn 13, Penn State 9
• Gator Bowl: NC State 28, Notre Dame 6
• Outback Bowl: Michigan 38, Florida 30

December Bowl Games

• Holiday Bowl: Kansas State 34, Arizona State 27
• Peach Bowl: Maryland 30, Tennessee 3
• Tangerine Bowl: Texas Tech 55, Clemson 15
• Sun Bowl: Purdue 34, Washington 24
• Independence Bowl: Mississippi 27, Nebraska 23
• Alamo Bowl: Wisconsin 31, Colorado 28
• Insight Bowl: Pittsburgh 38, Oregon State 13
• Liberty Bowl: TCU (C-USA Champ) 25, Colorado State (MWC Champ) 3
• Humanitarian Bowl: Boise State (WAC Champ) 34, Iowa State 16
• Motor City Bowl: Boston College 51, Toledo (MAC Champ) 25
• Hawai'i Bowl: Tulane 36, Hawai'i 28
• Seattle Bowl: Wake Forest 38, Oregon 17
• San Francisco Bowl: Virginia Tech 20, Air Force 13
• Music City Bowl: Minnesota 29, Arkansas 14
• Las Vegas Bowl: UCLA 27, New Mexico 13
• GMAC Bowl: Marshall 38, Louisville 15
• Silicon Valley Classic: Fresno State 30, Georgia Tech 21
• Houston Bowl: Oklahoma State 33, Southern Miss 23
• Continental Tire Bowl: Virginia 48, West Virginia 22
• New Orleans Bowl: North Texas (Sun Belt Champ) 24, Cincinnati 19

Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award is given to the

Most Outstanding Player of the year
Winner: Carson Palmer (Sr.), QB, USC (1,328 points)

• 2. Brad Banks (Sr.), QB, Iowa (1,095 points)
• 3. Larry Johnson (Sr.), RB, Penn State (726 points)
• 4. Willis McGahee (So.), RB, Miami (660 points)
• 5. Ken Dorsey (Sr.), QB, Miami (643 points)

Other major awards

• Maxwell Award (College player of the Year): Larry Johnson, Penn State
• Walter Camp Award (top back): Larry Johnson, Penn State
• Associated Press Player Of the Year: Brad Banks, Iowa
• Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback): Brad Banks, Iowa
• Johnny Unitas Award (Sr. quarterback): Carson Palmer, USC
• Doak Walker Award (running back): Larry Johnson, Penn State
• Fred Biletnikoff Award (wide receiver): Charles Rogers, Michigan State
• John Mackey Award (tight end): Dallas Clark, Iowa
• Dave Rimington Trophy (center): Brett Romberg, Miami
• Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player): E. J. Henderson, Maryland
• Lombardi Award (top lineman): Terrell Suggs, Arizona State
• Outland Trophy (interior lineman): Rien Long, Washington State
• Dick Butkus (linebacker): E. J. Henderson, Maryland
• Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back): Terence Newman, Kansas State
• Lou Groza Award (placekicker): Nate Kaeding, Iowa
• Ray Guy Award (punter): Mark Mariscal, Colorado
• The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award: Ty Willingham, Notre Dame
• Paul "Bear" Bryant Award: Jim Tressel, Ohio St.

References

1. http://www.jhowell.net/cf/cf2002.htm
2. "2002 NCAA Football Rankings - AP Top 25 Postseason (Jan. 5)". ESPN. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
3. 2002 BCS Standings
4. Rosenblatt, Richard - BCS: Orange Bowl has a Rosy look Associated Press, December 9, 2002