2008–09 NCAA football bowl games

The 2008–09 NCAA football bowl games, which concluded the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, contained a record number of bowl games scheduled in college football history. A total of 37 bowl games, 34 team-competitive games and three all-star games, were played starting on December 20, 2008 with four contests and concludeing with the Texas vs. The Nation Game in El Paso, Texas, played on January 31, 2009 at Sun Bowl Stadium. For the first time in 62 years, however, the Hula Bowl was not a part of the post-season as it was cancelled indefinitely.

The NCAA divided Division I schools into two divisions starting in 1978: The Football Bowl Subdivision (known as Division I-A from 1978 through 2005) does not have a playoff system, and rewards schools which have football programs with outstanding records on the field during a season to play in bowl games as a reward. The Football Championship Subdivision (known through this same period as Division I-AA) plays in a sixteen-team, single elimination tournament for a recognized national championship, with the notable exceptions of the Ivy League, which abstains from football playoff participation, and the Southwestern Athletic Conference, who have their own playoff in this division.

Of the 34 team-competitive games scheduled, two were new for the 2008–09 season: The EagleBank Bowl, played in Washington, D.C. at RFK Stadium, which was the first Bowl Game to be played on December 20 with an 11 AM kickoff and The magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl, played in the Florida namesake city at Tropicana Field.^[1] This meant that a total of 68 teams out of 119 in the FBS played in bowl games, provided they met certain criteria listed below.

Selection of the teams

NCAA bylaws say that a school with a record of 6–6 in regular season play and at least 5 wins over FBS teams are eligible only after conferences cannot fill out available positions for bowl games with teams having seven (or more) wins automatically eligible, excluding games played in Hawaii and conference championship games in the ACC, Big 12, Conference USA, MAC and the SEC.

Number of bowl teams per state.

After the final regular-season games on December 7, 2008, four conferences — the Pac-10, the SEC, the Big 12, and the Big Ten — did not have enough teams to fill their bowl game allotments. The Pac-10 had seven contracted bowl slots with only five teams eligible. The last two bowls in the Pac-10 pecking order—the Hawaiʻi Bowl (sixth) and Poinsettia Bowl (seventh)—had contingency contracts with other conferences, respectively Conference USA and the WAC, to select one of the secondary conference's teams should the Pac-10 fail to supply enough eligible teams to supply that bowl. However, because C-USA had only six bowl-eligible teams to fill its six primary bowl slots, the Pac-10/C-USA slot in the Hawaiʻi Bowl became an at-large spot, and was awarded to Notre Dame. The SEC and Big 12 failed to produce enough teams to fill their requirements even before both conferences had two teams selected to BCS games, while the Big Ten was unable to fill its requirements once a second team from that conference (Ohio State) was selected to a BCS game. The Atlantic Coast Conference sent an NCAA-record ten teams to bowl games this season.^[2] Since 72 teams were bowl-eligible, but only 68 bowl slots were available, four teams were left out of bowl games. Unlike in 2007, when an eight-win Troy team was left home for the postseason, no team with seven or more wins went without a bowl bid this year. All four uninvited teams — Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Louisiana-Lafayette, and San José State — had six wins.

Results

NOTE: Rankings from final BCS Standings of December 7, 2008.

Non BCS Contests^[3]
Date	Game	Site	Score
December 20	EagleBank Bowl	RFK Stadium Washington, DC	Wake Forest 29 (8–5) Navy 19 (8–5)
December 20	New Mexico Bowl	University Stadium University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM	Colorado State 40 (7–6) Fresno State 35^[4] (7–6)
December 20	magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl	Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, FL	South Florida 41 (8–5) Memphis 14^[5] (6–7)
December 20	Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl	Sam Boyd Stadium University of Nevada, Las Vegas Whitney, NV	Arizona 31 (8–5) (16) Brigham Young 21^[6] (10–3)
December 21	R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA	Southern Mississippi 30 (7–6) Troy (Sun Belt Champion) 27^[7](8–5) (OT)
December 23	SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl	Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA	(11) TCU 17 (11–2) (9) Boise State (WAC Champion) 16 (12–1)
December 24	Sheraton Hawaiʻi Bowl	Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI	Notre Dame 49 (7–6) Hawaiʻi 21 (7–7)
December 26	Motor City Bowl	Ford Field Detroit, MI	Florida Atlantic 24 (7–6) Central Michigan 21 (8-5)^[8]
December 27	Meineke Car Care Bowl	Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC	West Virginia 31 (9–4) North Carolina 30 (8–5)
December 27	Champs Sports Bowl	Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	Florida State 42 (9–4) Wisconsin 13 (7–6)
December 27	Emerald Bowl	AT&T Park San Francisco, CA	California 24 (9–4) Miami (FL) 17 (7–6)
December 28	Independence Bowl	Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA	Louisiana Tech 17 (8–5)^[9] NIU 10 (6–7)
December 29	Papajohns.com Bowl	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	Rutgers 29 (8–5) North Carolina State 23 (6–7)
December 29	Valero Energy Alamo Bowl	Alamodome San Antonio, TX	(21) Missouri 30 (10–4) (23) Northwestern 23 (9–4) (OT)
December 30	Roady's Humanitarian Bowl	Bronco Stadium Boise State University Boise, ID	Maryland 42 (8–5) Nevada 35 (7–6)
December 30	Pacific Life Holiday Bowl	Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA	(17) Oregon 42 (10–3) (13) Oklahoma State 31 (9–4)
December 30	Texas Bowl	Reliant Stadium Houston, TX	Rice 38 (10–3) Western Michigan 14 (9–4)
December 31	Bell Helicopters Armed Forces Bowl	Amon G. Carter Stadium Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX	Houston 34 (8–5) Air Force 28 (8–5)
December 31	Brut Sun Bowl	Sun Bowl Stadium University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX	Oregon State 3 (9–3) (20) Pittsburgh 0 (9–4)
December 31	Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl	LP Field Nashville, TN	Vanderbilt 16 (7–6) (24) Boston College 14 (9–5)
December 31	Insight Bowl	Sun Devil Stadium Arizona State University Tempe, AZ	Kansas 42 (8–5) Minnesota 21 (7–6)
December 31	Chick-fil-A Bowl	Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA	LSU 38 (8–5) (14) Georgia Tech 3 (9–4)
January 1	Outback Bowl	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL	Iowa 31 (9–4) South Carolina 10 (7–4)
January 1	Konica Minolta Gator Bowl	Jacksonville Municipal Stadium Jacksonville, FL	Nebraska 26 (8–4)^[10] Clemson 21 (7–5)
January 1	Capital One Bowl	Citrus Bowl Orlando FL	(15) Georgia 24 (10–3) (18) Michigan State 12 (9–4)
January 2	AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic	Cotton Bowl, Fair Park Dallas, TX	(25) Ole Miss 47 (9–4) (7) Texas Tech 34 (11–2)
January 2	AutoZone Liberty Bowl	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	Kentucky 25 (7–6) East Carolina (C-USA Champion) 19 (9–5)
January 3	International Bowl	Rogers Centre Toronto, ON	UConn 38 (8–5) Buffalo (MAC Champion) 20 (8–6)
January 6	GMAC Bowl	Ladd Peebles Stadium Mobile, AL	Tulsa 45 (11–3) (22) Ball State 13 (12–2)
Bowl Championship Series
Date	Game	Site	Score
January 1	Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi	Rose Bowl Stadium Pasadena, CA	(5) USC (Pac-10 Champion) 38 (12–1) (8) Penn State (Big Ten co-Champion) 24 (11–2)^[11]
January 1	FedEx Orange Bowl	Dolphin Stadium Miami Gardens, FL	(19) Virginia Tech (ACC Champion)^[11] 20 (10–4) (12) Cincinnati (Big East Champion) 7 (11–3)
January 2	Allstate Sugar Bowl	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA	(6) Utah (MWC Champion)^[11] 31 (13-0) (4) Alabama (SEC runner-up) 17 (12-2)^[12]
January 5	Tostitos Fiesta Bowl	University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, AZ	(3) Texas (Big 12) 24 (12-1) (10) Ohio State (Big Ten co-champion) 21 (10-3)^[11]
January 8	2009 FedEx BCS National Championship	Dolphin Stadium Miami Gardens, FL	(2) Florida (SEC Champion) 24 (1) Oklahoma (Big 12 Champion) 14 ^[13]

Conference bowl representation

Bowl Appearances						Final Rankings
Conference	No. of Teams	Record	Pct.	Winners	Losers	Ranked Teams	Team	AP (1/9/09)	Coaches (1/9/09)	BCS (12/7/08)
Pac-10	5	5–0	1.000	USC Oregon Oregon State California Arizona		4	USC	#3(1)	#2	#5
							Oregon	#10	#9	#17
							Oregon State	#18	#19	NR
							California	NR	#25	NR
	Winners of 2008-09 Bowl Challenge Cup with perfect record.
SEC	8	6–2	0.750	Florida Georgia Ole Miss Vanderbilt LSU Kentucky	Alabama South Carolina	4	Florida	#1(48)	#1(60)	#2
							Alabama	#6	#6	#4
							Georgia	#13	#10	#15
							Ole Miss	#14	#15	#25
	Florida won the National Championship. Vanderbilt won in a bowl for the first time since 1955. Kentucky won a bowl for the third straight season, a first in school history.
Big East	6	4–2	0.667	West Virginia South Florida Rutgers Connecticut	Cincinnati Pittsburgh	3	Cincinnati	#17	#17	#12
							West Virginia	#23	NR	NR
							Pittsburgh	NR	NR	#20
	Both of the Big East's BCS-ranked teams lost their games.
Big 12	7	4–3	0.571	Texas Missouri Kansas Nebraska	Oklahoma Texas Tech Oklahoma State	5	Texas	#4	#3	#3
							Oklahoma	#5	#6	#1
							Texas Tech	#12	#12	#7
							Oklahoma State	#16	#18	#13
							Missouri	#19	#16	#21

Conference USA	6	4–2	0.667	Southern Mississippi Rice Houston Tulsa	Memphis East Carolina	0	none
Conference USA	Rice ended a 54-year winless streak in bowls, Houston ended theirs at 28.
Mountain West	5	3–2	0.600	Utah TCU Colorado State	Brigham Young Air Force	3	Utah	#2(16)	#4(1)	#6
							TCU	#7	#7	#11
							Brigham Young	#25	#21	#16
	Utes became first BCS outsider to win two BCS games; their other was the 2005 Fiesta Bowl. The Utes also won their eighth straight bowl game.
Independents	2	1–1	0.500	Notre Dame	Navy	0	none
Independents	Notre Dame won first bowl game since 1994 Cotton Bowl Classic.
Sun Belt	2	1–1	0.500	Florida Atlantic	Troy	0	none
Sun Belt	Only conference ineligible for 2008-09 Bowl Challenge Cup.
ACC	10	4–6	0.400	Virginia Tech Florida State Maryland Wake Forest	Georgia Tech Boston College North Carolina Miami (FL) NC State Clemson	4	Virginia Tech	#15	#14	#19
							Georgia Tech	#22	#22	#14
							Florida State	#21	#23	NR
							Boston College	NR	NR	#24
	The ACC's ten teams in postseason is a new NCAA record. Boston College's streak of bowl wins in eight consecutive seasons ended.
Western Athletic	5	1–4	0.200	Louisiana Tech	Boise State Fresno State Hawaiʻi Nevada	1	Boise State	#11	#13	#9
Western Athletic
Big Ten	7	1–6	0.143	Iowa	Penn State Ohio State Michigan State Northwestern Minnesota Wisconsin	5	Penn State	#8	#8	#8
							Ohio State	#9	#11	#10
							Iowa	#20	#20	NR
							Michigan State	#24	#24	#18
							Northwestern	NR	#NR	#23
	Iowa's win in Outback Bowl avoided a total shutout.
Mid-American	5	0–5	0.000		Ball State Central Michigan NIU Western Michigan Buffalo	1	Ball State	NR	NR	#22
Mid-American	Only winless conference in bowl season.

NOTE: BCS teams are listed in italics.

Post-BCS All-Star Games

All-Star Game	Date	Location	Television	Result
East-West Shrine Game^[14]	January 17, 2009	Robertson Stadium University of Houston Houston, Texas	ESPN2	East 24, West 19
Senior Bowl^[15]^[16]	January 24, 2009	Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama	NFL Network	South 35, North 18
Texas vs. The Nation Game^[17]	January 31, 2009	Sun Bowl Stadium University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, Texas	CBS College Sports Network	The Nation 27, Texas 24

References

↑ "St. Petersburg, Washington will host bowl games in 2008". ESPN. 2008-04-30. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
↑ "Unbeaten Boise State heads Poinsettia; ACC slots 10". The Sporting News. The Sporting News. 2008-12-07. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
↑ "2008–09 Bowl Schedule". CBSSports.com. 2008-06-19. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
↑ "Fresno State will represent WAC in New Mexico Bowl". AP. 2008-12-04. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
↑ Memphis Tigers to play South Florida in Dec. 20 bowl in St. Pete
↑ BYU, Arizona will meet in Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 20
↑ Outright Champions!
↑ MSU gets Capital One Bowl, CMU back to Motor City
↑ "tech to play in Independence Bowl". Shreveport Times. 2008-12-03. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
↑ Nebraska's Going Gator
1 2 3 4 2008–09 Bowl Schedule. FOX Sports on MSN.
↑ Lewis, Michael (2008-12-07). "Utes will face Alabama in Sugar Bowl". Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
↑ Oklahoma, Florida to meet in BCS Championship Game. Fox Sports on MSN.
↑ http://www.shrinegame.com/press_release/84_game/EWSG_Player_Alert_12-3-08.pdf
↑ http://www.seniorbowl.com/images/fanguide09.pdf
↑ http://www.seniorbowl.com/2009schedule.asp
↑ http://texasvsthenation.cstv.com/

2008–09 NCAA football bowl game season

EagleBank (Dec. 20) New Mexico (Dec. 20) St. Petersburg (Dec. 20) Las Vegas (Dec. 20) New Orleans (Dec. 21) Poinsettia (Dec. 23) Hawaii (Dec. 24) Motor City (Dec. 26) Meineke Car Care (Dec. 27) Champs Sports (Dec. 27) Emerald (Dec. 27) Independence (Dec. 28) PapaJohns.com (Dec. 29) Alamo (Dec. 29) Humanitarian (Dec. 30) Holiday (Dec. 30) Texas (Dec. 30) Armed Forces (Dec. 31) Sun (Dec. 31) Music City (Dec. 31) Insight (Dec. 31) Chick-fil-A (Dec. 31) Outback (Jan. 1) Gator (Jan. 1) Capital One (Jan. 1) Cotton (Jan. 2) Liberty (Jan. 2) International (Jan. 3) GMAC (Jan. 6)

Bowl Championship Series games: Rose (Jan. 1) Orange (Jan. 1) Sugar (Jan. 2) Fiesta (Jan. 5) BCS National Championship (Jan. 8)

All-Star Games: East-West Shrine Game (Jan. 17) Senior Bowl (Jan. 24) Texas vs. The Nation Game (Jan. 31)

2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season

Conference seasons	ACC Big 12 Big East Big Ten Conference USA Mid-American Mountain West Pac-10 SEC Sun Belt WAC

Bowl season	2008–09 NCAA football bowl games

All-Americans	2008 College Football All-America Team

National champion	Florida Gators

NCAA football bowl seasons

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