| Year: | 2008 |
| Number Of Teams: | 119 + 1 transitional |
| Preseason Ap: | Georgia |
| Regular Season: | August 28 – December 6 |
| Number Of Bowls: | 34 |
| Bowl Start: | December 20, 2008 |
| Bowl End: | January 31, 2009 |
| Championship System: | Bowl Championship Series |
| Championship Bowl: | 2009 BCS Championship Game |
| Championship Location: | Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida |
| Champions: | Florida |
| Heisman: | Sam Bradford (quarterback, Oklahoma) |
The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The regular season began on August 28, 2008, and ended on December 6, 2008. The postseason concluded on January 8, 2009, with the BCS National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida, which featured the top two teams ranked by the Bowl Championship Series (BCS): the No. 2 Florida Gators (No. 1 in the AP Poll) and No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners (No. 2 in the AP Poll). Florida defeated Oklahoma by a score of 24–14 to win their second BCS title in three years and third overall national championship in school history. The Utah Utes were selected national champions by Anderson & Hester after beating the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2009 Sugar Bowl, finishing the season as the nation's only undefeated team.[1]
The NCAA football rules committee made rule changes for 2008, including the following:[2] [3]
Western Kentucky upgraded from Division I FCS and played the 2008 season as a transitional Division I FBS member.
Rankings reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 8 and beyond will list BCS Rankings first and AP Poll second. Teams that failed to be a top 10 team for one poll or the other will be noted.
| Rank | Date | Matchup | Channel | Viewers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 6, 4:00 ET | No. 2 Florida vs. No. 1 Alabama | CBS, SEC Championship | 15.061 Million | |
| 2 | November 1, 8:00 ET | No. 1 Texas vs. No. 7 Texas Tech | ESPN on ABC | 12.204 Million | |
| 3 | September 13, 8:00 ET | No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 1 USC | ESPN on ABC | 11.800 Million | |
| 4 | November 22, 8:00 ET | No. 2 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oklahoma | ESPN on ABC | 10.742 Million | |
| 5 | October 25, 8:00 ET | No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 9 Ohio State | ESPN on ABC | 10.367 Million | |
| 6 | November 29, 8:00 ET | No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 12 Oklahoma State | ESPN on ABC | 9.525 Million | |
| 7 | December 6, 8:00 ET | No. 20 Missouri vs. No. 2 Oklahoma | ESPN on ABC, Big 12 Championship | 8.762 Million | |
| 8 | November 8, 8:00 ET | No. 9 Oklahoma State vs. No. 2 Texas Tech, No. 21 California vs No. 7 USC | Regional ESPN on ABC | 8.483 Million | |
| 9 | November 8, 3:30 ET | No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 16 LSU | CBS | 8.137 Million | |
| 10 | October 11, 12:00 ET | No. 5 Texas vs. No. 1 Oklahoma | ESPN on ABC | 7.726 Million[4] |
Rankings reflect the Week 14 AP Poll before the games were played.
| Date | Conference | Winner | Runner-Up | Score | Site | TV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 6 | Virginia Tech | No. 18 Boston College | 30–12 | ABC | |||
| December 6 | No. 4 Oklahoma | No. 19 Missouri | 62–21 | ABC | |||
| December 6 | East Carolina | Tulsa | 27–24 | ESPN2 | |||
| December 5 | Buffalo | No. 12 Ball State | 42–24 | ESPN2 | |||
| December 6 | No. 2 Florida | No. 1 Alabama | 31–20 | CBS |
Rankings are from the Week 15 AP Poll.
| Conference | Champion | |
|---|---|---|
| Big East | No. 12 Cincinnati | |
| No. 6 Penn StateNo. 10 Ohio State | ||
| Mountain West | No. 7 Utah | |
| Pac-10 | No. 5 USC | |
| Sun Belt | Troy | |
| WAC | No. 9 Boise State |
See main article: 2008–09 NCAA football bowl games. Winners are listed in boldface. Rankings are from the final pre-bowl AP Poll.
See main article: Bowl Championship Series. After the completion of the regular season and conference championship games, seven teams had secured BCS berths: ACC champion Virginia Tech, Big East champion Cincinnati, Big Ten champion Penn State, Big 12 champion Oklahoma, Pac-10 champion USC, SEC champion Florida, and Mountain West champion Utah, who qualified as the highest-ranked BCS non-AQ conference champion. With Oklahoma and Florida being selected to play in the championship, Texas and Alabama assumed their conference's berths in the Fiesta and Sugar Bowls, respectively. The remaining at-large berth was awarded to Ohio State, who were selected despite being ranked No. 10 by the BCS, behind No. 9 Boise State. BCS No. 7 Texas Tech did not receive an at-large bid because the Big 12 had already been awarded the maximum of two BCS selections per conference.
| Bowl Game | Date | Visitor | Home | Score | TV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi (Pasadena, CA) | January 1[5] | No. 5 USC | No. 6 Penn State[6] | 38–24 | ABC | |
| FedEx Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, FL) | January 1 | No. 21 Virginia Tech[7] | 7–20 | FOX | ||
| Allstate Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, LA) | January 2 | No. 7 Utah | No. 4 Alabama | 31–17 | FOX | |
| Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ) | January 5 | No. 3 Texas | 21–24 | FOX | ||
| FedEx BCS National Championship Game (Miami Gardens, FL) | January 8 | No. 1 Florida | 24–14 | FOX |
| Conference | Wins | Losses | Pct. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pac-10 | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| SEC | 6 | 2 | .750 | |
| Big East | 4 | 2 | .667 | |
| C-USA | 4 | 2 | .667 | |
| MWC | 3 | 2 | .600 | |
| Big 12 | 4 | 3 | .571 | |
| Sun Belt * | 1 | 1 | .500 | |
| ACC | 4 | 6 | .400 | |
| WAC | 1 | 4 | .200 | |
| Big Ten | 1 | 6 | .143 | |
| MAC | 0 | 5 | .000 |
The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player
| Player | School | Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Bradford | Oklahoma | QB | 300 | 315 | 196 | 1,726 | |
| QB | 266 | 288 | 230 | 1,604 | |||
| QB | 309 | 207 | 234 | 1,575 | |||
| QB | 13 | 44 | 86 | 213 | |||
| Texas Tech | WR | 3 | 27 | 53 | 116 | ||
| RB | 5 | 9 | 32 | 65 | |||
| QB | 3 | 1 | 8 | 19 | |||
| QB | 0 | 1 | 8 | 10 | |||
| LB | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |||
| RB | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8 |
Top Player
| Award | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| Walter Camp Award | Colt McCoy, Texas | |
| Griffin Award | Colt McCoy, Texas | |
| Maxwell Award | Tim Tebow, Florida |
Coaching
| Award | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award | Nick Saban, Alabama[12] | |
| Associated Press Coach of the Year | Nick Saban, Alabama | |
| Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (head coach) | Kyle Whittingham, Utah | |
| Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award | Nick Saban, Alabama[13] | |
| Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year | Nick Saban, Alabama[14] | |
| Walter Camp Coach of the Year (head coach) | Nick Saban, Alabama | |
| Broyles Award (assistant coach) | Kevin Wilson, Oklahoma |
Offense
| Award | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| Dave Rimington Trophy (Center) | A. Q. Shipley, Penn State | |
| Davey O'Brien Award (Quarterback) | Sam Bradford, Oklahoma | |
| Doak Walker Award (Running Back) | Shonn Greene, Iowa | |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award (Wide Receiver) | Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech | |
| John Mackey Award (Tight End) | Chase Coffman, Missouri | |
| Johnny Unitas Award (Sr. Quarterback) | Graham Harrell, Texas Tech | |
| Manning Award (quarterback) | Tim Tebow, Florida |
Defense
| Award | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Defensive Player) | Brian Orakpo, Texas | |
| Chuck Bednarik Award (Defensive Player) | Rey Maualuga, USC | |
| Dick Butkus Award (Linebacker) | Aaron Curry, Wake Forest | |
| Lott Trophy (defensive impact) | James Laurinaitis, Ohio State | |
| Jim Thorpe Award (Defensive Back) | Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State | |
| Ted Hendricks Award (defensive end) | Brian Orakpo, Texas |
Lineman
| Award | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| Outland Trophy (interior lineman) | Andre Smith, Alabama | |
| Lombardi Award (Top Lineman) | Brian Orakpo, Texas |
Special teams
| Award | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| Ray Guy Award (punter) | Matt Fodge, Oklahoma State | |
| Lou Groza Award (placekicker) | Graham Gano, Florida State |
Other
| Award | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| Draddy Trophy ("Academic Heisman") | Alex Mack, California | |
| Wuerffel Trophy (humanitarian-athlete) | Tim Tebow, Florida[15] |
See main article: 2008 College Football All-America Team.
| QB | Sam Bradford | 6'4" | 223 | So. | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Oklahoma |
| RB | Shonn Greene | 5'11" | 235 | Sr. | Atco, New Jersey | Iowa |
| RB | Javon Ringer | 5'9" | 202 | Sr. | Dayton, Ohio | Michigan State |
| WR | Michael Crabtree | 6'3" | 214 | So. | Dallas, Texas | Texas Tech |
| WR | Dez Bryant | 6'2" | 225 | So. | Lufkin, Texas | Oklahoma State |
| TE | Chase Coffman | 6'6" | 244 | Sr. | Peculiar, Missouri | Missouri |
| T | Andre Smith | 6'4" | 330 | Jr. | Birmingham, Alabama | Alabama |
| T | Michael Oher | 6'5" | 322 | Sr. | Memphis, Tennessee | Mississippi |
| G | Duke Robinson | 6'5" | 329 | Sr. | Atlanta, Georgia | Oklahoma |
| G | Brandon Carter | 6'7" | 334 | Jr. | Longview, Texas | Texas Tech |
| C | Antoine Caldwell | 6'3" | 305 | Sr. | Montgomery, Alabama | Alabama |
| DE | Brian Orakpo | 6'3" | 263 | Sr. | Greenwood, Mississippi | Texas | |
| DE | Aaron Maybin | 6'4" | 249 | Jr. | Baltimore, Maryland | Penn State | |
| DT | Terrence Cody | 6'5" | 365 | Jr. | Fort Myers, Florida | Alabama | |
| DE | Jerry Hughes | 6'3" | 257 | Jr. | Sugar Land, Texas | TCU | |
| LB | Rey Maualuga | 6'2" | 260 | Sr. | Eureka, California | USC | |
| LB | James Laurinaitis | 6'4" | 244 | Sr. | Wayzata, Minnesota | Ohio State | |
| LB | Brandon Spikes | 6'3" | 249 | Jr. | Shelby, North Carolina | Florida | |
| CB | Malcolm Jenkins | 6'0" | 204 | Sr. | Piscataway, New Jersey | Ohio State | |
| CB | Alphonso Smith | 5'9" | 190 | Sr. | Pahokee, Florida | Wake Forest | |
| Safety | Eric Berry | 6'0" | 211 | So. | Fairburn, Georgia | Tennessee | |
| Safety | Taylor Mays | 6'3" | 230 | Jr. | Irving, Texas | USC |
| Kicker | Louie Sakoda | 5'9" | 175 | Sr. | San Jose, California | Utah |
| Punter | Kevin Huber | 6'1" | 214 | Sr. | Cincinnati, Ohio | Cincinnati |
| RS | Brandon James | 5'7" | 186 | Jr. | St. Augustine, Florida | Florida |
| RS | Jeremy Maclin | 6'0" | 198 | Jr. | Kirkwood, Missouri | Missouri |
See also: 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings.
| Rank | Associated Press | colspan'"1" | USA TODAY/AFCA* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | Florida | |
| 2 | Utah | Southern California | |
| 3 | Southern California | Texas | |
| 4 | Texas | Utah≠ | |
| 5 | Oklahoma | Oklahoma | |
| 6 | Alabama | Alabama | |
| 7 | Texas Christian | Texas Christian | |
| 8 | Penn State | Penn State | |
| 9 | Ohio State | Oregon | |
| 10 | Oregon | Georgia | |
| 11 | Boise State | Ohio State | |
| 12 | Texas Tech | Texas Tech | |
| 13 | Georgia | Boise State | |
| 14 | Mississippi | Virginia Tech | |
| 15 | Virginia Tech | Mississippi | |
| 16 | Oklahoma State | Missouri | |
| 17 | Cincinnati | Cincinnati | |
| 18 | Oregon State | Oklahoma State | |
| 19 | Missouri | Oregon State | |
| 20 | Iowa | Iowa | |
| 21 | Florida State | Brigham Young | |
| 22 | Georgia Tech | Georgia Tech | |
| 23 | West Virginia | Florida State | |
| 24 | Michigan State | Michigan State | |
| 25 | Brigham Young | California |
* - The AFCA requires that their voters make the winner of the BCS Championship at the number one position in the final poll.
≠ - Kyle Whittingham, head coach of Utah, broke the AFCA requirement and voted his team number one on his ballot.