NCAA football bowl games, 2007–08

The 2007-08 NCAA College Football Bowl Games [cite news | url=http://www.ncaasports.com/football/mens/story/10212797 | title=2007-08 Bowl Information | publisher=NCAA | date=June 5 2007 | accessdate=2007-06-16] post-season schedule followed the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS regular season in college football, which was one of the most inconsistent regular seasons in recent memory, where no school was immune from losing a game to fall from a top ranking.

The NCAA divided Division I into two divisions for football in 1978. The top level, originally known as "Division I-A" and officially changed to the "Football Bowl Subdivision" in 2006, includes teams that play in bowl games. The second level, originally known as "Division I-AA" and renamed the "Football Championship Subdivision" in 2006, consists of smaller schools and conferences, most of which play in a playoff system (although a few conferences, such as the Ivy League, choose not to participate in the playoff). The larger schools, who do not have a playoff system, concludes with a series of bowl games that have developed as a reward for teams that do well in the regular season.

The 2007-08 schedule was as large a lineup as the 2006-07 lineup – all as part of 36 post-season games (32 not counting the post-BCS all-star games) that started with the Poinsettia Bowl on December 20, 2007, and ended with the Texas vs. The Nation all-star game on February 2, 2008. In total, 64 schools out of the 119 schools in the Bowl Subdivision had played in the post-season. This was the result of the NCAA's decision to expand schedules to twelve regular season mainland games (not counting games either played in Hawaii or conference championships games in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big 12 Conference, Southeastern Conference (SEC), Mid-American Conference (MAC) or Conference USA) and allow teams with a 6-6 record to be bowl eligible if either the team or their conference has negotiated a bowl contract.

election of the teams

For the 2007-08 season, NCAA bylaws stipulated that any team that finished with at least a 6-6 overall regular season record can only be selected to fill a conference tie-in bowl slot once all other available conference teams are chosen.

The Big Ten had ten teams who finished with a 6-6 or better regular season record, but only were allocated six slots not including BCS-qualifying Ohio State and Illinois. As a result, Northwestern and Iowa who finished with a 6-6 record did not qualify for a bowl game. Other teams that were left out of the bowl games were Louisville of the Big East; and the SEC's South Carolina, despite the fact that their conference had two BCS-qualifying teams (LSU and Georgia). The MAC's Ohio and Sun Belt members Troy and Louisiana-Monroe also failed to receive invitations. The Troy Trojans (at 8-4) were the most notable absentee from the bowl games, losing their season finale to Florida Atlantic on the last day of the season.

In contrast, Mountain West members TCU was invited to the Texas Bowl as the Big 12 could not fill all of its slots, because not enough teams were left after Kansas was chosen as an at-large team to join conference champion Oklahoma.

Meanwhile, Miami (Ohio) went 6-7, losing the MAC Championship Game. Had the RedHawks won, they would have been eligible. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/standings ESPN - College Football Standings, NCAA College Football Standings, NCAA Football Standings ] ] As a result, the NCAA on April 30 2008 later approved two new bowl games for the the 2008-09 post season: The EagleBank Bowl (nee Congressional Bowl), which will be played at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC will pit an ACC team against either Army or Navy, while the new St. Petersburg Bowl, to be played at Tropicana Field in the Florida City namesake will pit Conference USA and Big East schools against one another.

Coaching changes

As a result of head coaching changes between the regular season and the bowl season, the following teams played their postseason contests with interim head coaches:

* - "The Sun Belt is ineligible for the Bowl Challenge Cup as they failed to have the minimum three teams to qualify."

• - "Clinched 2007-08 Bowl Challenge Cup."

Final Rankings

=Associated Press=

1. LSU (60 First Place votes) 2. Georgia (3) 3. USC (1) 4. Missouri 5. Ohio State 6. West Virginia 7. Kansas (1) 8. Oklahoma 9. Virginia Tech 10. Boston College (tie) Texas 12. Tennessee 13. Florida 14. Brigham Young 15. Auburn 16. Arizona State 17. Cincinnati 18. Michigan 19. Hawaiokinai 20. Illinois 21. Clemson 22. Texas Tech 23. Oregon 24. Wisconsin 25. Oregon State

USA Today Coaches Poll

1. LSU (60 first place votes)^* 2. USC 3. Georgia 4. Ohio State 5. Missouri 6. West Virginia 7. Kansas 8. Oklahoma 9. Virginia Tech 10. Texas 11. Boston College 12. Tennessee 13. Arizona State 14. Auburn (tie) Brigham Young 16. Florida 17. Hawaiokinai 18. Illinois 19. Michigan 20. Cincinnati 21. Wisconsin 22. Clemson 23. Texas Tech 24. Oregon 25. Penn State

* - "By rule, the AFCA members who participate in the poll must list the BCS Title Game winner on all ballots in the first place position."

All-Star Games

*Cornerstone Bancard Hula Bowl - January 12, Aloha Stadium, okinaAiea, Hawaiokinai - okinaAina (East) 38, Kai (West) 7.
*East-West Shrine Game - January 19, Robertson Stadium, Houston, Texas - West 31, East 17.
*Under Armour Senior Bowl - January 26, Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama - South 17, North 16.
*Western Refining Texas vs. The Nation Game - February 2, UTEP Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, Texas - Texas (players who went to high school or college in that state) 41, The Nation 14

References

External links

* [http://www.bcsfootball.org/ Home page of the Bowl Championship Series]
* [http://rankings.amath.unc.edu/ Mathematicians Examine the BCS]
* [http://www.mreplay.com/view_video.php?viewkey=16d9e1d14bf972262450 Video of 2007-8 BCS Announcements and Celebrations of Selected Teams on mReplay]