2004 NCAA Division I-A football season - wikipedia 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season This article 's lead section may be too long for the length of the article. Please help by moving some material from it into the body of the article. Please read the layout guide and lead section guidelines to ensure the section will still be inclusive of all essential details. Please discuss this issue on the article 's talk page. ( January 2015 ) 2004 NCAA Division I-A season Heisman Trophy won by Matt Leinart for the 2004 season Number of teams 117 full members + 2 transitional Preseason AP No. 1 USC Trojans Post-season Duration December 14, 2004 -- January 4, 2005 Bowl games 28 Heisman Trophy Matt Leinart, USC QB Bowl Championship Series 2005 Orange Bowl Site Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida Winner USC Trojans ( vacated ) Division I-A football seasons ← 2003 2005 → The 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) in 2004. The regular season began on August 28, 2004 and ended on December 4, 2004. The postseason concluded on January 4, 2005 with the Orange Bowl, which served as the season 's BCS National Championship Game. USC defeated Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl by a score of 55 -- 19, which earned the Trojans their second consecutive AP title and first - ever BCS title. The Orange Bowl win and accompanying BCS title were later vacated as part of the sanctions levied against USC following an NCAA investigation. USC appealed the decision but was denied by the NCAA, and the 2004 BCS title was officially vacated on June 6, 2011. Contents 1 Rule changes 2 Conference changes 3 BCS Controversy 3.1 Undefeated teams 3.2 Rose Bowl 3.3 AP Poll 4 Conference standings 5 Final AP Poll 6 Bowl games 6.1 BCS bowls 6.2 Other New Years Day bowls 6.3 December bowl games 7 Heisman Trophy voting 8 Other major awards 9 See also 10 References Rule changes The NCAA Rules Committee adopted the following rule changes for the 2004 season : Instant replay would make its debut in college football, as the Big Ten Conference began to use it on a one - year experimental basis. Officials are allowed to announce the number of a player committing a penalty, similar to the NFL. Modifying the rule regarding offensive substitutions made and rushing to snap the ball before the defense can make their changes ; eliminating the five yard penalty for the first offense ( but stopping play and warning the offensive team ), but maintaining the 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for further violations. Allowing the head coach to request a time - out. Allowing the receiving team the option to enforce encroachment penalties on punts / kickoffs either from the end of the return or from the previous line of scrimmage, requiring a re-kick. Leaping on PAT / Field Goal attempts is prohibited. Defensive pass interference will not be called when a kicker throws a ball high and downfield to simulate a pass. Roughing the passer will not be called if a defensive player is blocked into the passer. Conference changes Main article : 2005 NCAA conference realignment Prior to the 2004 season, Miami ( FL ) and Virginia Tech left the Big East Conference to join the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ), giving the ACC 11 members. Connecticut joined the Big East after having been an Independent since ascending to Division I-A in 2000. Troy also left their Independent status and joined the Sun Belt Conference. Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University moved up from Division I - AA and became I-A Independents. School 2003 Conference 2004 Conference Connecticut Huskies I-A Independent Big East Florida Atlantic Owls I - AA Independent I-A Independent Florida International Panthers I - AA Independent I-A Independent Miami Hurricanes Big East ACC Troy Trojans I-A Independent Sun Belt Virginia Tech Hokies Big East ACC BCS controversy Undefeated teams The 2004 season ended with five undefeated teams vying for a spot in the national title game. In the 2003 season, no team finished the regular season unbeaten, and five teams finished the season with one loss. In 2004, the situation became even more complicated, as five teams went without losing, a record in the BCS era ( later tied in 2009 ). USC of the Pac - 10, Oklahoma of the Big 12, Auburn of the SEC, Utah of the MWC, and Boise State of the WAC all finished the regular season undefeated. USC and Oklahoma were ranked # 1 and # 2, respectively, in the preseason by both the AP and Coaches Polls, but the other three undefeated teams were handicapped by starting the season out of the top 15. Thus USC and OU played for the BCS National Championship in the Orange Bowl, while Auburn, Utah, and Boise State had to settle for other bowl games. Auburn played in the Sugar Bowl and beat Virginia Tech, the ACC champion and ranked # 8 by the BCS. Utah became the first BCS Buster and beat Pittsburgh, the champion of the Big East and ranked # 21, in the Fiesta Bowl. Boise State lost a close, high scoring game in the Liberty Bowl to Louisville, the # 10 ranked Conference USA champion. As with previous seasons, fans of successful teams left out of the BCS were disappointed. Auburn, Utah, and Boise State all went unbeaten but were not offered a chance to compete for the championship. Auburn was especially the focus of national media attention on this topic, since Auburn managed to go undefeated in the traditionally tough SEC. Adding to the frustration with the BCS system was the fact that Auburn and Utah, though both picked to play in BCS bowl games, would not be able to play each other as a match - up of highly ranked unbeatens. This confluence of events made 2004 a seminal year for serious momentum building behind a multi-team playoff system in college football, which would later be realized with the advent of the College Football Playoff. USC was forced to vacate their BCS title win, along with their regular - season victory over rival UCLA, due to NCAA sanctions that stemmed from the USC athletics scandal. The AP title was not vacated, as the AP does not punish teams for violations. The severity of these sanctions has since been criticized by some pundits across college football. Rose Bowl Controversy also arose in selecting the second at - large team of the BCS after Utah. California expected to get the invitation, having been ranked fourth by the BCS entering the last week of the regular season. Texas, which had been left out of the BCS the previous season, was ranked fifth. Both teams finished with 10 - 1 records, but the Longhorns received a boost of support from poll voters in the final regular season rankings to overtake Cal and move into the fourth position, which ensured they would also receive the final at - large bid. Texas coach Mack Brown was criticized for publicly politicking voters to put Texas ahead of California, and Cal coach Jeff Tedford called for coaches ' votes to be made public. Texas went on to defeat Michigan in the Rose Bowl, while California lost to Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl. Much of the pre-bowl criticisms of Texas being given the spot vs. Michigan evaporated when the Longhorns and Wolverines produced an instant classic game that was marked by a breakthrough performance by Vince Young and a Texas FG as time expired to give them a 38 - 37 victory. AP poll The Associated Press, as a result of two consecutive seasons of BCS controversy, prohibited the BCS from using their poll as part of its ranking formula following the 2004 season. The AP poll was replaced by the Harris Interactive poll starting in 2005, and the AP continues to award its own national championship trophy. In another first, the LSU Tigers lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes on a last second Hail Mary pass in the Capital One Bowl, becoming the first school to lose a non-BCS bowl a year after winning the BCS National Championship Game. Conference standings 2004 ACC football standings Conf Overall Team No. 10 Virginia Tech $ 7 -- 10 -- No. 15 Florida State 6 -- 9 -- No. 11 Miami 5 -- 9 -- No. 23 Virginia 5 -- 8 -- North Carolina 5 -- 6 -- 6 Georgia Tech -- 7 -- 5 Clemson -- 6 -- 5 NC State -- 5 5 -- 6 Maryland -- 5 5 -- 6 Wake Forest -- 7 -- 7 Duke -- 7 -- 9 $ -- BCS representative as conference champion Rankings from AP Poll 2004 Big East football standings Conf Overall Team No. 25 Pittsburgh $ + -- 8 -- No. 21 Boston College + -- 9 -- West Virginia + -- 8 -- Syracuse + -- 6 -- 6 Connecticut -- 8 -- Rutgers -- 5 -- 7 Temple -- 5 -- 9 $ -- BCS representative as conference champion + -- Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll 2004 Big Ten football standings Conf Overall Team No. 8 Iowa + 7 -- 10 -- No. 14 Michigan $ + 7 -- 9 -- No. 17 Wisconsin 6 -- 9 -- Northwestern 5 -- 6 -- 6 No. 20 Ohio State -- 8 -- Purdue -- 7 -- 5 Michigan State -- 5 -- 7 Minnesota -- 5 7 -- 5 Penn State -- 6 -- 7 Illinois -- 7 -- 8 Indiana -- 7 -- 8 $ -- BCS representative as conference champion + -- Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll 2004 Big 12 football standings Conf Overall Team Northern Division Colorado xy -- 8 -- 5 Iowa State x -- 7 -- 5 Missouri -- 5 5 -- 6 Nebraska -- 5 5 -- 6 Kansas -- 6 -- 7 Kansas State -- 6 -- 7 Southern Division No. 3 Oklahoma xy $ 8 -- 0 12 -- No. 5 Texas % 7 -- 11 -- No. 18 Texas Tech 5 -- 8 -- Texas A&M 5 -- 7 -- 5 Oklahoma State -- 7 -- 5 Baylor -- 7 -- 8 Championship : Oklahoma 42, Colorado 3 $ -- BCS representative as conference champion % -- BCS at - large representative x -- Division champion / co-champions y -- Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll 2004 Conference USA football standings Conf Overall Team No. 6 Louisville $ 8 -- 0 11 -- Memphis 5 -- 8 -- Southern Miss 5 -- 7 -- 5 Cincinnati 5 -- 7 -- 5 UAB 5 -- 7 -- 5 TCU -- 5 5 -- 6 Tulane -- 5 5 -- 6 South Florida -- 5 -- 7 Houston -- 5 -- 8 East Carolina -- 6 -- 9 Army -- 6 -- 9 $ -- Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll 2004 Mid-American Conference football standings Conf Overall Team East Division Miami x 7 -- 8 -- 5 Akron 6 -- 6 -- 5 Marshall 6 -- 6 -- 6 Kent State -- 5 -- 6 Ohio -- 6 -- 7 Buffalo -- 6 -- 9 UCF 0 -- 8 0 -- 11 West Division Toledo xy $ 7 -- 9 -- Northern Illinois x 7 -- 9 -- Bowling Green 6 -- 9 -- Eastern Michigan -- -- 7 Central Michigan -- 5 -- 7 Ball State -- 6 -- 9 Western Michigan 0 -- 8 -- 10 Championship : Toledo 35, Miami 27 $ -- Conference champion x -- Division champion / co-champions y -- Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll 2004 Mountain West football standings Conf Overall Team No. 4 Utah $ 7 -- 0 12 -- 0 New Mexico 5 -- 7 -- 5 BYU -- 5 -- 6 Wyoming -- 7 -- 5 Air Force -- 5 -- 6 Colorado State -- -- 7 San Diego State -- 5 -- 7 UNLV -- 6 -- 9 $ -- Conference champion and BCS representative as top non-AQ school to meet automatic qualification criteria Rankings from AP Poll 2004 Pacific - 10 football standings Conf Overall Team No. 1 USC * $ 8 -- 0 13 -- 0 No. 9 California 7 -- 10 -- No. 19 Arizona State 5 -- 9 -- Oregon State 5 -- 7 -- 5 UCLA -- 6 -- 6 Oregon -- 5 -- 6 Washington State -- 5 5 -- 6 Stanford -- 6 -- 7 Arizona -- 6 -- 8 Washington 0 -- 8 -- 10 $ -- Conference champion * -- USC later vacated 2 wins ( 1 in conference ), as well as the BCS and Pac - 10 Championships, due to NCAA sanctions. Rankings from AP Poll 2004 SEC football standings Conf Overall Team Eastern Division No. 13 Tennessee x 7 -- 10 -- No. 7 Georgia 6 -- 10 -- Florida -- 7 -- 5 South Carolina -- 6 -- 5 Kentucky -- 7 -- 9 Vanderbilt -- 7 -- 9 Western Division No. 2 Auburn x $ 8 -- 0 13 -- 0 No. 16 LSU 6 -- 9 -- Alabama -- 5 6 -- 6 Arkansas -- 5 5 -- 6 Ole Miss -- 5 -- 7 Mississippi State -- 6 -- 8 Championship : Auburn 38, Tennessee 28 $ -- BCS representative as conference champion x -- Division champion / co-champions Rankings from AP Poll 2004 Sun Belt football standings Conf Overall Team North Texas $ 7 -- 0 7 -- 5 Troy State -- 7 -- 5 New Mexico State -- 5 -- 6 Louisiana -- Monroe -- 5 -- 6 Middle Tennessee -- 5 -- 6 Arkansas State -- -- 8 Louisiana -- Lafayette -- 5 -- 7 Utah State -- 5 -- 8 Idaho -- 5 -- 9 $ -- Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll 2004 WAC football standings Conf Overall Team No. 12 Boise State $ 8 -- 0 11 -- UTEP 6 -- 8 -- No. 22 Fresno State 5 -- 9 -- Louisiana Tech 5 -- 6 -- 6 Hawaii -- 8 -- 5 Nevada -- 5 5 -- 7 Tulsa -- 5 -- 8 SMU -- 5 -- 8 Rice -- 6 -- 8 San Jose State -- 7 -- 9 $ -- Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll 2004 Division I-A independents football records Conf Overall Team Navy -- 10 -- Florida Atlantic -- 9 -- Florida International * -- -- 7 Notre Dame -- 6 -- 6 * - Florida International later vacated 3 wins, due to NCAA sanctions Rankings from AP Poll Final AP poll Utah Utes fans rush the field and carry the goalpost after defeating rival BYU, completing a perfect regular season, and becoming the first BCS Buster by clinching a spot in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl ( hence the sombrero ). Main article : 2004 NCAA Division I-A football rankings USC ( 11 -- 0 ) * Auburn ( 13 -- 0 ) Oklahoma ( 12 -- 1 ) Utah ( 12 -- 0 ) Texas ( 11 -- 1 ) Louisville ( 11 -- 1 ) Georgia ( 10 -- 2 ) Iowa ( 10 -- 2 ) California ( 10 -- 2 ) Virginia Tech ( 10 -- 3 ) Miami ( 9 -- 3 ) Boise St. ( 11 -- 1 ) Tennessee ( 10 -- 3 ) Michigan ( 9 -- 3 ) Florida State ( 9 -- 3 ) Louisiana St. ( 9 -- 3 ) Wisconsin ( 9 -- 3 ) Texas Tech ( 8 -- 4 ) Arizona State ( 9 -- 3 ) Ohio St. ( 8 -- 4 ) Boston College ( 9 -- 3 ) Fresno St. ( 9 -- 3 ) Virginia ( 8 -- 4 ) Navy ( 10 -- 2 ) Pittsburgh ( 8 -- 4 ) * USC finished the season with a 13 -- 0 record but was forced to vacate two wins in 2010 as a result of NCAA sanctions. Bowl games Main article : 2004 -- 05 NCAA football bowl games BCS bowls Rankings given are AP rankings going into bowl games Orange Bowl : # 1 ( BCS # 1 ) USC 55, # 2 ( BCS # 2 ) Oklahoma 19 ( vacated due to NCAA violations ) Rose Bowl : ( At Large ) # 5 Texas 38, ( Big Ten Champ ) # 13 Michigan 37 Fiesta Bowl : ( At Large, MWC Champ ) # 6 Utah 35, ( Big East Co-Champ ) # 20 Pittsburgh 7 Sugar Bowl : ( SEC Champ ) # 3 Auburn 16, ( ACC Champ ) # 8 Virginia Tech 13 Other New Years Day bowls Cotton Bowl Classic : # 15 Tennessee 38, # 22 Texas A&M 7 Capital One Bowl : # 11 Iowa 30, # 12 LSU 25 Gator Bowl : # 17 Florida State 30, West Virginia 18 Outback Bowl : # 8 Georgia 24, # 16 Wisconsin 21 December bowl games UCLA vs. Wyoming in the 2004 Las Vegas Bowl Peach Bowl : # 14 Miami ( FL ) 27, # 20 Florida 10 Houston Bowl : Colorado 33, UTEP 28 Liberty Bowl : ( C - USA Champ ) # 7 Louisville 44, ( WAC Champ ) # 10 Boise State 40 MPC Computers Bowl : Fresno State 37, # 18 Virginia 34 ( OT ) Continental Tire Bowl : # 25 Boston College 37, North Carolina 24 Independence Bowl : Iowa State 17, Miami ( Ohio ) 13 Silicon Valley Classic : Northern Illinois 34, Troy 21 Sun Bowl : # 21 Arizona State 27, Purdue 23 Music City Bowl : Minnesota 20, Alabama 16 Holiday Bowl : # 23 Texas Tech 45, # 4 California 31 Emerald Bowl : Navy 34, New Mexico 19 Alamo Bowl : # 24 Ohio State 33, Oklahoma State 7 Insight Bowl : Oregon State 38, Notre Dame 21 Champs Sports Bowl : Georgia Tech 51, Syracuse 14 Motor City Bowl : UConn 39, ( MAC Champ ) Toledo 10 Hawaii Bowl : Hawaii 59, UAB 40 Fort Worth Bowl : Cincinnati 32, Marshall 14 Las Vegas Bowl : Wyoming 24, UCLA 21 GMAC Bowl : Bowling Green 52, Memphis 35 New Orleans Bowl : Southern Miss 31, ( SBC Champ ) North Texas 10 Heisman trophy voting The Heisman Trophy is given annually to college football 's most outstanding player Winner : Matt Leinart ( Jr. ) USC, QB ( 1,325 pts. ) 2. Adrian Peterson ( Fr. ) Oklahoma, RB ( 997 pts. ) 3. Jason White ( Sr. ) Oklahoma, QB ( 957 pts. ) 4. Alex Smith ( Jr. ) Utah, QB ( 635 pts. ) 5. Reggie Bush ( So. ) USC, TB ( 597 pts. ) Other major awards Walter Camp Award ( top player ) : Matt Leinart, USC Maxwell Award ( top player ) : Jason White, Oklahoma AP Player of the Year : Matt Leinart, USC Lombardi Award ( top linebacker ) : David Pollack, Georgia John Mackey Award ( tight end ) : Heath Miller, Virginia Doak Walker Award ( running back ) : Cedric Benson, Texas Chuck Bednarik Award ( defensive player ) : David Pollack, Georgia Outland Trophy ( interior lineman ) : Jammal Brown, Oklahoma Davey O'Brien Award ( quarterback ) : Jason White, Oklahoma Johnny Unitas Award ( Sr. quarterback ) : Jason White, Oklahoma Fred Biletnikoff Award ( wide receiver ) : Braylon Edwards, Michigan Jim Thorpe Award ( defensive back ) : Carlos Rogers, Auburn Lou Groza Award ( placekicker ) : Mike Nugent, Ohio State Ray Guy Award ( punter ) : Daniel Sepulveda, Baylor Paul `` Bear '' Bryant Award ( Coach of the Year ) : Tommy Tuberville, Auburn The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award : Urban Meyer, Utah Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award : Paul Johnson, Navy See also BCS controversies # 2004 -- 05 season References Jump up ^ https://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/bigten/2004-08-04-replay-details_x.htm Jump up ^ Jay Bilas, `` Anyone know what NCAA 's standards are ? '', ESPN.com, July 1, 2010. Jump up ^ Bryant Gumbel, `` Student / Athlete Behavior '', Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, September 21, 2010. Jump up ^ Bryan Fischer, `` Trojans never stood a chance after taking NCAA 's best shot '' Archived 2012 - 01 - 21 at the Wayback Machine., CBSSports.com, May 26, 2011. Jump up ^ Pete Fiutak, `` USC paying for NCAA 's inconsistency ? '', FoxSports.com, May 26, 2011. Jump up ^ Stewart Mandel, `` What USC 's sanctions mean for Ohio State '', SportsIllustrated.com, April 27, 2011. 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season Conference seasons ACC Big 12 Big East Big Ten Conference USA Mid-American Mountain West Pac - 10 SEC Sun Belt WAC Inter-conference Bowl games Rankings All - Americans 2004 College Football All - America Team NCAA football seasons Pre-regulation 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 IAAUS / NCAA 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 NCAA University Division / Division I 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 NCAA Division I-A / FBS 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 NCAA Division I - AA / FCS 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 NCAA Division II 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 NCAA Division III 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2004_NCAA_Division_I-A_football_season&oldid=802074754 '' Categories : 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Wikipedia introduction cleanup from January 2015 All pages needing cleanup Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from January 2015 All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 23 September 2017, at 20 : 56. 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Question: who won the college football national championship in 2004
Answer: USC