# 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2007 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 30, 2007, and ended on December 1, 2007. The postseason concluded on January 7, 2008, with the BCS National Championship Game in New Orleans, where the No. 2-ranked Louisiana State Tigers defeated the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes to win their 2nd BCS and 3rd overall national title.
For just the second time in the Bowl Championship Series era, no FBS team finished the season undefeated. Kansas was the only team from a BCS automatic-qualifying conference to finish the entire season with just one loss.

## Rules changes

After coaches expressed their disapproval of the timing changes made in the 2006 season, the following changes were made:
* On kickoffs, the clock will not start until the ball is touched in the field of play.
* On change of possession, the clock will not start until the snap.
The attempt to reduce the time of games sought by those rules was successful, reducing the average college football page from 3:21 hours in 2005 to 3:07 hours in 2006. However, the reduced game time also reduced the average number of plays in a game by 13, 66 fewer offensive yards per game and average points per game by 5.
Other rules changes for the 2007 season include:
* Moving the kick-off yard-line from 35 to 30, which matches the yard-line used in the National Football League from 1994 to 2010, to reduce the number of touchbacks.
* Paring the 25-second play clock to 15 seconds after TV timeouts.
* Team time-outs for televised games are shortened from 60 seconds to 30 seconds.
* Allowing penalties against the kicking team on kickoffs to be assessed at the end of the runback, avoiding a re-kick, also matching the NFL rule.
* Once the umpire gives the ball to the kicker, the 25 second play clock starts.
* Kickoffs out of bounds are now penalized 35 yards from the spot of the kick or a re-kick with a five-yard penalty.
* Defenders cannot use any part of a teammate to jump over an opponent to block a kick.

## Conference and program changes

The only change in conference membership for the 2007 season occurred when Temple left its Independent status to become the 13th member of the Mid-American Conference.
One team upgraded from Division I FCS, increasing the number of Division I FBS schools to 120.
| School | 2006 Conference | 2007 Conference |
| Temple Owls | I-A Independent | MAC |
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | MVC | I-A Independent |

## Regular season top 10 matchups

Rankings reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 7 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.
* Week 2
** No. 2 LSU defeated No. 9 Virginia Tech, 48–7 (Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
* Week 6
** No. 1 LSU defeated No. 9 Florida, 28–24 (Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
* Week 9
** No. 2/2 Boston College defeated No. 8/8 Virginia Tech, 14–10 (Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Virginia)
** No. 5/5 Oregon defeated No. 12/9 USC, 24–17 (Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon)
* Week 10
** No. 5/4 Oregon defeated No. 4/6 Arizona State, 35–23 (Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon)
* Week 13
** No. 4/3 Missouri defeated No. 2/2 Kansas, 36–28 (Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri)
* Week 14
** No. 9/9 Oklahoma defeated No. 1/1 Missouri, 38–17 (2007 Big 12 Championship Game, Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas)

## Year of the Upset and "The Curse of No. 2"
### Year of the Upset

The 2007 season was highlighted by the remarkable frequency with which ranked teams fell to lower-ranked or unranked opponents, leading the media to dub the season as the "Year of the Upset". An unranked or lower-ranked opponent defeated a higher-ranked team 59 times over the course of the regular season. Teams ranked in the top five of the AP Poll were defeated by unranked opponents 13 times during the regular season, setting a new record in the history of the AP Poll when at least 20 teams were ranked. The only other season to see more such upsets was 1967, which was one of seven seasons when the AP Poll ranked only 10 teams.
The chaos began on the first weekend of the season when FCS program Appalachian State defeated No. 5 Michigan on the road at Michigan Stadium in what was immediately hailed as one of the greatest upsets in the history of college football. Appalachian State became just the second FCS team to defeat a ranked FBS opponent, and the first to do so against a top-five team.

### "Curse of the No. 2"

The 2007 season became known for the "Curse of the No. 2", where the team ranked No. 2 by the AP Poll was defeated seven times in the final nine weeks of the regular season:
* Stanford defeated No. 2 USC, 24–23, on October 6 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. This result was particularly notable for the fact that USC was favored to win the game by 41 points, having carried winning streaks of 35 games at home and 24 games in Pac-10 play into the matchup. Both streaks ended with this loss.
* Oregon State defeated No. 2 California, 31–28, on October 13 at California Memorial Stadium.
* Rutgers defeated No. 2 South Florida, 30–27, on October 18 at Rutgers Stadium.
* Florida State defeated No. 2 Boston College, 27–17, on November 3 at Alumni Stadium.
* Arizona defeated No. 2 Oregon, 34–24, on November 15 at Arizona Stadium.
* No. 4 Missouri defeated No. 2 Kansas, 36–28, on November 24 at Arrowhead Stadium in a Border War rivalry game. This was the only such upset where the winning team was also ranked.
* Pittsburgh defeated No. 2 West Virginia, 13–9, on December 1 at Mountaineer Field in a Backyard Brawl rivalry game. West Virginia was knocked out of contention for the BCS National Championship on the final weekend of the regular season.
The No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams had not lost in the same week of the season since 1996. In 2007 alone, No. 1 and No. 2 fell during the same weekend three times, including in both of the final two weeks of the regular season:
* No. 1 LSU lost to Kentucky 43–37 in three overtimes, and No. 2 California lost to Oregon State 31–28 on October 13.
* No. 1 LSU lost to Arkansas 50–48 in three overtimes on November 23, and No. 2 Kansas lost to No. 4 Missouri 36–28 on November 24.
* No. 1 Missouri lost to No. 9 Oklahoma 38–17 in the Big 12 Championship Game, and No. 2 West Virginia lost to Pittsburgh 13–9 on December 1.

## Conference standings

2007 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings :
| 2007 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Atlantic Division No. 10 Boston College x  6 –2  11 –3   No. 21 Clemson  5 –3  9 –4   Wake Forest  5 –3  9 –4   Florida State  4 –4  7 –6   Maryland  3 –5  6 –7   NC State  3 –5  5 –7   Coastal Division No. 9 Virginia Tech x$  7 –1  11 –3   Virginia  6 –2  9 –4   Georgia Tech  4 –4  7 –6   North Carolina  3 –5  4 –8   Miami (FL)  2 –6  5 –7   Duke  0 –8  1 –11   Championship: Virginia Tech 30, Boston College 16 $ – BCS representative as conference champion% – BCS at-large representativex – Division champion/co-championsRankings from AP Poll | 2007 Big 12 Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North Division No. 4 Missouri xy  7 –1  12 –2   No. 7 Kansas x%  7 –1  12 –1   Colorado  4 –4  6 –7   Kansas State  3 –5  5 –7   Nebraska  2 –6  5 –7   Iowa State  2 –6  3 –9   South Division No. 8 Oklahoma xy$  6 –2  11 –3   No. 10 Texas  5 –3  10 –3   No. 22 Texas Tech  4 –4  9 –4   Oklahoma State  4 –4  7 –6   Texas A&M  4 –4  7 –6   Baylor  0 –8  3 –9   Championship: Oklahoma 38, Missouri 17 $ – BCS representative as conference champion% – BCS at-large representativex – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll | 2007 Big East Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 6 West Virginia $+  5 –2  11 –2   Connecticut +  5 –2  9 –4   No. 17 Cincinnati  4 –3  10 –3   South Florida  4 –3  9 –4   Rutgers  3 –4  8 –5   Louisville  3 –4  6 –6   Pittsburgh  3 –4  5 –7   Syracuse  1 –6  2 –10   $ – BCS representative as conference champion+ – Conference co-championsRankings from AP Poll |
| 2007 Big Ten Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 5 Ohio State $  7 –1  11 –2   No. 18 Michigan  6 –2  9 –4   No. 20 Illinois %  6 –2  9 –4   No. 24 Wisconsin  5 –3  9 –4   Penn State  4 –4  9 –4   Iowa  4 –4  6 –6   Purdue  3 –5  8 –5   Indiana  3 –5  7 –6   Michigan State  3 –5  7 –6   Northwestern  3 –5  6 –6   Minnesota  0 –8  1 –11   $ – BCS representative as conference champion% – BCS at-large representativeRankings from AP Poll | 2007 Conference USA football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Division UCF x$  7 –1  10 –4   East Carolina  6 –2  8 –5   Memphis  6 –2  7 –6   Southern Miss  5 –3  7 –6   Marshall  3 –5  3 –9   UAB  1 –7  2 –10   West Division Tulsa xy  6 –2  10 –4   Houston x  6 –2  8 –5   Tulane  3 –5  4 –8   Rice  3 –5  3 –9   UTEP  2 –6  4 –8   SMU  0 –8  1 –11   Championship: UCF 44, Tulsa 25 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll | 2007 Mid-American Conference football standings vteDiv ConfOverall Team W L W L W L  East Division Miami (OH) xy  4 –2  5 –2  6 –7   Bowling Green x  4 –2  6 –2  8 –5   Buffalo x  4 –2  5 –3  5 –7   Ohio  3 –3  4 –4  6 –6   Temple  3 –3  4 –4  4 –8   Akron  2 –4  3 –5  4 –8   Kent State  1 –5  1 –7  3 –9   West Division Central Michigan xy$  4 –1  6 –1  8 –6   Ball State x  4 –1  5 –2  7 –6   Eastern Michigan  3 –2  3 –4  4 –8   Western Michigan  2 –3  3 –4  5 –7   Toledo  2 –3  3 –5  5 –7   Northern Illinois  0 –5  1 –6  2 –10   Championship: Central Michigan 35, Miami 10 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsDue to an unbalanced conference schedule, the team with best division record within each division was awarded that division's championship game berth. |
| 2007 Mountain West Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 14 BYU $  8 –0  11 –2   Air Force  6 –2  9 –4   New Mexico  5 –3  9 –4   Utah  5 –3  9 –4   TCU  4 –4  8 –5   San Diego State  3 –5  4 –8   Wyoming  2 –6  5 –7   Colorado State  2 –6  3 –9   UNLV  1 –7  2 –10   $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll | 2007 Pacific-10 Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 3 USC +  7 –2  11 –2   No. 16 Arizona State +  7 –2  10 –3   No. 25 Oregon State  6 –3  9 –4   No. 23 Oregon  5 –4  9 –4   UCLA  5 –4  6 –7   Arizona  4 –5  5 –7   California  3 –6  7 –6   Washington State  3 –6  5 –7   Stanford  3 –6  4 –8   Washington  2 –7  4 –9   + – Conference co-championsRankings from AP Poll | 2007 Southeastern Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Eastern Division No. 12 Tennessee xy  6 –2  10 –4   No. 2 Georgia x%  6 –2  11 –2   No. 13 Florida  5 –3  9 –4   South Carolina  3 –5  6 –6   Kentucky  3 –5  8 –5   Vanderbilt  2 –6  5 –7   Western Division No. 1 LSU x$#  6 –2  12 –2   No. 15 Auburn  5 –3  9 –4   Arkansas  4 –4  8 –5   Mississippi State  4 –4  8 –5   Alabama  4 –4  7 –6   Ole Miss  0 –8  3 –9   Championship: LSU 21, Tennessee 14 # – BCS National Champion$ – BCS representative as conference champion% – BCS at-large representativex – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantAlabama had 5 victories vacated by the NCAA in 2010. As such, the official record for Alabama is 2–6 (1–4).Rankings from AP Poll |
| 2007 Sun Belt Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Florida Atlantic +  6 –1  8 –5   Troy +  6 –1  8 –4   Middle Tennessee  4 –3  5 –7   Louisiana–Monroe  4 –3  6 –6   Arkansas State  3 –4  5 –7   Louisiana–Lafayette  3 –4  3 –9   FIU  1 –6  1 –11   North Texas  1 –6  2 –10   + – Conference co-champions | 2007 Western Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 19 Hawaii $  8 –0  12 –1   Boise State  7 –1  10 –3   Fresno State  6 –2  9 –4   Nevada  4 –4  6 –7   Louisiana Tech  4 –4  5 –7   San Jose State  4 –4  5 –7   Utah State  2 –6  2 –10   New Mexico State  1 –7  4 –9   Idaho  0 –8  1 –11   $ – Conference champion and BCS representative as top non-AQ school to meet automatic qualification criteriaRankings from AP Poll | 2007 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Navy   –  8 –5   Western Kentucky   –  7 –5   Army   –  3 –9   Notre Dame   –  3 –9   Rankings from AP Poll |

## Conference champions
### Conference championship games

All games were played on December 1, 2007. Rankings reflect the Week 14 AP Poll before the games were played.
| Conference | Champion | Runner-Up | Score | Site |
| ACC | No. 6 Virginia Tech | No. 12 Boston College | 30–16 | Jacksonville Municipal Stadium Jacksonville, Florida |
| Big 12 | No. 9 Oklahoma | No. 1 Missouri | 38–17 | Alamodome San Antonio, Texas |
| Conference USA | UCF | Tulsa | 44–25 | Bright House Networks Stadium Orlando, Florida |
| MAC | Central Michigan | Miami (Ohio) | 35–10 | Ford Field Detroit |
| SEC | No. 5 LSU | No. 14 Tennessee | 21–14 | Georgia Dome Atlanta |

### Other conference champions

Rankings are from the Week 15 AP Poll.
| Conference | Winner(s) |
| Big East | Connecticut, No. 11 West Virginia* |
| Big Ten | No. 1 Ohio State |
| Mountain West | No. 19 BYU |
| Pac-10 | No. 12 Arizona State, No. 6 USC* |
| Sun Belt | Florida Atlantic, Troy |
| WAC | No. 10 Hawaiʻi |
* Received conference's automatic BCS bowl bid

## Bowl games

Winners are listed in boldface.

### Bowl Championship Series

| Bowl Game | Date | Playing as Visitor | Playing as Home | Score |
| BCS Title Game (New Orleans, Louisiana) | January 7, 2008 | No. 2 LSU | No. 1 Ohio State | 38–24 |
| Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California) | January 1, 2008 | No. 13 Illinois | No. 6 USC | 49–17 |
| Sugar Bowl (New Orleans) | January 1, 2008 | No. 10 Hawaiʻi | No. 4 Georgia | 41–10 |
| Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Arizona) | January 2, 2008 | No. 11 West Virginia | No. 3 Oklahoma | 48–28 |
| Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, Florida) | January 3, 2008 | No. 8 Kansas | No. 5 Virginia Tech | 24–21 |

### January bowl games

| Bowl Game | Date | Playing as Visitor | Playing as Home | Score |
| Outback Bowl (Tampa, Florida) | January 1, 2008 | No. 18 Wisconsin | No. 16 Tennessee | 21–17 |
| Cotton Bowl (Dallas, Texas) | January 1, 2008 | No. 7 Missouri | No. 25 Arkansas | 38–7 |
| Capital One Bowl (Orlando, Florida) | January 1, 2008 | Michigan | No. 9 Florida | 41–35 |
| Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, Florida) | January 1, 2008 | Texas Tech | No. 21 Virginia | 31–28 |
| International Bowl (Toronto, ON, Canada) | January 5, 2008 | Rutgers | Ball State | 52–30 |
| GMAC Bowl (Mobile, Alabama) | January 6, 2008 | Bowling Green | Tulsa | 63–7 |

### December bowl games

| Bowl Game | Date | Playing as Visitor | Playing as Home | Score |
| Poinsettia Bowl (San Diego) | December 20, 2007 | Utah | Navy | 35–32 |
| New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans) | December 21, 2007 | Memphis | Florida Atlantic | 44–27 |
| PapaJohns.com Bowl (Birmingham, Alabama) | December 22, 2007 | Southern Miss | No. 20 Cincinnati | 31–21 |
| New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque, New Mexico) | December 22, 2007 | Nevada | New Mexico | 23–0 |
| Las Vegas Bowl (Las Vegas) | December 22, 2007 | UCLA | No. 19 BYU | 17–16 |
| Hawaiʻi Bowl (Honolulu) | December 23, 2007 | No. 24 Boise State | East Carolina | 41–38 |
| Motor City Bowl (Detroit) | December 26, 2007 | Purdue | Central Michigan | 51–48 |
| Holiday Bowl (San Diego) | December 27, 2007 | No. 12 Arizona State | No. 17 Texas | 52–34 |
| Champs Sports Bowl (Orlando, Florida) | December 28, 2007 | No. 14 Boston College | Michigan State | 24–21 |
| Texas Bowl (Houston) | December 28, 2007 | TCU | Houston | 20–13 |
| Emerald Bowl (San Francisco) | December 28, 2007 | Maryland | Oregon State | 21–14 |
| Meineke Car Care Bowl (Charlotte, North Carolina) | December 29, 2007 | Connecticut | Wake Forest | 24–10 |
| Liberty Bowl (Memphis, Tennessee) | December 29, 2007 | UCF | Mississippi State | 10–3 |
| Alamo Bowl (San Antonio) | December 29, 2007 | Penn State | Texas A&M | 24–17 |
| Independence Bowl (Shreveport, Louisiana) | December 30, 2007 | Alabama | Colorado | 30–24 |
| Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas) | December 31, 2007 | California | Air Force | 42–36 |
| Sun Bowl (El Paso, Texas) | December 31, 2007 | No. 23 South Florida | Oregon | 56–21 |
| Humanitarian Bowl (Boise, Idaho) | December 31, 2007 | Georgia Tech | Fresno State | 40–28 |
| Music City Bowl (Nashville, Tennessee) | December 31, 2007 | Kentucky | Florida State | 35–28 |
| Insight Bowl (Tempe, Arizona) | December 31, 2007 | Indiana | Oklahoma State | 49–33 |
| Chick-fil-A Bowl (Atlanta) | December 31, 2007 | No. 15 Clemson | No. 22 Auburn | 23–20 (OT) |

### Postseason All-Star Games

* Cornerstone Bancard Hula Bowl – January 12, Aloha Stadium, ʻHalawa, Hawaiʻi – ʻAina (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 41, The Nation 14

### Bowl Challenge Cup standings

Bowl Challenge Cup :
| Conference | Wins | Losses | Percent |
| Mountain West† | 4 | 1 | .800 |
| Southeastern§ | 7 | 2 | .777 |
| Pacific-10 | 4 | 2 | .667 |
| Big 12 | 5 | 3 | .625 |
| Big East | 3 | 2 | .600 |
| Big Ten | 3 | 5 | .375 |
| Conference USA | 2 | 4 | .333 |
| Atlantic Coast | 2 | 6 | .250 |
| Western Athletic | 1 | 3 | .250 |
| Mid-American | 0 | 3 | .000 |
† Winner of the Bowl Challenge Cup – § NCAA record for bowl victories in a conference in one bowl season.

#### Notes

* The Sun Belt Conference, represented by Florida Atlantic University, was not eligible for the Bowl Challenge Cup as they only had one bowl berth. Conferences must have a minimum of three bids to be a part of the challenge.

## Awards and honors
### Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player
| Player | School | Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total |
| Tim Tebow | Florida | QB | 462 | 229 | 113 | 1,957 |
| Darren McFadden | Arkansas | RB | 291 | 355 | 120 | 1,703 |
| Colt Brennan | Hawaii | QB | 54 | 114 | 242 | 632 |
| Chase Daniel | Missouri | QB | 25 | 84 | 182 | 425 |
| Dennis Dixon | Oregon | QB | 17 | 31 | 65 | 178 |
| Pat White | West Virginia | QB | 16 | 28 | 46 | 150 |
| Matt Ryan | Boston College | QB | 9 | 7 | 22 | 63 |
| Kevin Smith | UCF | RB | 3 | 11 | 24 | 55 |
| Glenn Dorsey | LSU | DT | 3 | 6 | 9 | 30 |
| Chris Long | Virginia | DE | 1 | 2 | 10 | 17 |

### Other major award winners

* Walter Camp Award (top player): Darren McFadden, Arkansas
* Maxwell Award (top player): Tim Tebow, Florida
* Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player): Glenn Dorsey, LSU
* Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player): Dan Connor, Penn St
* Dave Rimington Trophy (center): Jonathan Luigs, Arkansas
* Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback): Tim Tebow, Florida
* Dick Butkus Award (linebacker): James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
* Doak Walker Award (running back): Darren McFadden, Arkansas
* Draddy Trophy ("academic Heisman"): Dallas Griffin, Texas
* Fred Biletnikoff Award (wide receiver): Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
* Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back): Antoine Cason, Arizona
* John Mackey Award (tight end): Fred Davis, USC
* Johnny Unitas Award (senior quarterback): Matt Ryan, Boston College
* Lombardi Award (top lineman): Glenn Dorsey, LSU
* Lott Trophy (defensive impact): Glenn Dorsey, LSU
* Lou Groza Award (placekicker): Thomas Weber, Arizona St
* Manning Award (quarterback): Matt Ryan, Boston College
* Outland Trophy (interior lineman): Glenn Dorsey, LSU
* Ray Guy Award (punter): Durant Brooks, Georgia Tech
* Ted Hendricks Award (defensive end): Chris Long, Virginia
* Wuerffel Trophy (humanitarian-athlete): Paul Smith, Tulsa
* The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award: Mark Mangino, Kansas
* Associated Press Coach of the Year: Mark Mangino, Kansas
* Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (head coach): Mark Mangino, Kansas
* Walter Camp Coach of the Year (head coach): Mark Mangino, Kansas
* Broyles Award (assistant coach): Jim Heacock, Ohio State

### All-America selections

Selections were made by the Associated Press.

#### Offense

* QB: Tim Tebow, So., Florida.
* RB: Darren McFadden Jr., Arkansas; Bisel Jr., Central Florida.
* WR: Michael Crabtree, Fr., Texas Tech; Jordy Nelson Sr., Kansas State.
* OT: Jake Long Sr., Michigan; Anthony Collins Jr., Kansas.
* G: Duke Robinson Jr., Oklahoma; Martin O'Donnell Sr., Illinois.
* C: Steve Justice Sr., Wake Forest.
* TE: Martin Rucker Sr., Missouri.
* All-purpose: Jeremy Maclin, Fr., Missouri.
* K: Thomas Weber, Fr., Arizona State.

#### Defense

* DE: Chris Long Sr., Virginia; George Selvie, So., South Florida.
* DT: Glenn Dorsey Sr., LSU; Sedrick Ellis Sr., USC.
* LB: Dan Connor Sr., Penn State; James Laurinaitis Jr., Ohio State; Jordon Dizon Sr., Colorado.
* CB: Aqib Talib Jr., Kansas; Antoine Cason Sr., Arizona.
* S: Craig Steltz Sr., LSU; Jamie Silva Sr., Boston College.
* P: Kevin Huber Jr., Cincinnati.

## Milestones

The following teams and players set all-time NCAA Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A) records during the season:
| Record | Player/Team | Date/Opponent | Previous Record Holder |
| Most consecutive pass attempts without an interception, career | André Woodson, Kentucky, 325 | September 22, vs. Arkansas | Trent Dilfer, Fresno State, 271 (1993) |
| Most career extra points | Art Carmody, Louisville, 253 | September 29, vs. NC State | Shaun Suisham, Bowling Green, 226 (2001–2004) |
| Most consecutive pass attempts with only one interception, career | André Woodson, Kentucky, 343 | October 4, vs. South Carolina | Woodson, 333 (2006–2007) |
| Most combined rushing yards by teammates in a single game | Felix Jones and Darren McFadden, Arkansas (487 yards) | November 3, vs. South Carolina | Tony Sands and Chip Hilleary, Kansas (476 yards) (1991-11-23) |
| Most points scored, both teams (regulation) | North Texas and Navy, 136 | November 10 | San Jose State vs. Rice, 133 points (2004-10-02) |
| Most points scored in one quarter, both teams | North Texas and Navy, 63 | November 10 | San Jose State vs. Hawaiʻi, 61 points (1999-11-06) |
| Most wins by two points or fewer in a season by a team | Virginia, 5 | November 3 vs. Wake Forest | Columbia, 4 (1971) |
| Most all-purpose yards by a freshman | Jeremy Maclin, Missouri, 2,713 | November 17, vs. Kansas State | Terrell Willis, Rutgers, 2,026 (1993) |
| Most touchdown passes in a career | Colt Brennan, Hawaiʻi, 131 | November 23 vs. Boise State | Ty Detmer, BYU, 121 (1988–1991) |
| Most touchdowns responsible for in a career | Colt Brennan, Hawaiʻi, 146 | November 23 vs. Boise State | Ty Detmer, BYU, 136 (1988–1991) |
| Most touchdown passes in a season by a freshman quarterback | Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, 34 | November 24, vs. Oklahoma State | David Neill and Colt McCoy, 29 |
| Most career points scored by a kicker | Art Carmody, Louisville, 433 | November 29, vs. Rutgers | Roman Anderson, Houston, 423 (1988–1991) |
| Most rushing attempts in a season | Kevin Smith, UCF, 415 | December 1, vs. Tulsa | Marcus Allen, USC, 403 (1981) |
| Most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season | Tim Tebow, Florida, 23 | January 1, vs. Michigan | Chase Harridge, Air Force, 22 (2002) |
| Most consecutive games with 300 or more yards passing by a quarterback | Paul Smith, Tulsa, 14 | January 6 vs. Bowling Green | Ty Detmer, BYU, 13 (1990–1991) |
| Greatest margin of victory in a bowl game | Tulsa, 56 points (63–7) | January 6 vs. Bowling Green | Alabama, 55 points (61–6) vs. Syracuse, 1953 Orange Bowl (1953-01-01) |

## Coaching changes
### Pre-season

| Team | Former coach | New coach |
| Indiana | Terry Hoeppner | Bill Lynch |

### Post-season

| Team | Former coach | Interim | New coach |
| Arkansas | Houston Nutt | Reggie Herring | Bobby Petrino |
| Baylor | Guy Morriss | | Art Briles |
| Colorado State | Sonny Lubick | | Steve Fairchild |
| Duke | Ted Roof | | David Cutcliffe |
| Georgia Tech | Chan Gailey | Jon Tenuta | Paul Johnson |
| Hawaiʻi | June Jones | | Greg McMackin |
| Houston | Art Briles | Chris Thurmond | Kevin Sumlin |
| Michigan | Lloyd Carr | | Rich Rodriguez |
| Mississippi | Ed Orgeron | | Houston Nutt |
| Navy | Paul Johnson | | Ken Niumatalolo |
| Nebraska | Bill Callahan | Tom Osborne | Bo Pelini |
| Northern Illinois | Joe Novak | | Jerry Kill |
| SMU | Phil Bennett | | June Jones |
| Southern Miss | Jeff Bower | | Larry Fedora |
| Texas A&M | Dennis Franchione | Gary Darnell | Mike Sherman |
| UCLA | Karl Dorrell | DeWayne Walker | Rick Neuheisel |
| Washington State | Bill Doba | | Paul Wulff |
| West Virginia | Rich Rodriguez | Bill Stewart | Bill Stewart |