# 2003–04 NCAA football bowl games

The 2003–04 NCAA football bowl games were a series of 28 post-season games (including the Bowl Championship Series) played in December 2003 and January 2004 for Division I-A football teams and their all-stars. The post-season began with the New Orleans Bowl on December 16, 2003, and concluded on January 31, 2004, with the season-ending Gridiron Classic.
A total of 28 team-competitive games, and two all-star games, were played. To fill the 56 available bowl slots, four teams with non-winning seasons participated in bowl games—all four had a .500 (6–6) season. While teams that did not have winning seasons were invited to bowl games, seven teams with winning records were left out: Northern Illinois (10–2); Connecticut (9-3); Marshall and Toledo (both 8–4); Air Force and Akron (both 7–5); and South Florida (7–4).

## Poll rankings

The below table lists top teams (per polls taken after the completion of the regular season and any conference championship games), their win–loss records (prior to bowl games), and the bowls they later played in. The AP column represents rankings per the AP Poll, while the BCS column represents the Bowl Championship Series rankings.
| AP | BCS | Team | W–L | Bowl |
| 1 | 3 | USC Trojans | 11–1 | Rose Bowl † |
| 2 | 2 | LSU Tigers | 12–1 | Sugar Bowl † |
| 3 | 1 | Oklahoma Sooners | 12–1 | Sugar Bowl † |
| 4 | 4 | Michigan Wolverines | 10–2 | Rose Bowl † |
| 5 | 6 | Texas Longhorns | 10–2 | Holiday Bowl |
| 6 | 8 | Tennessee Volunteers | 10–2 | Peach Bowl |
| 7 | 5 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 10–2 | Fiesta Bowl † |
| 8 | 10 | Kansas State Wildcats | 11–3 | Fiesta Bowl † |
| 9 | 7 | Florida State Seminoles | 10–2 | Orange Bowl † |
| 10 | 9 | Miami Hurricanes | 10–2 | Orange Bowl † |
| 11 | 12 | Georgia Bulldogs | 10–3 | Capital One Bowl |
| 12 | 14 | Purdue Boilermakers | 9–3 | Capital One Bowl |
| 13 | 13 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 9–3 | Outback Bowl |
| 14 | 11 | Miami (Ohio) RedHawks | 12–1 | GMAC Bowl |
| 15 | — | Washington State Cougars | 9–3 | Holiday Bowl |
| 16 | — | Ole Miss Rebels | 9–3 | Cotton Bowl Classic |
| 17 | 15 | Florida Gators | 8–4 | Outback Bowl |
| 18 | — | Boise State Broncos | 12–1 | Fort Worth Bowl |
| 19 | — | TCU Horned Frogs | 11–1 | Fort Worth Bowl |
| 20 | — | West Virginia Mountaineers | 8–4 | Gator Bowl |
| 21 | — | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 9–3 | Cotton Bowl Classic |
| 22 | — | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 9–3 | Alamo Bowl |
| 23 | — | Maryland Terrapins | 9–3 | Gator Bowl |
| 24 | — | Minnesota Golden Gophers | 9–3 | Sun Bowl |
| 25 | — | Utah Utes | 9–2 | Liberty Bowl |
† denotes a BCS bowl game

## Schedule

Non BCS Contests :
| Date | Game | Site | Time (US EST) | TV | Matchup (pre-game record) | AP pre-game rank | USA Today pre-game rank |
| 12/16 | New Orleans Bowl | Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana | 7 PM | ESPN2 | Memphis 27 (8–4), North Texas 17 (9–3) | NR NR | NR NR |
| 12/18 | GMAC Bowl | Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, Alabama | 7:30 PM | ESPN2 | Miami (Ohio) 49 (12–1), Louisville 28 (9–3) | #14 NR | #15 NR |
| 12/22 | Tangerine Bowl | Citrus Bowl Orlando, Florida | 5:30 PM | ESPN | North Carolina State 56 (7–5), Kansas 26 (6–6) | NR NR | NR NR |
| 12/23 | Fort Worth Bowl | Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, Texas | 7:30 PM | ESPN2 | Boise State 34 (12–1), TCU 31 (11–1) | #18 #19 | #16 #19 |
| 12/24 | Las Vegas Bowl | Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, Nevada | 7:30 PM | ESPN | Oregon State 55 (7–5), New Mexico 14 (8–4) | NR NR | NR NR |
| 12/25 | Hawai'i Bowl | Aloha Stadium Honolulu, Hawaii | 8:00 PM | ESPN | Hawaii 54 (8–5), Houston 48 (7–5) | NR NR | NR NR |
| 12/26 | Motor City Bowl | Ford Field Detroit, Michigan | 5:00 PM | ESPN | Bowling Green 28 (10–3), Northwestern 24 (6–6) | NR NR | NR NR |
| 12/26 | Insight Bowl | Bank One Ballpark Phoenix, Arizona | 8:30 PM | ESPN | California 52 (7–6), Virginia Tech 49 (8–4) | NR NR | NR NR |
| 12/27 | Continental Tire Bowl | Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, North Carolina | 11:00 AM | ESPN2 | Virginia 23 (7–5), Pittsburgh 16 (8–4) | NR NR | NR NR |
| 12/29 | Alamo Bowl | Alamodome San Antonio, Texas | 9:00 PM | ESPN | Nebraska 17 (9–3), Michigan State 3 (8–4) | #22 NR | #21 NR |
| 12/30 | Houston Bowl | Reliant Stadium Houston, Texas | 4:30 PM | ESPN | Texas Tech 38 (7–5), Navy 14 (8–4) | NR NR | NR NR |
| 12/30 | Holiday Bowl | Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, California | 8:00 PM | ESPN | Washington State 28 (9–3), Texas 20 (10–2) | #15 #5 | #14 #5 |
| 12/30 | Silicon Valley Football Classic | Spartan Stadium San Jose, California | 10:30 PM | ESPN2 | Fresno State 17 (8–5), UCLA 9 (6–6) | NR NR | NR NR |
| 12/31 | Music City Bowl | LP Field Nashville, Tennessee | 12:00 PM | ESPN | Auburn 28 (7–5), Wisconsin 14 (7–5) | NR NR | NR NR |
| 12/31 | Sun Bowl | Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas | 2:00 PM | CBS | Minnesota 31 (9–3), Oregon 30 (8–4) | #24 NR | #20 NR |
| 12/31 | Liberty Bowl | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee | 3:30 PM | ESPN | Utah 17 (9–2), Southern Miss 0 (9–3) | #25 NR | #25 NR |
| 12/31 | Independence Bowl | Independence Stadium Shreveport, Louisiana | 7:30 PM | ESPN | Arkansas 27 (8–4), Missouri 14 (8–4) | NR NR | NR NR |
| 12/31 | San Francisco Bowl | Pacific Bell Park San Francisco, California | 10:30 PM | ESPN2 | Boston College 32 (7–5), Colorado State 21 (7–5) | NR NR | NR NR |
| 1/1 | Outback Bowl | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida | 11:00 AM | ESPN | Iowa 37, (9–3) Florida 17 (8–4) | #13 #17 | #12 #17 |
| 1/1 | Gator Bowl | Alltel Stadium Jacksonville, Florida | 12:30 PM | NBC | Maryland 41, (9–3) West Virginia 7 (8–4) | #23 #20 | #24 #23 |
| 1/1 | Capital One Bowl | Citrus Bowl Orlando, Florida | 1:00 PM | ABC | Georgia 34, (10–3) Purdue 27 (9–3) | #11 #12 | #11 #13 |
| 1/2 | Cotton Bowl Classic | Cotton Bowl Dallas, Texas | 2:00 PM | FOX | Mississippi 31, (9–3) Oklahoma State 28 (9–3) | #16 #21 | #18 #22 |
| 1/2 | Peach Bowl | Georgia Dome Atlanta, Georgia | 4:30 PM | ESPN | Clemson 27 (8–5), Tennessee 14 (10–2) | NR #6 | NR #7 |
| 1/3 | Humanitarian Bowl | Bronco Stadium Boise, Idaho | 12 PM | ESPN | Georgia Tech 52 (6–6), Tulsa 10 (8–4) | NR NR | NR NR |
| Bowl Championship Series |||||||||
| Date | Game | Site | Time (US EST) | TV | Matchup | AP rank | BCS rank |
| 1/1 | Rose Bowl | Rose Bowl Pasadena, California | 4:30 PM | ABC | USC 28 (11–1) (Pac-10 Champion), Michigan (Big Ten Champion) 14 (10–2) | #1 #4 | #3 #4 |
| 1/1 | Orange Bowl | Dolphin Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida | 8:30 PM | ABC | Miami 16 (10–2) (Big East Champion), Florida State (ACC Champion) 14 (10–2) | #10 #9 | #9 #7 |
| 1/2 | Fiesta Bowl | Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona | 8 PM | ABC | Ohio State 35 (10–2), Kansas State 28 (11–3) (Big 12 Champion) | #7 #8 | #5 #10 |
| 1/4 | Sugar Bowl (BCS National Championship Game) | Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana | 8 PM | ABC | LSU 21 (12–1) (SEC Champion), Oklahoma 14 (12–1) | #2 #3 | #2 #1 |

## Conference bowl representation

| Conference | Bowl Appearances | Bowl Appearances | Bowl Appearances | Bowl Appearances | Bowl Appearances | Top 25 (December 7 Polls) | Top 25 (December 7 Polls) | Top 25 (December 7 Polls) | Top 25 (December 7 Polls) |
| Conference | # | Record | % | Winners | Losers | # | Teams | AP Rank | CP Rank |
| Mid-American | 2 | 2–0 | 1.000 | Miami (Ohio) Bowling Green | | 1 | Miami (Ohio) | #14 | #15 |
| ACC | 6 | 5–1 | 0.833 | Maryland Georgia Tech Clemson NC State Virginia | Florida State | 2 | Florida State | #9 | #8 |
| ACC | 6 | 5–1 | 0.833 | Maryland Georgia Tech Clemson NC State Virginia | Florida State | 2 | Maryland | #23 | #24 |
| Western Athletic | 4 | 3–1 | 0.750 | Boise State Hawaii Fresno State | Tulsa | 1 | Boise State | #18 | #16 |
| SEC | 7 | 5–2 | 0.714 | LSU Georgia Mississippi Auburn Arkansas | Tennessee Florida | 5 | LSU | #2 | #2 |
| SEC | 7 | 5–2 | 0.714 | LSU Georgia Mississippi Auburn Arkansas | Tennessee Florida | 5 | Tennessee | #6 | #7 |
| SEC | 7 | 5–2 | 0.714 | LSU Georgia Mississippi Auburn Arkansas | Tennessee Florida | 5 | Georgia | #11 | #11 |
| SEC | 7 | 5–2 | 0.714 | LSU Georgia Mississippi Auburn Arkansas | Tennessee Florida | 5 | Mississippi | #16 | #18 |
| SEC | 7 | 5–2 | 0.714 | LSU Georgia Mississippi Auburn Arkansas | Tennessee Florida | 5 | Florida | #17 | #17 |
| Pac-10 | 6 | 4–2 | 0.667 | USC Washington State Oregon State California | Oregon UCLA | 2 | USC | #1 | #1 |
| Pac-10 | 6 | 4–2 | 0.667 | USC Washington State Oregon State California | Oregon UCLA | 2 | Washington State | #15 | #14 |
| Big East | 5 | 2–3 | 0.400 | Miami Boston College | West Virginia Virginia Tech Pittsburgh | 2 | Miami | #10 | #9 |
| Big East | 5 | 2–3 | 0.400 | Miami Boston College | West Virginia Virginia Tech Pittsburgh | 2 | West Virginia | #20 | #23 |
| Big 10 | 8 | 3–5 | 0.375 | Ohio State Iowa Minnesota | Michigan Purdue Michigan State Wisconsin Northwestern | 5 | Michigan | #4 | #4 |
| Big 10 | 8 | 3–5 | 0.375 | Ohio State Iowa Minnesota | Michigan Purdue Michigan State Wisconsin Northwestern | 5 | Ohio State | #7 | #6 |
| Big 10 | 8 | 3–5 | 0.375 | Ohio State Iowa Minnesota | Michigan Purdue Michigan State Wisconsin Northwestern | 5 | Iowa | #13 | #12 |
| Big 10 | 8 | 3–5 | 0.375 | Ohio State Iowa Minnesota | Michigan Purdue Michigan State Wisconsin Northwestern | 5 | Purdue | #12 | #13 |
| Big 10 | 8 | 3–5 | 0.375 | Ohio State Iowa Minnesota | Michigan Purdue Michigan State Wisconsin Northwestern | 5 | Minnesota | #24 | #20 |
| Mountain West | 3 | 1–2 | 0.333 | Utah | New Mexico Colorado State | 1 | Utah | #25 | #25 |
| Big 12 | 8 | 2–6 | 0.250 | Nebraska Texas Tech | Oklahoma Texas Kansas State Oklahoma State Kansas Missouri | 5 | Oklahoma | #3 | #3 |
| Big 12 | 8 | 2–6 | 0.250 | Nebraska Texas Tech | Oklahoma Texas Kansas State Oklahoma State Kansas Missouri | 5 | Texas | #5 | #5 |
| Big 12 | 8 | 2–6 | 0.250 | Nebraska Texas Tech | Oklahoma Texas Kansas State Oklahoma State Kansas Missouri | 5 | Kansas State | #8 | #10 |
| Big 12 | 8 | 2–6 | 0.250 | Nebraska Texas Tech | Oklahoma Texas Kansas State Oklahoma State Kansas Missouri | 5 | Nebraska | #22 | #21 |
| Big 12 | 8 | 2–6 | 0.250 | Nebraska Texas Tech | Oklahoma Texas Kansas State Oklahoma State Kansas Missouri | 5 | Oklahoma State | #21 | #22 |
| Conference USA | 5 | 1–4 | 0.200 | Memphis | TCU Louisville Houston Southern Miss | 1 | TCU | #19 | #19 |
| Sun Belt | 1 | 0–1 | 0.000 | | North Texas | 0 | none | none | none |
| Independents | 1 | 0–1 | 0.000 | | Navy | 0 | none | none | none |

## All-star games

| Date | Game | Winning Team | Winning Team | Losing Team | Losing Team | Venue | City |
| January 10, 2004 | East–West Shrine Game | West Team | 28 | East Team | 7 | SBC Park | San Francisco, California |
| January 17, 2004 | Las Vegas All-American Classic | West Team | 14 | East Team | 7 | Sam Boyd Stadium | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| January 17, 2004 | Hula Bowl | South (Aina) | 26 | North (Kai) | 7 | War Memorial Stadium | Wailuku, Hawaii |
| January 24, 2004 | Senior Bowl | South Team | 28 | North Team | 10 | Ladd–Peebles Stadium | Mobile, Alabama |
| January 31, 2004 | Gridiron Classic | North All-Stars | 35 | South All-Stars | 31 | The Villages Polo Stadium | The Villages, Florida |