# 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season

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.

## Rule changes

The NCAA football rules committee made rule changes for 2008, including the following:
* Teams have 40 seconds from the time a ball is declared dead to snap the ball. The 25 second play clock will still be used for administrative stoppages and penalties.
* The 15 second play clock after a TV timeout (adopted in the 2007 season) is repealed and returned to 25 seconds.
* Outside of the final two minutes of each half, if a runner goes out of bounds, the game clock restarts after the ball is spotted.
* The penalty for kicking the ball out of bounds on the kickoff is increased, placing the ball at the 40-yard line, similar to the NFL.
* Reinforcing that contact that leads with the crown of the helmet to another player (targeting) is a foul, penalized 15 yards.
* All face-mask penalties result in a 15-yard penalty. Incidental contact with the face mask is no longer penalized.
* Sideline warnings are now penalized five yards for the first two occurrences, and 15 yards (unsportsmanlike conduct) for the third and subsequent violations. Previously the officials gave teams two warnings before a five-yard penalty was called.
* All horse-collar tackles are now subject to a 15-yard penalty.
* If a coach challenges a play, and he wins the challenge, then he is given a second challenge to use later in the game, but each coach has a maximum of two challenges per game even if both are decided in his favor.

## Conference and program changes

Western Kentucky upgraded from Division I FCS and played the 2008 season as a transitional Division I FBS member.
| School | 2007 Conference | 2008 Conference |
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | FCS Independent | FBS Independent |

## Regular season top 10 matchups

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.
* Week 3
** No. 1 USC defeated No. 5 Ohio State, 35–3 (Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California)
* Week 4
** No. 6 LSU defeated No. 10 Auburn, 26–21 (Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama)
* Week 5
** No. 8 Alabama defeated No. 3 Georgia, 41–30 (Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia)
* Week 7
** No. 5 Texas defeated No. 1 Oklahoma, 45–35 (Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas)
* Week 9
** No. 1/1 Texas defeated No. 6/7 Oklahoma State, 28–24 (Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas)
** No. 3/3 Penn State defeated No. 9/10 Ohio State, 13–6 (Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio)
* Week 10
** No. 7/6 Texas Tech defeated No. 1/1 Texas, 39–33 (Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, Texas)
** No. 8/8 Florida defeated No. 6/5 Georgia, 49–10 (Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida)
* Week 11
** No. 2/2 Texas Tech defeated No. 9/8 Oklahoma State, 56–20 (Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, Texas)
* Week 13
** No. 5/5 Oklahoma defeated No. 2/2 Texas Tech, 65–21 (Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma)
* Week 15
** No. 4/2 Florida defeated No. 1/1 Alabama, 31–20 (2008 SEC Championship Game, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia)

## Most-watched regular season games

| 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 |

## Conference standings

2008 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings :
| 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Atlantic Division Boston College xy  5 –3  9 –5   No. 21 Florida State x  5 –3  9 –4   Maryland  4 –4  8 –5   Wake Forest  4 –4  8 –5   Clemson  4 –4  7 –6   NC State  4 –4  6 –7   Coastal Division No. 15 Virginia Tech xy$  5 –3  10 –4   No. 22 Georgia Tech x  5 –3  9 –4   North Carolina  0 –4  0 –5   Miami (FL)  4 –4  7 –6   Virginia  3 –5  5 –7   Duke  1 –7  4 –8   Championship: Virginia Tech 30, Boston College 12 $ – BCS representative as conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantNorth Carolina vacated 8 wins, including 4 ACC winsRankings from AP Poll | 2008 Big 12 Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North Division No. 19 Missouri xy  5 –3  10 –4   Nebraska x  5 –3  9 –4   Kansas  4 –4  8 –5   Colorado  2 –6  5 –7   Kansas State  2 –6  5 –7   Iowa State  0 –8  2 –10   South Division No. 5 Oklahoma xy$  7 –1  12 –2   No. 4 Texas x%  7 –1  12 –1   No. 12 Texas Tech x  7 –1  11 –2   No. 16 Oklahoma State  5 –3  9 –4   Baylor  2 –6  4 –8   Texas A&M  2 –6  4 –8   Championship: Oklahoma 62, Missouri 21 $ – BCS representative as conference champion% – BCS at-large representativex – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll | 2008 Big East Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 17 Cincinnati $  6 –1  11 –3   Pittsburgh  5 –2  9 –4   No. 23 West Virginia  5 –2  9 –4   Rutgers  5 –2  8 –5   Connecticut  3 –4  8 –5   South Florida  2 –5  8 –5   Louisville  1 –6  5 –7   Syracuse  1 –6  3 –9   $ – BCS representative as conference championRankings from AP Poll |
| 2008 Big Ten Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 8 Penn State $+  7 –1  11 –2   No. 9 Ohio State %+  7 –1  10 –3   No. 24 Michigan State  6 –2  9 –4   Northwestern  5 –3  9 –4   No. 20 Iowa  5 –3  9 –4   Wisconsin  3 –5  7 –6   Minnesota  3 –5  7 –6   Illinois  3 –5  5 –7   Purdue  2 –6  4 –8   Michigan  2 –6  3 –9   Indiana  1 –7  3 –9   $ – BCS representative as conference champion% – BCS at-large representative+ – Conference co-championsRankings from AP Poll | 2008 Conference USA football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Division East Carolina x$  6 –2  9 –5   Memphis  4 –4  6 –7   Southern Miss  4 –4  7 –6   UAB  3 –5  4 –8   UCF  3 –5  4 –8   Marshall  3 –5  4 –8   West Division Tulsa xy  7 –1  11 –3   Rice x  7 –1  10 –3   Houston  6 –2  8 –5   UTEP  4 –4  5 –7   Tulane  1 –7  2 –10   SMU  0 –8  1 –11   Championship: East Carolina 27, Tulsa 24 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll | 2008 Mid-American Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Division Buffalo x$  5 –3  8 –6   Bowling Green  4 –4  6 –6   Temple  4 –4  5 –7   Ohio  3 –5  4 –8   Akron  3 –5  5 –7   Kent State  3 –5  4 –8   Miami (OH)  1 –7  2 –10   West Division Ball State x  8 –0  12 –2   Central Michigan  6 –2  8 –5   Western Michigan  6 –2  9 –4   Northern Illinois  5 –3  6 –7   Toledo  2 –6  3 –9   Eastern Michigan  2 –6  3 –9   Championship: Buffalo 42, Ball State 24 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-champions |
| 2008 Mountain West Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Utah $  8 –0  13 –0   No. 7 TCU  7 –1  11 –2   No. 25 BYU  6 –2  10 –3   Air Force  5 –3  8 –5   Colorado State  4 –4  7 –6   UNLV  2 –6  5 –7   New Mexico  2 –6  4 –8   Wyoming  1 –7  4 –8   San Diego State  1 –7  2 –10   $ – Conference champion and BCS representative as top non-AQ school to meet automatic qualification criteriaRankings from AP Poll | 2008 Pacific-10 Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 3 USC $  8 –1  12 –1   No. 10 Oregon  7 –2  10 –3   No. 18 Oregon State  7 –2  9 –4   California  6 –3  9 –4   Arizona  5 –4  8 –5   Arizona State  4 –5  5 –7   Stanford  4 –5  5 –7   UCLA  3 –6  4 –8   Washington State  1 –8  2 –11   Washington  0 –9  0 –12   $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll | 2008 Southeastern Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Eastern Division No. 1 Florida x$#  7 –1  13 –1   No. 13 Georgia  6 –2  10 –3   Vanderbilt  4 –4  7 –6   South Carolina  4 –4  7 –6   Tennessee  3 –5  5 –7   Kentucky  2 –6  7 –6   Western Division No. 6 Alabama x%  8 –0  12 –2   No. 14 Ole Miss  5 –3  9 –4   LSU  3 –5  8 –5   Arkansas  2 –6  5 –7   Auburn  2 –6  5 –7   Mississippi State  2 –6  4 –8   Championship: Florida 31, Alabama 20 # – BCS National Champion$ – BCS representative as conference champion% – BCS at-large representativex – Division champion/co-championsRankings from AP Poll |
| 2008 Sun Belt Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Troy $  6 –1  8 –5   Louisiana–Lafayette  5 –2  6 –6   Florida Atlantic  4 –3  7 –6   Arkansas State  4 –3  6 –6   FIU  3 –4  5 –7   Middle Tennessee  3 –4  5 –7   Louisiana–Monroe  3 –4  4 –8   North Texas  0 –7  1 –11   $ – Conference champion | 2008 Western Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 11 Boise State $  8 –0  12 –1   Louisiana Tech  5 –3  8 –5   Nevada  5 –3  7 –6   Hawaii  5 –3  7 –7   Fresno State  4 –4  7 –6   San Jose State  4 –4  6 –6   Utah State  3 –5  3 –9   New Mexico State  1 –7  3 –9   Idaho  1 –7  2 –10   $ – Conference championRankings from AP Poll | 2008 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Navy   –  8 –5   Notre Dame   –  7 –6   Army   –  3 –9   WKU   –  2 –10   Rankings from AP Poll |

## Conference champions
### Conference championship games

Rankings reflect the Week 14 AP Poll before the games were played.
| Date | Conference | Winner | Runner-Up | Score | Site | TV |
| December 6 | ACC | Virginia Tech | No. 18 Boston College | 30–12 | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida | ABC |
| December 6 | Big 12 | No. 4 Oklahoma | No. 19 Missouri | 62–21 | Arrowhead Stadium Kansas City, Missouri | ABC |
| December 6 | Conference USA | East Carolina | Tulsa | 27–24 | Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium Tulsa, Oklahoma | ESPN2 |
| December 5 | MAC | Buffalo | No. 12 Ball State | 42–24 | Ford Field Detroit, Michigan | ESPN2 |
| December 6 | SEC | No. 2 Florida | No. 1 Alabama | 31–20 | Georgia Dome Atlanta, Georgia | CBS |

### Other conference champions

Rankings are from the Week 15 AP Poll.
| Conference | Champion |
| Big East | No. 12 Cincinnati |
| Big Ten | No. 6 Penn State No. 10 Ohio State |
| Mountain West | No. 7 Utah |
| Pac-10 | No. 5 USC |
| Sun Belt | Troy |
| WAC | No. 9 Boise State |

## Bowl games

Winners are listed in boldface. Rankings are from the final pre-bowl AP Poll.

### 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 | No. 5 USC | No. 6 Penn State | 38–24 | ABC |
| FedEx Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, FL) | January 1 | No. 12 Cincinnati | No. 21 Virginia Tech | 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. 10 Ohio State | No. 3 Texas | 21–24 | FOX |
| FedEx BCS National Championship Game (Miami Gardens, FL) | January 8 | No. 1 Florida | No. 2 Oklahoma | 24–14 | FOX |

### Other bowl games

| Bowl Game | Date | Visitor | Home | Score | TV |
| EagleBank Bowl (Washington, D.C.) | December 20 | Wake Forest | Navy | 29–19 | ESPN |
| New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque, NM) | December 20 | Colorado State | Fresno State | 40–35 | ESPN |
| magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl (St. Petersburg, FL) | December 20 | Memphis | South Florida | 14–41 | ESPN2 |
| Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl (Las Vegas, NV) | December 20 | No. 17 BYU | Arizona | 21–31 | ESPN |
| R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans, LA) | December 21 | Southern Mississippi | Troy | 30–27 | ESPN |
| SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl (San Diego, CA) | December 23 | No. 9 Boise State | No. 11 TCU | 16–17 | ESPN |
| Sheraton Hawaiʻi Bowl (ʻAiea, HI) | December 24 | Hawaiʻi | Notre Dame | 21–49 | ESPN |
| Motor City Bowl (Detroit, MI) | December 26 | Florida Atlantic | Central Michigan | 24–21 | ESPN |
| Meineke Car Care Bowl (Charlotte, NC) | December 27 | West Virginia | North Carolina | 31–30 | ESPN |
| Champs Sports Bowl (Orlando, FL) | December 27 | Wisconsin | Florida State | 13–42 | ESPN |
| Emerald Bowl (San Francisco, CA) | December 27 | Miami (FL) | California | 17–24 | ESPN |
| Independence Bowl (Shreveport, LA) | December 28 | Northern Illinois | Louisiana Tech | 10–17 | ESPN |
| Papajohns.com Bowl (Birmingham, AL) | December 29 | NC State | Rutgers | 23–29 | ESPN2 |
| Valero Alamo Bowl (San Antonio, TX) | December 29 | No. 25 Missouri | No. 22 Northwestern | 30–23 (OT) | ESPN |
| Roady's Truck Stops Humanitarian Bowl (Boise, ID) | December 30 | Maryland | Nevada | 42–35 | ESPN2 |
| Texas Bowl (Houston, TX) | December 30 | Rice | Western Michigan | 38–14 | NFL Network |
| Pacific Life Holiday Bowl (San Diego, CA) | December 30 | No. 13 Oklahoma State | No. 15 Oregon | 31–42 | ESPN |
| Bell Helicopters Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, TX) | December 31 | Houston | Air Force | 34–28 | ESPN |
| Brut Sun Bowl (El Paso, TX) | December 31 | No. 24 Oregon State | No. 18 Pittsburgh | 3–0 | CBS |
| Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl (Nashville, TN) | December 31 | Boston College | Vanderbilt | 14–16 | ESPN |
| Insight Bowl (Tempe, AZ) | December 31 | Kansas | Minnesota | 42–21 | NFL |
| Chick-fil-A Bowl (Atlanta, GA) | December 31 | LSU | No. 14 Georgia Tech | 38–3 | ESPN |
| Outback Bowl (Tampa, FL) | January 1 | South Carolina | Iowa | 10–31 | ESPN |
| Konica Minolta Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL) | January 1 | Nebraska | Clemson | 26–21 | CBS |
| Capital One Bowl (Orlando, FL) | January 1 | No. 16 Georgia | No. 19 Michigan State | 24–12 | ABC |
| Cotton Bowl Classic (Dallas, TX) | January 2 | No. 20 Ole Miss | No. 8 Texas Tech | 47–34 | FOX |
| AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Memphis, TN) | January 2 | Kentucky | East Carolina | 25–19 | ESPN |
| International Bowl (Toronto, ON, Canada) | January 3 | Buffalo | Connecticut | 20–38 | ESPN2 |
| GMAC Bowl (Mobile, AL) | January 6 | Tulsa | No. 23 Ball State | 45–13 | ESPN |

### Bowl Challenge Cup standings

| 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 |
* Does not meet minimum game requirement of three teams needed for a conference to be eligible.

## 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 |
| Sam Bradford | Oklahoma | QB | 300 | 315 | 196 | 1,726 |
| Colt McCoy | Texas | QB | 266 | 288 | 230 | 1,604 |
| Tim Tebow | Florida | QB | 309 | 207 | 234 | 1,575 |
| Graham Harrell | Texas Tech | QB | 13 | 44 | 86 | 213 |
| Michael Crabtree | Texas Tech | WR | 3 | 27 | 53 | 116 |
| Shonn Greene | Iowa | RB | 5 | 9 | 32 | 65 |
| Pat White | West Virginia | QB | 3 | 1 | 8 | 19 |
| Nate Davis | Ball State | QB | 0 | 1 | 8 | 10 |
| Rey Maualuga | USC | LB | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Javon Ringer | Michigan State | RB | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8 |

### Other major award winners

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 |
| 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 |
| Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year | Nick Saban, Alabama |
| 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 |

### All-Americans
#### 2008 Consensus All-America Team

Offense :
| Position | Name | Height | Weight (lbs.) | Class | Hometown | 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 |
Defense :
| Position | Name | Height | Weight (lbs.) | Class | Hometown | Team |
| 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 |
Special teams :
| Position | Name | Height | Weight (lbs.) | Class | Hometown | Team |
| 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 |

### Statistical leaders

* Team scoring most points: Oklahoma, 716

## Coaching changes
### Pre-season

Pre-season :
| Team | 2008 coach | 2007 coach |
| Arkansas | Bobby Petrino | Houston Nutt |
| Baylor | Art Briles | Guy Morriss |
| Georgia Tech | Paul Johnson | Chan Gailey |
| Hawaiʻi | Greg McMackin | June Jones |
| Houston | Kevin Sumlin | Art Briles |
| Michigan | Rich Rodriguez | Lloyd Carr |
| Mississippi | Houston Nutt | Ed Orgeron |
| Navy | Ken Niumatalolo | Paul Johnson |
| Nebraska | Bo Pelini | Bill Callahan |
| Northern Illinois | Jerry Kill | Joe Novak |
| SMU | June Jones | Phil Bennett |
| Southern Mississippi | Larry Fedora | Jeff Bower |
| Texas A&M | Mike Sherman | Dennis Franchione |
| UCLA | Rick Neuheisel | Karl Dorrell |
| Washington State | Paul Wulff | Bill Doba |

### In-season

In-season :
| Team | Interim coach | Former coach |
| Clemson | Dabo Swinney | Tommy Bowden |

### End of season

End of season :
| Team | Outgoing coach | Reason | Replacement |
| Army | Stan Brock | Fired | Rich Ellerson |
| Auburn | Tommy Tuberville | Resigned | Gene Chizik |
| Ball State | Brady Hoke | Hired as head coach at San Diego State | Stan Parrish |
| Boston College | Jeff Jagodzinski | Fired | Frank Spaziani |
| Bowling Green | Gregg Brandon | Fired | Dave Clawson |
| Eastern Michigan | Jeff Genyk | Fired | Ron English |
| Iowa State | Gene Chizik | Hired as head coach at Auburn | Paul Rhoads |
| Kansas State | Ron Prince | Fired | Bill Snyder |
| Miami (OH) | Shane Montgomery | Resigned | Mike Haywood |
| Mississippi State | Sylvester Croom | Resigned | Dan Mullen |
| New Mexico | Rocky Long | Resigned | Mike Locksley |
| New Mexico State | Hal Mumme | Fired | DeWayne Walker |
| Oregon | Mike Bellotti | Resigned to become Oregon athletic director | Chip Kelly |
| Purdue | Joe Tiller | Retired | Danny Hope |
| San Diego State | Chuck Long | Fired | Brady Hoke |
| Syracuse | Greg Robinson | Fired | Doug Marrone |
| Tennessee | Phillip Fulmer | Fired | Lane Kiffin |
| Toledo | Tom Amstutz | Resigned | Tim Beckman |
| Utah State | Brent Guy | Fired | Gary Andersen |
| Washington | Tyrone Willingham | Fired | Steve Sarkisian |
| Wyoming | Joe Glenn | Fired | Dave Christensen |

## Final rankings

| Rank | Associated Press | 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.

## Attendances

| # | College football team | Average attendance |
| 1 | Michigan Wolverines | 108,571 |
| 2 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 108,254 |
| 3 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 104,976 |
| 4 | Tennessee Volunteers | 101,448 |
| 5 | Texas Longhorns | 98,046 |
| 6 | Georgia Bulldogs | 92,746 |
| 7 | LSU Tigers | 92,383 |
| 8 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 92,138 |
| 9 | Florida Gators | 90,544 |
| 10 | Auburn Tigers | 86,915 |
| 11 | USC Trojans | 86,793 |
| 12 | Oklahoma Sooners | 85,075 |
| 13 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 85,071 |
| 14 | Texas A&M Aggies | 82,193 |
| 15 | Wisconsin Badgers | 81,088 |
| 16 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 80,795 |
| 17 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 80,529 |
| 18 | Clemson Tigers | 78,001 |
| 19 | Florida State Seminoles | 77,968 |
| 20 | Michigan State Spartans | 74,858 |
| 21 | UCLA Bruins | 72,795 |
| 22 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 70,169 |
| 23 | Kentucky Wildcats | 69,434 |
| 24 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 68,740 |
| 25 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 66,233 |
| 26 | Missouri Tigers | 64,520 |
| 27 | BYU Cougars | 64,102 |
| 28 | Arizona State Sun Devils | 63,837 |
| 29 | Washington Huskies | 63,640 |
| 30 | Illinois Fighting Illini | 61,707 |
| 31 | California Golden Bears | 61,634 |
| 32 | Oregon Ducks | 58,444 |
| 33 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 58,085 |
| 34 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 57,829 |
| 35 | Purdue Boilermakers | 56,702 |
| 36 | NC State Wolfpack | 56,665 |
| 37 | Virginia Cavaliers | 53,815 |
| 38 | Texas Tech Red Raiders | 53,625 |
| 39 | Ole Miss Rebels | 53,005 |
| 40 | Arizona Wildcats | 52,440 |
| 41 | Kansas Jayhawks | 50,907 |
| 42 | South Florida Bulls | 49,690 |
| 43 | Colorado Buffaloes | 49,476 |
| 44 | Pittsburgh Panthers | 49,352 |
| 45 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | 48,958 |
| 46 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 48,261 |
| 47 | Maryland Terrapins | 47,954 |
| 48 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 47,489 |
| 49 | Iowa State Cyclones | 47,429 |
| 50 | Miami Hurricanes | 46,299 |
| 51 | Utah Utes | 45,542 |
| 52 | Kansas State Wildcats | 45,190 |
| 53 | Oregon State Beavers | 44,931 |
| 54 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 43,453 |
| 55 | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | 42,378 |
| 56 | East Carolina Pirates | 42,016 |
| 57 | Boston College Eagles | 41,037 |
| 58 | Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors | 41,010 |
| 59 | Navy Midshipmen | 40,802 |
| 60 | Louisville Cardinals | 39,680 |
| 61 | UCF Knights | 39,596 |
| 62 | Connecticut Huskies | 39,331 |
| 63 | Vanderbilt Commodores | 38,460 |
| 64 | Air Force Falcons | 38,134 |
| 65 | Fresno State Bulldogs | 37,864 |
| 66 | UTEP Miners | 37,296 |
| 67 | Stanford Cardinal | 34,258 |
| 68 | Baylor Bears | 34,124 |
| 69 | Syracuse Orange | 33,474 |
| 70 | Boise State Broncos | 32,275 |
| 71 | Cincinnati Bearcats | 31,965 |
| 72 | Indiana Hoosiers | 31,782 |
| 73 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 31,666 |
| 74 | Washington State Cougars | 30,719 |
| 75 | TCU Horned Frogs | 30,389 |
| 76 | Southern Miss Golden Eagles | 30,102 |
| 77 | New Mexico Lobos | 29,713 |
| 78 | Duke Blue Devils | 28,727 |
| 79 | Northwestern Wildcats | 28,590 |
| 80 | Army Black Knights | 27,752 |
| 81 | Memphis Tigers | 25,003 |
| 82 | Marshall Thundering Herd | 24,766 |
| 83 | San Diego State Aztecs | 24,376 |
| 84 | Tulsa Golden Hurricane | 24,368 |
| 85 | Tulane Green Wave | 22,750 |
| 86 | Central Michigan Chippewas | 22,659 |
| 87 | Houston Cougars | 21,518 |
| 88 | Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns | 21,468 |
| 89 | Arkansas State Red Wolves | 21,105 |
| 90 | Colorado State Rams | 21,008 |
| 91 | San José State Spartans | 20,952 |
| 92 | UNLV Rebels | 20,849 |
| 93 | Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders | 20,227 |
| 94 | Rice Owls | 20,179 |
| 95 | SMU Mustangs | 19,780 |
| 96 | Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks | 19,519 |
| 97 | Troy Trojans | 19,231 |
| 98 | Ball State Cardinals | 19,201 |
| 99 | UAB Blazers | 19,062 |
| 100 | Nevada Wolf Pack | 19,043 |
| 101 | Eastern Michigan Eagles | 18,951 |
| 102 | Western Michigan Broncos | 18,547 |
| 103 | Wyoming Cowboys | 18,234 |
| 104 | Northern Illinois Huskies | 18,185 |
| 105 | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | 18,020 |
| 106 | New Mexico State Aggies | 17,756 |
| 107 | Toledo Rockets | 17,008 |
| 108 | North Texas Mean Green | 16,956 |
| 109 | Buffalo Bulls | 16,924 |
| 110 | Florida Atlantic Owls | 16,126 |
| 111 | Bowling Green Falcons | 15,701 |
| 112 | Temple Owls | 15,582 |
| 113 | Miami RedHawks | 15,435 |
| 114 | Idaho Vandals | 15,340 |
| 115 | Ohio Bobcats | 15,276 |
| 116 | Utah State Aggies | 14,736 |
| 117 | Akron Zips | 14,342 |
| 118 | FIU Panthers | 13,852 |
| 119 | Kent State Golden Flashes | 10,639 |