2007 – 08 NCAA football bowl games The 2007 - 08 NCAA College Football Bowl Games 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 . Selection 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 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 . As a result , the NCAA on April 30 , 2008 later approved two new bowl games for the 2008 - 09 post season : The EagleBank Bowl ( née 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 coach ing changes between the regular season and the bowl season , the following teams played their postseason contests with interim head coaches : In addition , the following teams had coaches that either resigned or retired from their teams , but continued to work for their bowl games : Non - BCS Bowls . Poinsettia Bowl . In the first bowl game of the season , the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl on December 20 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego , California , the Utes of the University of Utah from the Mountain West Conference defeated the independent ( no conference affiliation ) United States Naval Academy Midshipmen , 35 - 32 . Each team got $ 750 , 000 payouts , as the Utes ' share was divided amongst the members of their conference , while Navy kept the entire amount . New Orleans Bowl . At the R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl held December 21 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans , Louisiana , the Florida Atlantic University Owls of the Sun Belt Conference , in their first FBS appearance as conference champions , defeated the University of Memphis Tigers from Conference USA , 44 - 27 . Both conferences got $ 325 , 000 in payouts in the first of three post - season games to be played in the Crescent City . PapaJohns . com Bowl . The Papajohns . com Bowl at Legion Field in Birmingham , Alabama on December 22 featured the University of Cincinnati Bearcats of the Big East Conference and the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles of Conference USA . This was the last game for 17 - year coach Jeff Bower of Southern Miss who made his coaching debut at Southern Miss at Legion Field against Alabama . However , the Bearcats won the game 31 - 21 , earning their first 10 win season in over five decades . Both conferences were paid $ 300 , 000 for the contest . New Mexico Bowl . The New Mexico Bowl on December 22 was contested by the University of New Mexico Lobos of the Mountain West and the University of Nevada , Reno Wolf Pack of the Western Athletic Conference . On their home field of University Stadium in Albuquerque , New Mexico , the Lobos shutout the Wolf Pack , 23 - 0 , to win their first postseason win since 1961 . For the Wolf Pack , it was the first shutout they suffered since 1980 . Both conferences got a stipend of $ 750 , 000 for each school ' s participation in the season ' s fourth bowl game . Las Vegas Bowl . The Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl was played on December 22 at the University of Nevada , Las Vegas ' s Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney Nevada . In the only regular season rematch of the season , the Cougars of Brigham Young University , the Mountain West Conference champions , escaped with an 17 - 16 victory over the University of California , Los Angeles Bruins of the Pacific - 10 Conference . The conferences each divided up checks for $ 1 million as receipt for their teams playing . The game was not decided until Eathyn Manumaluena blocked Kai Forbath ' s game - winning 28 - yard field goal attempt as time expired , avenging a 27 - 17 loss back on September 8 at UCLA ' s home field , the Rose Bowl in Pasadena , California . Hawaii Bowl . The Sheraton Hawaii Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu , Hawaii , saw the East Carolina University Pirates of Conference USA defeat the WAC ' s Boise State University Broncos , 41 - 38 . Boise State came back from a 38 - 14 third - quarter deficit , tying the game when Marty Tadman returned a Pirates fumble for a touchdown with 1 : 25 left . The Pirates answered with a game - ending 34 - yard field goal from Ben Hartman to win their first bowl game since 2000 . The conferences of both schools received a check for $ 750 , 000 apiece . The University of Hawaii Warriors , the traditional Hawaii Bowl team as per its " Hawaii guarantee " agreement , did not play in this season ' s contest since they qualified for a BCS bowl . Additionally , the game was held on December 23 instead of the traditional annual date of December 24 ( Christmas Eve ) due to ESPN ' s commitments to broadcast a " Monday Night Football " game between the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers . Motor City Bowl . The Motor City Bowl was played at Ford Field in Detroit , Michigan on December 26 . The Big Ten representatives , the Purdue University Boilermakers , withstood a furious comeback from the MAC champion Central Michigan University Chippewas to win on a game - ending field goal , 51 - 48 . The Chips came back from a 34 - 13 halftime deficit to tie it with 1 : 09 to play in regulation . Purdue then drove to the CMU 23 - yard line , where kicker Chris Summers kicked a 40 - yard field goal to end the game . Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter threw 35 - 54 for three touchdowns , two interceptions , and a Motor City Bowl record 546 yards , which was also the fourth - highest passing yard total in post - season history . His counterpart , CMU quarterback Dan LeFevour , accounted for 406 ( 292 passing , 114 rushing ) of CMU ' s 435 total yards and all 6 of his team ' s touchdowns ( 4 passing , 2 rushing ) . As for Butch Jones , the CMU coach , who made his head coaching debut in last year ' s contest against Middle Tennessee State , reports had him looking into the vacant West Virginia job with a second interview scheduled after this game , but that never materialized . The conferences each received $ 750 , 000 for their teams ' participation . Champs Sports Bowl . The Boston College Eagles of the ACC narrowly defeated the Michigan State University Spartans , 24 - 21 , in the Champs Sports Bowl on December 28 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando , Florida , the first of two post - season contests played there . The Eagles entered the game after losing the ACC Championship Game . Meanwhile , the Spartans , who were not expected to even play in a bowl , barely qualified for a bowl game after upsetting Penn State in the Land Grant Trophy game . Each conference received a stipend of $ 2 . 2 million for their teams . Texas Bowl . The Texas Bowl was played on December 28 , when the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs , representing the Mountain West Conference , played Conference USA ' s University of Houston Cougars in a pseudo home game at Reliant Stadium in Houston , Texas , not far from the Astrodome where the Cougars played until moving back on campus to Robertson Stadium in 1999 . The Horned Frogs won the game , 20 - 13 , in their first meeting since the disbanding of the Southwest Conference . Because the Big 12 failed to meet the minimum of eight schools for bowl eligibility ( and a larger payout ) , the conferences received $ 612 , 500 . Emerald Bowl . In another game played on December 28 , the Pac - 10 ' s Oregon State University Beavers scored the game ' s final touchdown in the fourth quarter for a 21 - 14 victory against the ACC ' s University of Maryland , College Park Terrapins in the Emerald Bowl at AT & T Park in San Francisco , California , which normally serves as the home to the Major League Baseball team San Francisco Giants . The conferences involved received a $ 750 , 000 payment from the organizers . Meineke Car Care Bowl . The ACC ' s Wake Forest University Demon Deacons , defeated the University of Connecticut Huskies from the Big East , 24 - 10 , on December 29 in the Meineke Car Care Bowl at Charlotte , North Carolina ' s Bank of America Stadium . Each conference got a $ 750 , 000 payment for the schools ' involvement . Liberty Bowl . The AutoZone Liberty Bowl was held on December 29 at the self - named Memorial Stadium in Memphis , Tennessee . The Conference USA champions , the University of Central Florida Golden Knights , lost in a defensive battle to the SEC representatives , the Mississippi State University Bulldogs , 10 - 3 . The conferences received a $ 1 . 7 million check for the schools to divide amongst themselves . Alamo Bowl . The December 29 Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio , Texas saw the Big Ten ' s Nittany Lions from the Pennsylvania State University prevail over the Big 12 ' s Texas A & M University Aggies by a score of 24 - 17 to finish in the nation ranked 25th . This was Penn State head coach Joe Paterno ' s 500th game . Texas A & M was led by interim coach Gary Darnell , after Dennis Franchione was excused , mired in scandal . Both schools earned a $ 2 . 2 million check for their conferences . This was the first season that Valero Energy was the title sponsor of the game , which was without one a season earlier after MasterCard International withdrew after the 2006 contest . Independence Bowl . The PetroSun Independence Bowl in Shreveport , Louisiana at Independence Stadium on December 30 saw the SEC ' s University of Alabama Crimson Tide score 27 first half points against the Big 12 ' s University of Colorado at Boulder Buffaloes . Alabama then prevented a late Colorado comeback to hold on to win , 30 - 24 . Each conference received a payout of $ 1 . 1 million . Armed Forces Bowl . The Bell Helicopters Armed Forces Bowl was played on December 31 at Amon G . Carter Stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth , Texas . The Pac 10 ' s University of California , Berkeley Golden Bears defeated the United States Air Force Academy Falcons from the Mountain West , 42 - 36 . The conferences received $ 750 , 000 as a receipt for the teams participating . Humanitarian Bowl . Another contest on December 31 was the Roady ' s Humanitarian Bowl at Bronco Stadium on the campus of Boise State University in Boise , Idaho , best known for its blue " Smurf Turf " . The former MPC Bowl reverted back to its original " Humanitarian Bowl " name after Roady ' s Truck Stops replaced Micron Technology as its sponsor . In this season ' s game , the WAC ' s California State University , Fresno Bulldogs beat the Georgia Institute of Technology ( more commonly known as Georgia Tech ) Yellow Jackets from the ACC , 40 - 28 . Each conference received a $ 750 , 000 payout to be divided among fellow members . Music City Bowl . The Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl at LP Field in Nashville , Tennessee was held on December 31 . The University of Kentucky Wildcats made their second consecutive Music City Bowl appearance , having defeated Clemson , coached by Tommy Bowden during the 2006 - 07 season . This year , they played another ACC team coached by a Bowden , this time the Florida State University Seminoles of father Bobby . The Seminoles came into the game missing thirty - four players ( very few being starters or second stringers ) due to injuries , violations of team rules , and suspensions stemming from a large cheating scandal . The Wildcats won 35 - 28 to finish 8 - 5 for the second straight year , giving them back - to - back bowl wins for the first time since 1952 . Also for the second straight year , Wildcats quarterback André Woodson was the game ' s MVP . Each conference got a payment of $ 1 . 5 million to be divided amongst their members . Insight Bowl . At the Insight Bowl played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in the Phoenix , Arizona suburb of Tempe on December 31 , the Oklahoma State University - Stillwater Cowboys from the Big 12 beat the Indiana University Hoosiers of the Big Ten , 49 - 33 . In spite of the loss , IU fulfilled a dream for their late head coach Terry Hoeppner before his untimely passing earlier this year to play one more game for a total of " 13 " , the team ' s motto for the 2007 season . As payment , the participating conferences each received $ 1 . 2 million . International Bowl . The second International Bowl was contested at Rogers Centre in Toronto , Ontario , Canada on January 5 , 2008 . The Big East ' s Rutgers University Scarlet Knights defeated the MAC ' s Ball State University Cardinals , 52 - 30 . Rutgers running back , Ray Rice rushed for 280 yards and four touchdowns to earn MVP honors . The conferences involved each got $ 750 , 000 to split between their schools . GMAC Bowl . The GMAC Bowl was played in Mobile , Alabama ' s Ladd Peebles Stadium on January 6 , 2008 . The Conference USA ' s Golden Hurricane of University of Tulsa dominated the Bowling Green State University Falcons from the Mid - American Conference , 63 - 7 . The 63 points posted by the Hurricane was the most since beating Drake University , 70 - 7 in 1970 . In addition , the 56 - point margin of victory set an NCAA record for most lopsided win in any bowl , bettering Alabama ' s 55 - point blowout of Syracuse , 61 - 6 , in the 1953 Orange Bowl . The bowl paid their leagues $ 750 , 000 apiece for their teams . New Year ' s Day and other Prestigious Non - BCS Bowl Games . The following seven bowl games are either held traditionally on January 1 or have featured large payouts . In addition , a majority of these games are aired on broadcast television network s such as CBS , ABC or Fox instead of cable network s like ESPN , ESPN2 or NFL Network . Holiday Bowl . The Pacific Life Holiday Bowl was played on December 27 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego , California , which also hosted the Poinsettia Bowl a week earlier . The University of Texas at Austin Longhorns , the representatives of the Big 12 , coached by Mack Brown , defeated the Pac - 10 ' s Arizona State University Sun Devils under the leadership of Dennis Erickson , 52 - 34 . Each conference will get a $ 2 . 2 million payout as receipt of the schools playing . Sun Bowl . The Brut Sun Bowl was contested on December 31 at the eponymous named stadium in El Paso , Texas on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso , pitting the Pac 10 ' s University of Oregon Ducks and the Big East ' s University of South Florida Bulls . After a first half that saw both teams tied at one point at 11 - 11 , the Ducks scored 38 points in the second half to clinch a 56 - 21 win . Both schools netted a payout of $ 1 . 9 million for their conference coffers . Chick - fil - A Bowl . The Chick - fil - A Bowl was played on December 31 in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta , Georgia between two teams with the same moniker : Clemson University from the ACC and Auburn University from the SEC , both referred to as " Tigers . " During the contest , Auburn unveiled a new spread offense implemented by new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin . Despite an early bowl - record 83 - yard touchdown run by Clemson ' s C . J . Spiller , Auburn was able to record a 23 - 20 victory when freshman backup quarterback Kodi Burns ended the first overtime game in Chick - fil - A Bowl history with a seven yard walk - off touchdown . The payouts were $ 3 . 25 million for the higher priority selection from the ACC and $ 2 . 4 million for the SEC representative . The Chick - fil - A Bowl was the highest - rated ESPN - broadcast bowl game of the 2007 - 2008 season , and the highest rated in the game ' s history . Outback Bowl . In the first of two Big Ten - SEC matchups played on New Years ' Day , the University of Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Badgers from the University of Wisconsin – Madison , 21 - 17 , in the Outback Bowl at Tampa , Florida ' s Raymond James Stadium . Both conferences were guaranteed a $ 3 million paycheck . Cotton Bowl Classic . Despite having one of their most successful seasons in school history , the University of Missouri - Columbia Tigers were only selected to play at the non - BCS AT & T Cotton Bowl Classic on January 1 after suffering their only two losses for the year to Oklahoma ( the latter in the Big 12 Championship Game ) . Mizzou then blew out their bowl game opponent , the University of Arkansas Razorbacks from the SEC , 38 - 7 . The conferences received $ 3 million apiece . Tigers running back Tony Temple set game records with 281 yards on the ground and four touchdowns while Razorback runner Darren McFadden was limited to 102 yards . This was the second - to - last Cotton Bowl Classic to be played at the namesake stadium in Dallas , Texas ; the game will move to nearby Cowboys Stadium in Arlington beginning 2010 . Gator Bowl . The Big 12 ' s Texas Tech University Red Raiders defeated the ACC ' s University of Virginia Cavaliers , 31 - 28 , in the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl at Jacksonville , Florida ' s Municipal Stadium on January 1 . Alex Trlica kicked the game - winning 41 - yard field goal with : 07 left in the game . The kick capped off a 17 - point burst by Texas Tech in the final 3 : 31 to come from behind . Red Raiders quarterback Graham Harrell completed 44 out of 69 passes for 407 yards and three touchdowns . Cavaliers running back Mikell Simpson scored on a 96 - yard touchdown run , the longest run in NCAA bowl history , in the losing effort . A $ 5 . 5 million payout awaited both participating conferences . Konica Minolta replaced Toyota as title sponsor as of this game . Capital One Bowl . In his final game , head coach Lloyd Carr ' s University of Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten upset the University of Florida Gators led by Heisman Trophy winning sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow , 41 - 35 at the Capital One Bowl on January 1 . The game was the second bowl contest held at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando , Florida during the 2007 - 08 bowl season . The participating conferences received the largest payout of any non - BCS game at $ 4 . 25 million per conference . Bowl Championship Series . Each Bowl Championship Series ( BCS ) game had a payout of between $ 14 million and $ 17 million to each conference . Three conferences – the Big Ten , the Big 12 and the SEC – earned a second berth as a result of at - large selections . In those cases , an additional $ 6 million was given to be divided between all schools in those conferences . Because the University of Hawaii earned an at - large berth in the Sugar Bowl , the MAC , WAC , Mountain West , Conference USA and Sun Belt conferences divided $ 18 million for their schools . Rose Bowl Game . In the first BCS Game on January 1 , 2008 , the University of Southern California Trojans defeated the University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign Fighting Illini , 49 - 17 in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi at self - named facility in Pasadena , California . The Trojans victory one of the most lopsided wins in the history of the game often referred to as " The Granddaddy of Them All " . Quarterback John David Booty was named offensive MVP of the game . The Trojans were Pac - 10 champions for the third straight year , overcoming an upset loss by Stanford in October at home as a 40 - point favorite . Meanwhile , the Fighting Illini finished as the only other team from the Big Ten in the regular season Top 14 BCS rankings . After they beat The Ohio State University Buckeyes in one of the biggest upsets of the regular season , Illinois finished in second place in the Big Ten , and qualified for the Rose Bowl after the conference champion Buckeyes earned a berth in the BCS National Championship Game . Sugar Bowl . The Allstate Sugar Bowl on January 1 , the second bowl contest played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans , pitted the University of Hawaii at Mānoa Warriors against the University of Georgia Bulldogs . The Warriors completed an unbeaten regular season with the " run and shoot " offense of head coach June Jones , clinching the WAC championship . The Bulldogs finished with a 10 - 2 overall record , tied for first place in the SEC Eastern Division ( UGA did not qualify for the SEC Championship Game , however , because they lost a head - to - head tiebreaker the Tennessee Volunteers ) . UGA took advantage of errors by Hawaii en route to an easy 41 - 10 victory . Almost a week later , Jones resigned to take the job at Southern Methodist University . Fiesta Bowl . The Tosititos Fiesta Bowl was played at Glendale , Arizona ' s University of Phoenix Stadium on January 2 , 2008 . The West Virginia University Mountaineers upset the Big 12 champion University of Oklahoma Sooners , 48 - 28 . The Mountaineers entered the game as the Big East champions , but were spoiled on the last day of the regular season in the Backyard Brawl against the University of Pittsburgh as the number two team in the rankings . The Sooners were coming off a win over Missouri in the Big 12 Championship Game . The loss was the fourth straight in the BCS and second consecutive in the Fiesta Bowl for head coach Bob Stoops ' Sooners , who lost a memorable game a year earlier to Boise State . Bill Stewart , who led the Mountaineers after Rich Rodriguez bolted for Michigan after the regular season , was rewarded for his work in this game by being named permanent head coach for the 2008 season . Orange Bowl . On January 3 , 2008 , while much of the country was focused on the first major preliminary event of the 2008 Presidential Election campaign in the USA , the Iowa caucuses , the Big 12 ' s University of Kansas Jayhawks defeated the ACC Champion Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ( Virginia Tech ) Hokies , 24 - 21 , at the FedEx Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens , Florida ' s Dolphin Stadium . 2008 BCS National Championship Game . The 2008 Allstate BCS National Championship Game was the third post - season contest at New Orleans ' Louisiana Superdome and was played on January 7 , 2008 . The SEC Champion Louisiana State University Tigers overcame a 10 - 0 deficit to beat the Big Ten Champion Ohio State University Buckeyes , 38 - 24 , in front of a crowd of 79 , 651 . The LSU Tigers thus became the first team to win two BCS titles and the first to win a national championship with two losses ( both in triple overtime to Kentucky and Arkansas ) . Conference Bowl Records . Bowl Challenge Cup . - " The Sun Belt is ineligible for the Bowl Challenge Cup as they failed to have the minimum three teams to qualify . " " NOTE : BCS conferences had a 6 - 2 mark against their " mid - major " brethren in 2007 - 08 . " 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 . Hawaii 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 . Hawaii 18 . Illinois 19 . Michigan 20 . Cincinnati 21 . Wisconsin 22 . Clemson 23 . Texas Tech 24 . Oregon 25 . Penn State