The 2008–09 college football postseason featured one of the most exciting bowl slates in recent memory, culminating in a national championship showdown between Florida and Oklahoma. Across more than 30 bowl games, teams from every major conference took the field in matchups that ranged from tight defensive battles to high-scoring thrillers.
The intensity and rhythm of this postseason also reflect traits that set the college game apart from the professional level. Those contrasts become even clearer when looking at how the NFL vs College Football approach the flow and structure of the sport.
Below is the full summary of results from the 2008–09 bowl season.
December 2008
EagleBank Bowl – Washington, D.C.
Wake Forest 29, Navy 19
New Mexico Bowl – Albuquerque, NM
Colorado State 40, Fresno State 35
St. Petersburg Bowl – St. Petersburg, FL
South Florida 41, Memphis 14
Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl – Las Vegas, NV
Arizona 31, BYU 21
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl – New Orleans, LA
Southern Miss 30, Troy 27 (OT)
Poinsettia Bowl – San Diego, CA
TCU 17, Boise State 16
Hawaii Bowl – Honolulu, HI
Notre Dame 49, Hawaii 21
Motor City Bowl – Detroit, MI
Florida Atlantic 24, Central Michigan 21
Meineke Car Care Bowl – Charlotte, NC
West Virginia 31, North Carolina 30
Champs Sports Bowl – Orlando, FL
Florida State 42, Wisconsin 13
Emerald Bowl – San Francisco, CA
California 24, Miami (FL) 17
Independence Bowl – Shreveport, LA
Louisiana Tech 17, Northern Illinois 10
PapaJohns.com Bowl – Birmingham, AL
Rutgers 29, NC State 23
Valero Alamo Bowl – San Antonio, TX
Missouri 30, Northwestern 23 (OT)
Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl – Boise, ID
Maryland 42, Nevada 35
Texas Bowl – Houston, TX
Rice 38, Western Michigan 14
Holiday Bowl – San Diego, CA
Oregon 42, Oklahoma State 31
Armed Forces Bowl – Fort Worth, TX
Houston 34, Air Force 28
Sun Bowl – El Paso, TX
Oregon State 3, Pittsburgh 0
Music City Bowl – Nashville, TN
Vanderbilt 16, Boston College 14
Insight Bowl – Tempe, AZ
Kansas 42, Minnesota 21
Chick-fil-A Bowl – Atlanta, GA
LSU 38, Georgia Tech 3
January 2009
Outback Bowl – Tampa, FL
Iowa 31, South Carolina 10
Capital One Bowl – Orlando, FL
Georgia 24, Michigan State 12
Gator Bowl – Jacksonville, FL
Nebraska 26, Clemson 21
Rose Bowl – Pasadena, CA
USC 38, Penn State 24
Orange Bowl – Miami, FL
Virginia Tech 20, Cincinnati 7
Cotton Bowl – Dallas, TX
Ole Miss 47, Texas Tech 34
Liberty Bowl – Memphis, TN
Kentucky 25, East Carolina 19
Sugar Bowl – New Orleans, LA
Utah 31, Alabama 17
International Bowl – Toronto, Canada
Connecticut 38, Buffalo 20
Fiesta Bowl – Glendale, AZ
Texas 24, Ohio State 21
GMAC Bowl – Mobile, AL
Tulsa 45, Ball State 13
BCS National Championship Game – Miami, FL
Florida 24, Oklahoma 14
Championship Summary
Florida’s victory over Oklahoma secured the Gators their second national title in three years and capped off a dominant postseason for the Southeastern Conference. Utah’s upset win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and Boise State’s narrow loss to TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl showcased the growing strength of non-BCS programs.
During this era, the Bowl Championship Series designated specific conference champions as host teams when they were not competing in the national title game. These designations were directly influenced by the BCS standings methodology, which determined not only championship contenders but also how teams were placed into major bowls:
- Rose Bowl: Big Ten and Pac-10
- Orange Bowl: ACC
- Sugar Bowl: SEC
- Fiesta Bowl: Big 12
The 2008–09 season reflected the full parity and pageantry of college football’s bowl tradition — a closing chapter before the modern playoff era began. To see where the 2008–09 postseason fits within the broader evolution of the system, explore the historic timeline of the BCS.
