Who won the 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl?
2008 Orange Bowl
The 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Kansas Jayhawks on January 3, 2008, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Spread bettors favored Virginia Tech by three points, but in a game dominated by defensive and special teams play, Kansas defeated Virginia Tech 24–21. The game was part of the 2007–2008 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) of the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the concluding game of the season for both teams. This 74th edition of the Orange Bowl was televised in the United States on FOX and was watched by more than eight million viewers.
2002 Orange Bowl
The 2002 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Florida Gators and the ACC champion Maryland Terrapins on January 2, 2002. Florida defeated Maryland 56–23. The game was part of the 2001–2002 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) of the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season and was the concluding game of the season for both teams. The Orange Bowl was first played in 1935, and the 2002 game was the 68th edition of the Orange Bowl. The contest was televised in the United States on ABC.
2007–08 NCAA football bowl games
In addition, the following teams had coaches that either resigned or retired from their teams, but continued to work for their bowl games: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.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.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.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.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 a 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.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.
2008 Orange Bowl
Virginia Tech recovered the post-touchdown kickoff desperately needing to score before halftime. Kansas had played strongly on defense throughout the first half, and the game's momentum was firmly behind the Jayhawks, who had capitalized on two Virginia Tech turnovers. Sean Glennon completed a three-yard pass to Josh Morgan to begin the drive, but it was running back Branden Ore who did the vast majority of the work during the Hokies' final offensive drive of the first half. After Glennon's pass, Ore rushed the ball on six straight plays, picking up 33 yards and two first downs on the way. After that, Glennon contributed a five-yard run of his own, which was aided by a 15-yard facemask penalty against Kansas. Branden Ore received the ball again, rushing on five consecutive plays, culminating in a one-yard run for a touchdown. The score came with just 1:03 left in the half, giving Virginia Tech its first points of the game and narrowing Kansas' lead to 17–7.
2008 Orange Bowl
The difference in the game came from special teams and turnovers. Virginia Tech turned the ball over three times, while Kansas turned the ball over just once. Kansas converted its three takeaways into 17 points, giving the Jayhawks an enormous advantage on the scoreboard. Virginia Tech failed to convert its sole turnover recovery into any points.
2008 Orange Bowl
On special teams, the Hokies had several highs and lows. Justin Harper's 84-yard punt-return touchdown sparked a Virginia Tech rally that brought the Hokies within striking distance, but failures on special teams also ended the rally and turned the momentum of the game against Virginia Tech. Kicker Jud Dunlevy had been the third-most accurate kicker in the nation heading into the Orange Bowl, having hit 21 of his 24 field goal attempts during the season. He only needed two field goals to break Tech's record for most field goals in the season, set at 22 by Shayne Graham in 1998. Though Dunlevy had two chances for field goals, one fell short and the other was blocked.
Miami Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl was demolished in May 2008, and Marlins Park is now on the site. Despite some protests, the historic stadium had been earmarked for demolition when the University of Miami announced that they were moving out of the Orange Bowl after the 2007 season to begin play at Sun Life Stadium in 2008 in a 25-year deal. On November 10, 2007, the University of Miami Hurricanes lost their final game at the Orange Bowl when the Virginia Cavaliers defeated Miami 48–0 in the Hurricanes' second worst home shutout loss in school history.
The FIU Golden Panthers (now Panthers) won their last game at the Orange Bowl against the North Texas Mean Green on December 1, 2007 by a score of 38–19, snapping a 23-game losing streak that many attributed to the consequences of suspensions following the UM-FIU brawl the year before. Since the Golden Panthers had been using the Orange Bowl as their home field during the construction of FIU Stadium, this win allowed the FIU team to boast that it was they who officially closed the Orange Bowl's college football career with a home win.
2009 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
This was the first time Nebraska had met the Florida Atlantic Owls, who, in 2008, finished 6–6 (4–3) for a 3rd place tie with Arkansas State in the Sun Belt Conference and finished with a 24–21 victory in the 2008 Motor City Bowl against Central Michigan. Nebraska entered the contest with a 4-game winning streak after defeating Clemson in the Gator Bowl. Nebraska decisively defeated the Howard Schnellenberger-led Owls, 49–3. Nebraska's Roy Helu Jr. rushed for 152 yards and three touchdowns, while Zac Lee, in his first start as quarterback at Nebraska, threw for 213 yards and two touchdowns, along with one interception. The FAU offense did produce good yardage, gaining 122 yards rushing and 230 yards passing. However, they were unable to score a touchdown, with their only points coming from a 21-yard field goal by Ross Gornall in the second quarter. A large part of this was because of 5 turnovers by the Owls. This win extended the Cornhuskers season-opener win streak to 24 games, the nation's longest.
Cornhusker QB Zac Lee passed for over 340 yards and four touchdowns as the Cornhuskers had little trouble defeating Arkansas State in Lincoln 38–9. Nebraska's defense struggled for consistent performance but still managed to hold the Red Wolves out of the end zone except for a single touchdown and field goal, while the Cornhusker offense was consistently able to gain yardage. This was the first time Nebraska had met the Arkansas State Red Wolves, who finished the 2008 season 6–6 (4–3) for a 3rd place tie with Florida Atlantic in the Sun Belt Conference, although they were not invited to a postseason bowl game.
The Huskers fell to 2–1 against the Hokies in the final seconds, having split the series with a 41–21 Nebraska victory in the 1996 Orange Bowl and a 30–35 Nebraska home field loss in non-conference play in 2008. Nebraska was poised to win its first touchdown-free game since 1937 on PK Alex Henery's career-high five field goals, but Virginia Tech escaped the home loss when Hokie QB Tyrod Taylor found a receiver on 3rd and goal from the 11 with just 21 seconds remaining to play. Statistically Nebraska outperformed the Hokies on offense, as Virginia Tech was held to just 11 first downs, only 4 first downs after the first quarter, pinned Hokie QB Taylor to -22 yards on the ground, and outgained Virginia Tech 343–278. 112 of the 278 Hokie yards were acquired on just three key plays.
This was the first time Nebraska had met the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, who finished 6–6 (5–2) for a 2nd-place finish in the Sun Belt Conference in 2008. This game was also Nebraska's 300th consecutive sellout of Memorial Stadium (an ongoing NCAA record), and the Cornhuskers wore 'throwback'-style uniforms based on the team's 1962 appearance from when the NCAA-record streak began, to commemorate the milestone.
2008 Utah Utes football team
The 2008 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team, coached by 4th year head football coach Kyle Whittingham, plays its home games in Rice-Eccles Stadium. Utah was one of only two teams in the top-level Division I FBS to finish the regular season undefeated (the other being the Boise State Broncos), but after the Broncos were defeated by TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl and Utah won the Sugar Bowl over Alabama, the Utes finished as the nation's only undefeated team. It was the fifth undefeated and untied season in school history. During the 2008-2009 season, Utah defeated 4 teams that were ranked in the AP's final poll: #6 Alabama, #7 TCU, #18 Oregon State, and #25 BYU. Utah also began the season by defeating the Michigan Wolverines—ranked #24 at the time—in Ann Arbor. This resume propelled Utah to finish the season ranked #1 in four out of the six BCS computer models: Sagarin (Elo-Chess), Peter Wolfe, Anderson & Hester, and Massey. The Anderson & Hester poll of the Seattle Times is deemed a "major selector" by the NCAA. As a result, the NCAA and PAC-12 have since officially recognized the University of Utah as a National Champion for the 2008-2009 season.
2007 Texas A&amp;M Aggies football team
This was the second-ever meeting between the Aggies and the Hurricanes. In their first meeting in 1944, the Aggies won 70–14 on the Hurricanes' home field to give the worst loss in Miami's football history. The Aggies have played at the Orange Bowl one other time in the 1944 Orange Bowl game, where they lost to LSU 14–19. It was also the Aggies' first trip to Florida since they lost 14–20 to Florida State in 1968. 1973 marks the last time the Hurricanes lost to a team from Texas at the Orange Bowl. The Hurricanes hold the NCAA record for consecutive home victories at the Orange Bowl from October 1985 to September 1994. They also hold a 31–20 all-time record against teams currently in the Big 12. The game will be the last nonconference game of the season for both teams. Two days prior to the game, Las Vegas casinos favored Miami to win by three points. In CBS Sports' weekly "Expert Picks", two reporters chose A&M to win, while three other reporters chose Miami.
2008 Orange Bowl
With the win, Kansas broke into the rankings of the top 25 college football teams in the country for the first time since 1996, entering the AP Poll at No. 20. Over the next six weeks, Kansas continued to find ways to win. Traditional Jayhawk rivals such as Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M were defeated during the course of the season, and Kansas climbed the national rankings. By the 13th week of the season, the stage had been set for an epic game against Kansas's traditional rival, Missouri.
Julia Boserup
Boserup won the USTA's Dunlop Orange Bowl in 2008, outlasting fellow American Christina McHale in three sets in the final match.
2008 Orange Bowl
The Hokies were slightly more effective rushing the ball. In the ground game, seven different players carried the ball at least once, netting 135 rushing yards. Branden Ore finished the game with 116 yards, leading all rushers on both teams. That total put him just eight yards short of his second-straight 1,000-yard season. Ore's total is even more impressive when one considers that he had been suspended for the entire first quarter of the game, his place taken by backup rusher Kenny Lewis, Jr. Lewis finished the game with four carries for 22 yards, and did not see much action after Ore entered the game at the beginning of the second quarter.
2007–08 NCAA football 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 networks such as CBS, ABC or Fox instead of cable networks like ESPN, ESPN2 or NFL Network.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.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.The Chick-fil-A Bowl was played on December 31 in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta 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.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.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.
2003 Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl had the next pick after the Fiesta Bowl pairing, and No. 3 (#5 BCS) Iowa was chosen. The Rose Bowl had the next BCS selection. The next, best available team to choose was No. 8 (#7 BCS) Oklahoma, who won the Big 12 Championship Game, to play Pac-10 winner Washington State in the 2003 Rose Bowl. When it came time for the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl to make a second pick, both wanted USC. However, a BCS rule stated that if two bowls want the same team, the bowl with the higher payoff has the option. The Orange Bowl immediately extended an at-large bid to the number 5 ranked Trojans and paired them with at-large number 3 Iowa in a Big Ten/Pac-10 "Rose Bowl" matchup in the 2003 Orange Bowl. Rose Bowl committee executive director Mitch Dorger was not pleased with the results. This left the Sugar Bowl with No. 14 BCS Florida State, the winner of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Notre Dame at 10–2 and No. 9 in the BCS standings was invited to the 2003 Gator Bowl. Kansas State at No. 8 also was left out.
2011 Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is one of five Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl games that have been played at the conclusion of every college football season since 2006. As defined by contract, the bowl matches the champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) against an at-large pick chosen by a special committee. On December 4, 2010, the Virginia Tech Hokies defeated the Florida State Seminoles in the 2010 ACC Championship Game, thus winning an automatic bid to the 2011 Orange Bowl.
2004 Orange Bowl
The 2004 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Florida State Seminoles on January 1, 2004, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Miami defeated FSU 16–14 in a stout defensive battle. The game was part of the 2003–2004 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) of the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season and represented the concluding game of the season for both teams. The Orange Bowl was first played in 1935, and the 2004 game represented the 70th edition of the Orange Bowl. The contest was televised in the United States on ABC.
Cincinnati Bearcats football
In 2008, Kelly led Cincinnati to its first ever outright Big East title with key wins over West Virginia and Pittsburgh. The Bearcats had never defeated either team in Big East conference play. Kelly also became the first coach to win all three of the Bearcats' traveling trophies— the Victory Bell (Miami [OH]), the Keg of Nails (Louisville), and the River City Rivalry Trophy (Pitt). The Bearcats played in the Orange Bowl versus the ACC champion, Virginia Tech on January 1, 2009 but lost 20–7 to finish the season 11–3.
Bowl Championship Series controversies
Teams from non-AQ conferences have been successful in BCS bowl games, but this has not affected the position of proponents that non-AQ conference teams are not on an equal level with teams from automatic qualifying conferences. Such "BCS Busters" have gone 5–3 in BCS bowl games, and 4–2 in BCS bowls against teams from AQ conferences: Utah won both its BCS bowl appearances in 2004 and 2008, Boise State won both of its appearances in 2006 and 2009, while TCU won a BCS bowl in 2010 after losing one in 2009 (to Boise State). Northern Illinois lost the Orange Bowl to a tough Florida State team 31-10. In the previous year the Clemson Tigers lost by 37 points to the West Virginia Mountaineers, with lower attendance and television ratings. The only team that could reasonably be described as "playing a weak schedule and then being exposed by a BCS team" is the 2007 Hawaii team, which was defeated by Georgia in the 2008 Sugar Bowl.
Orange Bowl
From 1968, the game usually featured the champion of the former Big Eight Conference. When the Big Eight Conference absorbed four members of the defunct Southwest Conference in 1996, the newly formed Big 12 Conference moved its conference champion tie-in to the Fiesta Bowl. Since 1998, however, with the creation of the Bowl Championship Series system, team selection for the Orange Bowl is now tied into the other three BCS Bowls.
2008 Orange Bowl
After the Kansas kickoff, Virginia Tech took over at its 33-yard line. Needing a score, the Hokies committed a five-yard false start penalty before quarterback Sean Glennon was sacked by Kansas' Mike Rivera. The two plays pushed the Virginia Tech offense back, preventing them from gaining a first down. Forced to punt the ball away, Virginia Tech had to play defense as Kansas took over at its 28-yard line. Secure in their lead, Kansas elected to run the ball in an effort to keep the clock moving and bring the game to an end more quickly. Brandon McAnderson broke free for 28 yards on the first play of the drive, and Jake Sharp contributed another first down on the ground before the Hokie defense stopped Kansas on an attempt to earn a first down on a fourth-and-two deep inside Virginia Tech territory.
History of Texas Longhorns football
The 2008 Texas Longhorns started the season ranked eleventh nationally but moved to fifth and then first after beating Oklahoma. They retained their No. 1 status by beating top-ranked No. 11 Missouri and No. 7 Oklahoma State, until the Longhorns lost to No. 6 undefeated Texas Tech on a last-second, game-winning pass from Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree. A later loss by the Texas Tech Red Raiders to the Oklahoma Sooners caused a three-way tie in the Big 12 South, between Texas, Tech, and OU each with only one loss to each other. The Big 12 tiebreaker would be decided by who was ranked highest in the final BCS standings. When released and the Sooners were ahead of the Longhorns by .0128 points, sending the Sooners to the Big 12 Championship Game and eventually the BCS National Championship Game, and the Longhorns to the Fiesta Bowl. At the conclusion of the regular season, Colt McCoy was one of the three finalists for the Heisman trophy along with Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford, who won the 2008 trophy. On January 5, 2009, the 3rd-ranked University of Texas defeated 10th-ranked Ohio State, 24–21, in the Fiesta Bowl in the third meeting between the two schools. With under a minute to play, Texas WR Quan Cosby caught the game-winning touchdown, ending the Longhorns' season with a 12–1 record at No. 3 in the AP Poll.
2008 Ole Miss Rebels football team
Florida won their remaining regular season games and went on to defeat #1 Alabama in the 2008 SEC Championship. Florida then defeated #2 Oklahoma to claim the 2009 FedEx BCS National Championship.
Following Ole Miss' win over Florida, Sports Illustrated featured Ole Miss on the cover. Then Ole Miss went on to lose to South Carolina in what many Ole Miss fans refer to as the continuation of the Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx. The last time Ole Miss was featured on the Sports Illustrated cover was in 1970. After the cover ran, which was a picture of then Ole Miss quarterback Archie Manning, Manning suffered a broken arm during the season. 
On more than one occasion, the Rebels had a chance to pull away, but South Carolina forced timely turnovers to keep themselves alive. In the end, the Rebs gave one too many gifts to SC and the Gamecocks were able to sneak out of Oxford with a win. 
After several early failed drives in the opening quarter, Ole Miss became the first team to score on Alabama in the first quarter, as well as the first to have a lead against the Crimson Tide. However, the Crimson Tide answered back on their next drive with a touchdown, giving Alabama a 7–3 lead to end the first quarter. Ole Miss had limited offense in the second quarter as the Tide defense held a shutout for the remainder of the half. However, the Tide offense scored 17 points with a 2-yard rush touchdown, a 41-yard field goal, and a 30-yard touchdown pass. Alabama led the Rebels 24–3 at halftime.
2008 Orange Bowl
Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing completed 20 of his 37 passes for 227 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. On the opposite side of the ball, Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon finished the game 13 for 28 passing, earning 160 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib, whose 60-yard interception return for a touchdown gave Kansas its first lead of the game, won the game's Most Valuable Player award. After the game, Talib was one of several players from both teams to announce an intention to enter the 2008 NFL Draft.
2008 Rose Bowl
The 2008 Rose Bowl featured the 7th-ranked USC Trojans hosting the 13th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini. As with the previous year's game, the contest was a semi-traditional Rose Bowl in that while it was a Big Ten versus Pac-10 matchup, the Big Ten representative was an at-large team because the conference champion, Ohio State, which lost to Illinois earlier in the season, was selected to play in the BCS National Championship Game.
California Golden Bears football
The Bear's 2008 campaign was marked with diminished expectations, as all of California's offensive stars at their skill positions (DeSean Jackson, Lavelle Hawkins, Robert Jordan, Justin Forsett and Craig Stevens) graduated or declared for the NFL Draft. Thus the Bears started the season unranked for the first time since 2003. Their 2008 season would confirm this ranking, as they would finish the season undefeated at home but would only win one game on the road. The Bears won their opening game at home against Michigan State 38–31 and eviscerated Washington State in Pullman 66–3, but fell to Maryland 35–27 in College Park. The Bears won two straight home games against Colorado State and Arizona State but fell in the desert to Arizona. Although the Bears still controlled their destiny in the Pac-10 after two more home wins against UCLA and Oregon, two close losses to Pac-10 champion contenders USC and Oregon State on the road put an end to those hopes. Cal reclaimed the Axe by beating Stanford 37–16 in the 111th Big Game and kept Washington's season winless with a 48–7 victory. Cal finished the regular season 8–4 as Tedford claimed his seventh consecutive winning season for the Golden Bears and third unbeaten home record in five years. The Bears accepted an invitation to take on the Miami Hurricanes at the 2008 Emerald Bowl, which they won 24–17.
1988 Orange Bowl
The 1988 Orange Bowl featured "Game of the Century"-type billing as the undefeated and top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners faced off against undefeated and second-ranked Miami for the national championship. Adding to the hype was the recent on-field history between the teams. Oklahoma was a dominant force in college football, winning the national championship in 1985 and losing just one game in each of the preceding two years. Miami, though, had proven to be the thorn in Oklahoma's side, as the Sooners' losses in '85 and '86 had both come at the hands of Miami. Now, with the national championship on the line, Miami sought to make it three-losses-in-three-years for Oklahoma, and also their first postseason bowl win under Jimmy Johnson after three straight bowl losses, two in which they struggled and lost their chances to win the national championships. Further fuel for the fire was provided by the growing personal animosity between former Arkansas player Johnson and Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer, who was also a former Arkansas player.
Brian Kelly (American football coach)
In 2008, Kelly led Cincinnati to its first ever outright Big East title with key wins over West Virginia and Pittsburgh. The Bearcats had never defeated either team in Big East conference play. Kelly also became the first coach to win all three of the Bearcats' traveling trophies— the Victory Bell (Miami [OH]), the Keg of Nails (Louisville), and the River City Rivalry Trophy (Pitt). The Bearcats played in the Orange Bowl versus the ACC champion, Virginia Tech on January 1, 2009 but lost 20–7.
2008 Cincinnati Bearcats football team
The 2008 Cincinnati Bearcats football team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team, coached by Brian Kelly, played its homes game in Nippert Stadium. Kelly was in his second full season with the Bearcats after coaching them to a 31–21 win against Southern Miss in the 2007 PapaJohns.com Bowl. On Friday, November 28, 2008, the Bearcats clinched a share of the Big East Conference title for the first time since joining the Big East in 2005. With a victory over Syracuse on November 29, 2008 the Bearcats became the outright football champions of the Big East and set a record with an average attendance of 31,964. After a disappointing loss to Virginia Tech in the 2009 Orange Bowl, the Bearcats finished 17th in the AP Top 25 for the second consecutive year.
Orange Bowl
In its early years, the Orange Bowl had no defined conference tie-ins; it often pitted a team from the southeastern part of the country against a team from the central or northeastern states. From the 1950s until the mid-1990s, the Orange Bowl had a strong relationship with the Big Eight Conference. The champion (or runner-up in years in which the “no-repeat” rule was invoked) was invited to the bowl game in most years during this time; the 1979 Orange Bowl even had two representatives from the Big Eight. Opponents of the Big Eight varied; but were often major independents, runners-up in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), or champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Since 2007, the Orange Bowl has hosted the ACC champion—unless they are involved in the national championship playoff, in which case another high-ranking ACC team team takes their place)—and has used the brand "Home of the ACC Champion".
2003 Orange Bowl
The 2003 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the USC Trojans on January 2, 2003, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. USC won the game, 38–17. The game was part of the 2002–2003 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) of the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season and represented the concluding game of the season for both teams. The Orange Bowl was first played in 1935, and the 2003 game represented the 69th edition of the Orange Bowl. The contest was televised in the United States on ABC.
2008 Humanitarian Bowl
For the 2008 season, the ACC possessed nine tie-in games. The Orange Bowl was the conference's BCS game and granted an automatic bid to the winner of the ACC Championship Game. The Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia had the first-pick of eligible ACC teams after the BCS game, followed by the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida and the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Florida. The Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee; the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina; and the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco, California submitted their preferences together, and selected in that order if an agreement between them could not be reached. A special clause also guaranteed that, with a minimum of eight wins, the loser of the championship game would be selected no lower than by the Music City Bowl. The Humanitarian Bowl had the eighth-overall choice followed by the inaugural EagleBank Bowl in Washington, D.C.
2010 Orange Bowl
Georgia Tech ended the 2008 college football season with a 9–4 record under first-year head coach Paul Johnson, including a share of the ACC Coastal Crown, a win over Florida State, rival Georgia Bulldogs, and a 38–3 loss in the 2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Oregon Ducks football
The 2008 season saw the emergence of quarterback Jeremiah Masoli as the leader of Chip Kelly's spread offense. Masoli, a transfer from City College of San Francisco, stepped in against Washington in the season opener, when starter Justin Roper was injured, and led the Ducks to a 44–10 victory. Despite injuries, Masoli cemented himself as the starter by mid-season. In the 2008 Civil War, the Ducks defeated the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis, 65–38, knocking the Beavers out of the Rose Bowl. The Ducks went to the Holiday Bowl. In a clash of two teams with high powered offenses, Oregon beat the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the 2008 Holiday Bowl and finished the season ranked in the top 10.
Tommie Frazier
The FedEx Orange Bowl game played on January 1, 1994 featured a rematch between Nebraska and Florida State. Frazier, now a sophomore, was pitted against newly crowned Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward. A last minute drive by Ward led to a Seminoles field goal that prevented the Cornhuskers from winning the national title. Frazier's 29-yard pass to split end Trumaine Bell positioned Nebraska for a potentially game-winning 45-yard field goal attempt with 0:01 left on the game clock, but the kick sailed wide left, and Florida State won 18-16. Frazier was named Most Valuable Player of the national title game despite the loss, completing 13 of 24 passes for 206 yards and a 34-yard touchdown, and rushing 14 times for 77 yards with a 32-yard run. The Cornhuskers finished the season with an 11-1 record.
2008 Fiesta Bowl
In the preseason, Oklahoma was picked by the Big 12 media to finish second in the conference. At the time, the starting quarterback had not been chosen. A little over a week before the first game, freshman quarterback Sam Bradford was announced as the starter. In his first game as a collegiate quarterback, Bradford threw for over 350 yards in the first half, he tied Heisman Trophy winner Jason White's record of 18 consecutive pass completions, and threw for five touchdowns. He came out of the game early in the 3rd quarter. Since then, Bradford led the nation in passing efficiency for most of the season. With the question at quarterback answered, some felt this team could be the best in the nation, but with an unexpected loss at Colorado, the chances were slim. The Sooners continued to play strong following the loss and again rose in the polls as more teams above them also lost. Back in the #3 spot, the Sooners traveled to Lubbock, Texas to take on the Red Raiders to clinch the Big 12 South Division title. However, Bradford was injured on the opening play for the Sooners as they quickly fell behind. It was 27–10 at the halftime. Oklahoma mounted a comeback in the 4th quarter but it was not enough. The Sooners lost their second game and again were knocked out of the national title picture. In their next game against Oklahoma State, in what is referred to as Bedlam, the Sooners dominated winning 49–17 and locking up their spot in the Big 12 Championship Game. In the Big 12 Championship, Oklahoma faced Missouri, then the number one ranked team in the nation. The two faced each other in the regular season in Norman, Oklahoma with the Sooners winning 41–31. The Sooner defense dominated the game and the offense pulled away in the 2nd half. Oklahoma won 38–17 to claim their 5th Big 12 Conference Championship and 41st total conference championship.
2008 Gator Bowl
The 2008 Gator Bowl was played on January 1, 2008, as part of the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It featured the Red Raiders of Texas Tech University, who finished third in the Big 12 Conference's South Division, and the Cavaliers of the University of Virginia, who finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division. Texas Tech won the game on a last-second field goal, securing a 31–28 victory.
2008 Orange Bowl
Virginia Tech began the second quarter in possession of the ball and facing a third-and-five from its own 20-yard line. On the first play of the quarter, quarterback Sean Glennon threw for the first down, but was intercepted at the 37-yard line by Kansas' Chris Harris. After the interception, Kansas had the ball at the Virginia Tech 31-yard line. Todd Reesing connected on a first-down pass to Derek Fine, and running back Brandon McAnderson contributed several short rushes. The Kansas offense failed to gain a second first down after the interception, however, and kicker Scott Webb was again called upon to attempt a field goal, this time from 32 yards away. Unlike his first kick, the second sailed through the uprights for three points. With 12 minutes remaining in the second quarter, Kansas extended its lead to 10–0.
2008 Fiesta Bowl
On 2007-12-17, Stewart Mandel, a writer for "Sports Illustrated", revealed that Oklahoma's athletic director, Joe Castiglione had tried to arrange for Oklahoma to face the highest ranked opponent available, which would have been Virginia Tech, in the Orange Bowl. This would have pitted the #3 team against the #4 team. Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe contacted BCS officials (which includes the 11 conference heads and the athletic director of Notre Dame) to see if this could be done. Michael Slive, then the BCS commissioner and SEC commissioner, considered the idea but it was ultimately rejected. There was no word on which officials voted against the proposition. Beebe stated he did not agree with the decision, but respected the views of those against it. Castiglione stated that he hopes "at some point in time we can hear an explanation of why this wasn't possible given the fact the rules provided the opportunity if it was in everybody's best interest." Mandel said that two of his sources speculated that the commissioner "feared such a matchup might damage the legitimacy of the Ohio State-LSU title game." Slive said "there weren't such compelling circumstances as to merit a change."
2008 Orange Bowl
As champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Virginia Tech was awarded an automatic bid to the Orange Bowl game. The automatic ACC bid was the result of an off-season deal following the inaugural ACC Championship Game which granted the winner of the ACC Championship Game an automatic bid to the Orange Bowl unless it was ranked high enough in the Bowl Championship Series standings to play in the National Championship Game.
2009 Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is one of five Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl games that have been played at the conclusion of every college football season since 2006. As defined by contract, the bowl matches the champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) against an at-large pick chosen by a special committee. On December 6, 2008, the Virginia Tech Hokies defeated the Boston College Eagles in the 2008 ACC Championship Game, thus winning an automatic bid to the 2009 Orange Bowl Game.
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl was originally held in the city of Miami at Miami Field before moving to the Miami Orange Bowl stadium in 1938. In 1996, it moved to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Since December 2014, the game has been sponsored by Capital One and officially known as the "Capital One Orange Bowl". Previous sponsors include Discover Financial (2011–January 2014) and Federal Express/FedEx (1989–2010).
Jason Kelce
As a sophomore in 2008, he made 13 starts at left guard, as part of an offensive line that also included future NFL linemen Jeff Linkenbach and Trevor Canfield, which helped the UC offense average 27.3 points and 375.3 yards of total offense per game. The Bearcats went 11-3 overall, were Big East champions, and played in the FedEx Orange Bowl, where the Bearcats fell to Virginia Tech 20-7. His brother, Travis Kelce, began playing alongside him at Cincinnati after he also joined them in 2008.
2008 New Orleans Bowl
The 2008 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl was the eighth edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Southern Miss Golden Eagles defeated the Troy Trojans, 30–27 in a dramatic overtime game. Troy had qualified for the game by winning the Sun Belt Conference title, while Southern Miss had roared back from a 2–6 start to fill the game’s slot from Conference USA.
2003 Rose Bowl
The Orange Bowl had the next pick after the Fiesta Bowl pairing, and #3 (#5 BCS) Iowa was chosen. The Rose Bowl had the next BCS selection. The next, best available team to choose was #8 (#7 BCS) Oklahoma, who won the Big 12 Championship Game, to play Pac-10 winner Washington State. When it came time for the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl to make a second pick, both wanted USC. However, a BCS rule stated that if two bowls want the same team, the bowl with the higher payoff has the option. The Orange Bowl immediately extended an at-large bid to the number 5 ranked Trojans and paired them with at-large number 3 Iowa in a Big Ten/Pac-10 "Rose Bowl" matchup in the 2003 Orange Bowl. Rose Bowl committee executive director Mitch Dorger was not pleased with the results. This left the Sugar Bowl with #14 BCS Florida State, the winner of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Notre Dame at 10-2 and #9 in the BCS standings was invited to the 2003 Gator Bowl. Kansas State at #8 also was left out.
2008 Orange Bowl
The Kansas defense, which had been ill-regarded heading into the game, performed well, as MVP Aqib Talib finished the game with five tackles in addition to the interception that he returned for a touchdown. The Jayhawks' leading tackler was Mike Rivera, who earned 12 tackles, including one sack of quarterback Sean Glennon. Altogether, the Jayhawks sacked Virginia Tech's quarterbacks five times, including two sacks on the opening drive of the game.
2008 Orange Bowl
Kansas, meanwhile, was less-highly regarded on defense and came into the 2008 Orange Bowl ranked 57th nationally in pass defense. On the ground, however, Kansas was ranked far higher, sixth in the nation. In addition, Kansas only allowed an average of 16 points per game, good enough for to be ranked fourth nationally. A key portion of that run defense was defensive tackle James McClinton, who was named the Big 12's Defensive Lineman of the Year and earned second-team All-America honors. McClinton finished the 2007 regular season with 10.5 tackles for loss and promised more of the same for the Orange Bowl. The team captain of the Jayhawk defense, meanwhile, was All-American cornerback Aqib Talib. Talib was also a threat on offense, catching eight passes, including four touchdowns, during the regular season.
2009 Big East Conference football season
Cincinnati (11-3) was the Big East champions and got the conference's automatic bid into the BCS and went to the FedEx Orange Bowl, losing to ACC champion Virginia Tech 20-7.
Five other Big East teams went to bowl games in 2008, finishing bowl play with a record of 4-2 as a conference. Connecticut (8-5) beat Buffalo 38-20 in the International Bowl. Pittsburgh (9-4) lost to Oregon State 3-0 in the Brut Sun Bowl. Rutgers (8-5) beat North Carolina State 29-23 in the PapaJohns.com Bowl. South Florida (8-5) beat Memphis 41-14 in the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl. And West Virginia (9-4) beat North Carolina 31-30 in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. The only two teams not to go to a bowl game were Louisville (5-7) and Syracuse (3-9).
2007 Texas Bowl
The matchup had different conference representatives from the inaugural 2006 game (itself the revival of the old Houston Bowl). This time, the teams were the TCU Horned Frogs of the Mountain West Conference and the hometown University of Houston from Conference USA. The original plan was C-USA versus Big 12, but the Big 12 did not have enough teams eligible for bowl games to fill the remaining slots after Oklahoma won the conference title and Kansas was selected at-large to the Orange Bowl.
2007 Holiday Bowl
With Texas' loss to Texas A&M the Longhorns fell out of contention for a BCS bowl; their bowl situation would be decided largely by the play of other Big 12 teams. Number four Missouri beat number two Kansas to win the Big 12 North Division. Missouri rose to the top spot in the BCS rankings prior to facing Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game. Oklahoma won the game to become the Big 12 Conference champion and secure their berth in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl. Even though Missouri defeated Kansas, won their division, and outranked Kansas in the BCS standings (number 6 compared to number 8 the Orange Bowl selected Kansas instead of Missouri to play in the 2008 Orange Bowl. BCS rules do not provide for all the highest ranked teams to be automatically included in BCS games; considerable discretion is given to the individual bowls in choosing among eligible teams. The Tigers were invited to play in the 2008 Cotton Bowl Classic; the Cotton Bowl Classic having first pick of Big 12 teams after the BCS bowls have made their selections. The Holiday Bowl had the next selection and they chose Texas.
Anthony Collins (American football)
Collins committed to the University of Kansas out of high school. He redshirted his freshmen year. During the Jayhawks 2007 season, his redshirt junior year, he helped lead the Jayhawks to their first and only BCS Bowl victory in the 2008 Orange Bowl. Collins and teammate Aqib Talib were both named 1st team AP All-Americans that season.
2010–11 NCAA football bowl games
A total of nine games had new sponsors. Two BCS games — the Orange Bowl and Rose Bowl — lost their sponsors. After more than two decades, FedEx dropped its sponsorship of the Orange Bowl, which now has Discover Financial as its title sponsor starting in 2011 for five games (including the 2013 BCS Championship) over four years. The Rose Bowl lost sponsor Citi, and became sponsored by Vizio through 2014, including the 2014 BCS Championship.
2008 Orange Bowl
On offense, the Hokies largely kept up with the Jayhawks, despite a losing effort. The two-quarterback system that had been heavily promoted heading into the game was largely abandoned in the first quarter after freshman Tyrod Taylor was sacked on his first two plays and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown during his second time on the field. After those two abortive first-quarter appearances, and a single play at the beginning of the second quarter, Taylor did not re-enter the game until a single play halfway through the fourth quarter. With Taylor largely removed from the game, junior Sean Glennon was left to fill the gaps. Glennon had a solid, if unspectacular, game, completing 13 of his 28 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown. Glennon did struggle at times against the Jayhawks' defense, however, throwing two interceptions that resulted in 10 Kansas points.
2008 Orange Bowl
Kansas' victory over Virginia Tech was the Jayhawks' fifth bowl victory and was the 11th bowl game in the history of the Kansas Jayhawks football team. Because of the unexpected nature of the Jayhawks' success, some pundits proclaimed the 2008 Orange Bowl as ranking among the greatest Kansas sports victories of all time. The game paid $17 million to the Big 12 Conference and helped to boost the Kansas football team's national profile among potential recruits. In addition, the program saw an increase in ticket sales in the years immediately following the bowl appearance. Two months after the football team's Orange Bowl win, the men's basketball team won the National Championship becoming only the second school to win a BCS Bowl game and National Championship in basketball in the same school year. Additionally the 49 wins combined from the football team and basketball team were the most combined wins in NCAA history from a football team and men's basketball team.
2008 Orange Bowl
Virginia Tech finished the season ranked second nationally in points allowed per game (15.5) and fourth nationally in yardage allowed (293). The Hokies didn't allow a fourth-quarter point in the five games after giving up 14 fourth-quarter points to Boston College in Blacksburg. One key player in the Virginia Tech defense was linebacker Xavier Adibi, who had scored his third career defensive touchdown in the ACC Championship Game against Boston College. Adibi, together with fellow linebacker Vince Hall, made up "the best LB duo in the country," according to ESPN commentator Chris Spielman. Hall's effectiveness had, however, been limited in the 2007 season by a broken wrist suffered against Clemson. Hall missed four games with the injury, but returned to play the final three contests of the season for Virginia Tech and promised to be featured heavily in the 2008 Orange Bowl. Backing up the Virginia Tech linebackers was a strong backfield, which had produced 12 NFL draft picks in the nine years preceding the 2007 season. Primary among the backfield players were cornerbacks Victor Harris and Brandon Flowers, who Sports Illustrated.com called "maybe the best cornerback duo in the country".
2008 Orange Bowl
The halftime show of the 2008 Orange Bowl was headlined by American blues rock band ZZ Top, who played their song "Sharp Dressed Man". The band was a favorite of Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing, who expressed regrets prior to the game that he would not be able to listen to the performance. Also featured during the halftime show were a group of high school marching bands, who played Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Crossfire" while ZZ Top's stage was disassembled. Following the halftime show, the FOX truck broadcasting the game experienced a power outage. As Fox crews worked to get the power restored, the second half was delayed by three minutes.
2008 Orange Bowl
With four consecutive victories after the loss, including a win over then-No. 16 Virginia, the Hokies won the Coastal division and secured a bid to the 2007 ACC Championship Game in Jacksonville, Florida. There, they faced a rematch with Boston College, champions of the Atlantic Division. As in the previous matchup, defense dominated, but unlike in the earlier matchup, Matt Ryan was unable to seize the victory. Two fourth-quarter interceptions by Virginia Tech sealed the Hokie win and an automatic bid to the Orange Bowl game.
2008 Florida Gators football team
Florida's SEC home opener had the Gators face off against the Ole Miss Rebels. This is the first time the Gators had played the Rebels at home since their loss in 2003 against the Eli Manning-led Rebels squad. This game also concluded the home-and-home series with the SEC West opponent after the Gators won the first game in the H-H series against the Rebels last season with a score of 30-24 in which Tim Tebow set a school-record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 166 yards on 27 carries. This was Urban Meyer's second time coaching against a Houston Nutt coached team with the first time being the Arkansas Razorbacks in the 2006 SEC Championship Game where the Gators defeated the Hogs 38-28 to go on and win the 2007 BCS National Championship. Entering this game, Urban Meyer was 21-1 at home in Gainesville and Houston Nutt was 0-3 against the Gators. Ole Miss's starting quarterback Jevan Snead, a transfer from the University of Texas, had committed to play for the Gators prior to the 2006 season before decommitting.
2008 Orange Bowl
Kansas, which had won the pre-game coin toss, received the ball to open the second half. Todd Reesing initially began where he had left off in the first half, completing a pass to Dexton Fields for 12 yards and a first down. On subsequent plays, however, Virginia Tech showed some of the defensive prowess that had been promoted heavily heading into the game. Aqib Talib was tackled for a loss of six yards after catching a pass. Reesing was sacked under heavy pressure from the Tech defense. On third down, a Reesing pass was nearly intercepted by Cody Grimm, who knocked it down to force a Kansas punt. On the subsequent return, Virginia Tech earned its first big play of the game. Eddie Royal, who had returned every one of Virginia Tech's first-half kicks, received the ball and lateraled it to Justin Harper, who returned it 84 yards for a touchdown. The score cut Kansas' lead to just three points with 11:35 remaining in the third quarter.
With the game's momentum now firmly in their favor, the Virginia Tech defense stopped Kansas' offense on three straight plays, forcing another Kansas punt. The kick traveled 62 yards and was recovered at the Virginia Tech 18-yard line. Virginia Tech's offense, despite the poor field position, moved quickly, partly due to a 15-yard pass interference penalty against Kansas. Sean Glennon completed a controversial 37-yard pass to tight end Greg Boone to drive the Hokies deep into Kansas territory. Initially, the pass appeared to have been intercepted by a Kansas defender, but subsequent replays revealed that Boone had wrested possession of the ball away from the defender. Three rushes deep inside the Kansas red zone netted the Hokies just nine more yards, setting up a fourth-and-one scenario for the Virginia Tech offense. Rather than risk a failed fourth-down conversion, Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer sent in kicker Jud Dunlevy to attempt a 25-yard field goal. During the kick, however, Kansas defender Joe Mortensen rushed through the Virginia Tech line and blocked the kick, denying the Hokies three points and preserving a 17–14 Kansas lead with 6:31 remaining in the quarter.
2009 ACC Championship Game
Georgia Tech's win brought it to a record of 11–2, while Clemson's loss dropped it to 8–5. The win ensured Georgia Tech's first outright conference championship since 1990, and as a reward for winning the conference, Georgia Tech received a spot in the 2010 Orange Bowl, a Bowl Championship Series game. In that game, the Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Yellow Jackets, 24–14. Clemson also was selected to participate in a postseason bowl game. The Music City Bowl, played in Nashville, Tennessee, selected the Tigers to play against the Kentucky Wildcats. In that game, the Tigers defeated the Wildcats, 21–13.
2008 Orange Bowl
As successful as Kansas' offense was, it was the Jayhawks' special teams (beating Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer at his own game) that earned them the victory. Kansas blocked one Virginia Tech field goal, and caused Tech kicker Jud Dunlevy to miss another short. Kansas punter Kyle Tucker did an excellent job pinning Virginia Tech deep in its own end of the field, kicking the ball five times for a total of 250 yards, averaging 50 yards a punt. His longest punt, a 62-yard kick, was one of three punts that were downed inside Tech's 20-yard line.
2008 ACC Championship Game
The Virginia Tech Hokies entered the 2008 season having won the 2007 ACC Championship Game, finishing with an 11–3 overall record that included a postseason loss to the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2008 Orange Bowl. Despite winning the ACC for the second time in less than four years, Virginia Tech was anticipated to spend 2008 rebuilding a team that saw 12 starters graduate or enter the NFL Draft. Though picked in a preseason poll to win the Coastal Division, the Hokies were defeated in their season opener by underdog East Carolina.
2008 Texas Bowl
The 2008 Texas Bowl was the third edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. The game was played at 7:00 PM US CST on Tuesday, December 30, 2008. The game, telecast on NFL Network, featured the hometown Rice Owls against the Western Michigan Broncos. The Owls won the game 38-14, which was their first post-season victory since the 1954 Cotton Bowl Classic.
2008 Orange Bowl
Kansas' victory in the 2008 Orange Bowl had far-reaching effects for both Virginia Tech and Kansas as well as college football teams around the country. The victory allowed Kansas to finish its 2007 season with a final record of 12–1, while the loss brought Virginia Tech to a final record of 11–3. The game itself provided tens of millions of dollars of economic impact for the South Florida region, which attracted tens of thousands of visitors from both Virginia and Kansas. In Kansas, bars and liquor stores benefited from the game, as Jayhawks' fans stocked up on food and alcohol for the game.
2007 Orange Bowl
The 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a college football Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl game following the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The game was played on January 2, 2007, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The game matched the No. 6 Louisville Cardinals versus the No. 15 Wake Forest Demon Deacons and was televised on Fox.
2008 Orange Bowl
Virginia Tech featured an unusual two-quarterback system on offense, as quarterbacks Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor shared time behind center. Though unusual, the system was successful in leading the Hokies to their second ACC Championship in four years. During the 2007 regular season, Glennon threw for 1,636 yards and 11 touchdowns, completing 63 percent of his passes. Taylor, meanwhile, passed for 916 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for 431 yards. Some pundits predicted that Kansas might have difficulty with Taylor's mobility, as his style of play was similar to that of Missouri's Chase Daniel, who gave Kansas its sole loss of the 2007 season. On the other end of the Virginia Tech aerial offense was a corps of capable receivers, led by senior wide receivers Eddie Royal and Josh Morgan. Morgan was the fifth-ranked receiver in Virginia Tech history, having earned 1,787 receiving yards. Royal was sixth, having earned 1,767 yards. Two of Tech's other receivers, Josh Hyman and Justin Harper, recorded 1,138 and 1,274 receiving yards each, marking the first time in Virginia Tech history that the Hokies had four different thousand-yard career receivers on the same team. On the ground, the Hokies were led by running back Branden Ore, who rushed for 876 yards and eight touchdowns during the regular season. One week before the Orange Bowl, Tech coaches revealed that Ore would be suspended for the first quarter of the game against Kansas as punishment for showing up late to the Hokies' final pre-bowl practice. Ore was replaced by sophomore rusher Kenny Lewis Jr.
2009 Orange Bowl
The at-large spot in the Orange Bowl was filled via a round-robin selection procedure defined by the other Bowl Championship series games (the Sugar, Fiesta, and Rose bowls) and the automatic bids. The order of at-large selections rotates annually among the BCS bowls. In 2009, the Fiesta Bowl picked first, followed by the Sugar Bowl, then the Orange Bowl. The Fiesta Bowl picked Ohio State, while the Sugar Bowl selected Utah. The Orange Bowl was thus left to select Big East Conference champion Cincinnati, fulfilling the BCS' contractual obligation to provide a game for the conference's champion.
2007 Texas Longhorns football team
With the loss to Texas A&M, the Longhorns fell out of contention for a Bowl Championship Series game; their bowl situation was to be decided largely by the play of other Big 12 teams. Number four Missouri beat number two Kansas to win the Big 12 North Division. Missouri rose to the top spot in the BCS rankings prior to facing Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game. Oklahoma won the game to become the Big 12 Conference champion and secure a berth in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl. Even though Missouri defeated Kansas, won their division, and outranked Kansas in the BCS standings (sixth compared to eighth) the Orange Bowl selected Kansas instead of Missouri to play in the 2008 Orange Bowl. The Tigers were invited to play in the 2008 Cotton Bowl Classic; the Cotton Bowl Classic had first pick of Big 12 teams after BCS bowls have made their selections. The Holiday Bowl had the next selection and chose Texas.
2008 FedEx Cup Playoffs
The 2008 FedEx Cup Playoffs, the series of four golf tournaments that determined the season champion on the U.S.-based PGA Tour, were held from August 21 to September 28. They consisted of four events:
2008 Emerald Bowl
The 2008 Emerald Bowl, part of the 2008-09 NCAA football bowl games season, was played on December 27, 2008, at AT&T Park, the home field of the Giants in San Francisco, California. The Miami Hurricanes of the ACC were matched against the California Golden Bears (based in nearby Berkeley, California) of the Pac-10, the first appearance by either team in the seven-year history of the Emerald Bowl.
2009 Orange Bowl
The game featured two teams both ranked lower than the two teams playing in a non-BCS bowl, a first in BCS history. The 2008 Poinsettia Bowl featured the No. 9 Boise State Broncos against the No. 11 TCU Horned Frogs. In Miami, Virginia Tech and Cincinnati each made preparations to switch accommodations to a different hotel on the day before the game to better simulate the feel of a regular-season game. Cincinnati's move was accelerated a day when rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs moved into the hotel and coaches, seeking to avoid a distraction, moved up the date of the team's departure.
2008 Champs Sports Bowl
The 2008 Champs Sports Bowl was the 19th edition of the college football bowl game that was played on Saturday, December 27, 2008 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. The game, which had a 4:30 PM US EST kickoff and was broadcast on ESPN, pitted the Wisconsin Badgers against the Florida State Seminoles. At the end, the Florida State Seminoles were the winners, 42-13.
1980 Orange Bowl
The 1980 Orange Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game played on January 1, 1980, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, between the Oklahoma Sooners and the 
Oklahoma was champion of the Big Eight Conference for the seventh straight year and third consecutive Orange Bowl appearance. This was Florida State's first Orange Bowl appearance as they tried to finish their season off with a perfect undefeated season; they were on a fifteen-game win streak, which began in October 1978.
2006–07 NCAA football bowl games
The third BCS game, the FedEx Orange Bowl, was played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 2, 2007. The Big East Conference champions, the University of Louisville Cardinals, beat the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons, winners of the ACC, 24–13. Louisville entered the game as heavy favorites, but their offense sputtered early and the game was tied 10–10 at halftime. Wake Forest took a 13–10 lead in the fourth quarter but Louisville scored two unanswered touchdowns on drives of 81 and 72 yards to take an 11-point lead, after which Wake Forest was unable to score. Brian Brohm completed 24 of 34 passes and was named the game's MVP. Brohm's 311 passing yards were the third most in Orange Bowl history, behind only Tom Brady (in 2000 for Michigan against Alabama) and Matt Leinart (in 2005 for Southern California against Oklahoma). In addition, the Cardinals' win clinched the ESPN-sponsored Bowl Challenge Cup as the much-maligned Big East, who were in their second year of their new football alignment, had a 4–0 record with one game remaining passing the Mountain West and Western Athletic Conferences, who had 3–1 records and completed their games.
2013 Orange Bowl
The 2013 Discover Orange Bowl was a college football bowl game played on Tuesday, January 1, 2013, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The game was organized by the Orange Bowl committee. The Orange Bowl featured ACC champions Florida State versus at-large selection and MAC champions Northern Illinois. The game was part of the 2012–2013 Bowl Championship Series and was the second of the series to be played, following the 2013 Rose Bowl. Florida State won the game by a score of 31–10.
Miami Orange Bowl
On Saturday, January 26, 2008 a "Farewell to the Orange Bowl Stadium" flag football game was held. The game featured former Dolphin and Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, plus Mark Duper, Mercury Morris, Dwight Stephenson, A. J. Duhe, Don Strock, Jim Kiick, John Offerdahl, Jim Kelly, Bernie Kosar, Melvin Bratton, Brian Blades, Bennie Blades and Eddie Brown. The NFL's winningest coach Don Shula coached the Dolphin players while Florida Atlantic University and former Hurricanes coach (and former Dolphins assistant) Howard Schnellenberger coached the UM players.
2008 Orange Bowl
The first few plays of the fourth quarter failed to live up to the promise that had been shown in the third for the Hokies. Two incomplete passes and one that gained just two yards forced Virginia Tech to punt the ball away with 13:49 remaining in the quarter. After taking over at its 33-yard line, Kansas had no more success on offense than did Virginia Tech. After three straight plays with no gain, Kansas was forced to punt the ball away as well. A 58-yard kick by Kyle Tucker pinned Virginia Tech inside its 10-yard line, and the Hokies were unable to advance the ball much beyond the ten-yard line. An incomplete pass and a two-yard run by Branden Ore were all the offense managed before Sean Glennon threw a 20-yard interception to the Jayhawks' Justin Thornton. Thornton returned the ball 30 yards to the Virginia Tech two-yard line, and on Kansas' first play after the interception, Todd Reesing ran two yards for the touchdown. The score gave the Jayhawks a 24–14 lead with just 10:57 remaining.
2008 Orange Bowl
The Virginia Tech Hokies began their 2007 football season with emotion and remembrance. As Virginia Tech recovered from the worst school shooting in American history, football served as a way to help the university community emotionally heal. The opening game of the season, on September 1, 2007, was against East Carolina University and featured numerous remembrance ceremonies and commemorations. Buoyed by the emotion of the day, the Hokies earned a 17–7 victory. Their next game would not be as easy. One week later, Virginia Tech traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to face the No. 2 Louisiana State University Tigers. The Tigers were widely regarded in pre-season polls as favorites to play in the National Championship Game and overwhelmed the Hokies in front of a home crowd, 48–7.
2008 Orange Bowl
The punt was downed in the end zone for a touchback, and Kansas began its first offensive possession of the game at its 20-yard line. Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing proved remarkably effective, completing six of his eight passes during the drive and rushing for five yards on a quarterback scramble. Reesing drove Kansas' offense into Virginia Tech territory, but after Tech's Orion Martin sacked Reesing, Kansas was unable to gain another first down and kicker Scott Webb was sent into the game to attempt a 44-yard field goal. Webb's kick sailed wide of the uprights, however, and the game remained scoreless with 6:44 remaining in the first quarter.
1938 Orange Bowl
At a meeting of college football coaches, 10 were asked by the Associated Press to pick winners of bowl games. Of the eight coaches who responded, all but one selected Auburn to win the Orange Bowl.
2008 Florida Gators football team
The Florida Gators took on the Miami Hurricanes for the first time since the 2004 Peach Bowl where the Gators lost to Miami 27-10. This game is also the first regular season meeting between the two teams since 2003 where the then #18 Gators nearly upset the #3 Miami Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl. The last time the Gators defeated the Hurricanes was in 1985 where the Gators defeated Miami in Miami with a score of 35-23. Miami entered this game with a six-game winning streak and came in leading the series 28-25. The winner of this game receives the War Canoe Trophy. An attendance record was set with this game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium with 90,833.
2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl
The 2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl was the 41st annual edition of the Chick-fil-A Bowl, formerly known as the Peach Bowl and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. It pitted the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets against the Louisiana State Tigers in a postseason American college football game in Atlanta, Georgia. Georgia Tech represented the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and their competitor was from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The game was the final competition of the 2008 football season for each team. The game payout was a combined $6.01 million, the sixth-largest among all college football bowl games and the third-largest non-BCS bowl game payout.
2006 Chick-fil-A Bowl
At the end of the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, both Georgia and Virginia Tech were named to Bowl Championship Series bowl games, indicating an increase over their 2006 performances. Georgia earned a bid to the 2008 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana against the Hawaii Warriors, who they defeated, 41–10. Virginia Tech, having won the 2007 ACC Championship Game, earned an automatic bid to the 2008 Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, losing 24–21 to the Kansas Jayhawks.
2007–08 NCAA football bowl games
The Trojans were Pac-10 champions for the 6th 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 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.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 Manoa 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 to 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.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.
2010 PapaJohns.com Bowl
In the weeks preceding the game, media coverage focused on the tragic circumstances surrounding the Huskies' season. On December 21, 2010, the team was declared the winner of the 2009 FedEx Orange Bowl/FWAA Courage Award, given to a person or team who displayed courage on or off the field, overcame injury or physical handicap, prevented a disaster, or lived through hardship. The award was presented at the 2010 Orange Bowl on January 5, 2011, following the PapaJohns.com Bowl.
2010 Orange Bowl
On November 7, Iowa appeared to be headed for a 10–0 record when they took an early 10–0 lead against the Northwestern Wildcats. However, early in the second quarter, quarterback Ricky Stanzi was knocked out of the game with an ankle injury, in a play that resulted in the Wildcats' first touchdown. Iowa did not score again in the game, and lost, 17–10. The Hawkeyes' following game, vs. Ohio State, would determine which team would earn a berth to the Rose Bowl. Down 24–10 with 11:11 left, Iowa staged a comeback to force overtime. But redshirt freshman quarterback James Vandenberg, filling in for the injured Stanzi, threw an interception in the first overtime series. Ohio State took advantage and sealed a 27–24 victory with a 39-yard field goal. Iowa ended the season with a 12–0 shutout over the Minnesota Gophers. Iowa stayed at the Fountaine Bleu in Miami, before the Orange Bowl.
2008 Orange Bowl
Kansas received Virginia Tech's kickoff, and the Hokies attempted to give themselves another chance at offense by calling timeouts after Kansas rushed the ball. The timeouts stopped the clock, but Kansas managed to earn a first down and run out the clock after Tech used its allotted three timeouts. Heading into halftime, Kansas still had the lead and the momentum, but a Virginia Tech touchdown had cut the Jayhawks' lead to just 10 points, 17–7.
2008 Kansas Jayhawks football team
The 2008 Kansas Jayhawks football team (variously "Kansas", "KU", or the "Jayhawks") represented the University of Kansas in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the school's 119th year of intercollegiate football. The team was looking to continue the success of the prior season in which they lost only a single conference game and went on to win the Orange Bowl. In the ninth week, after defeating Kansas State 52–21, the Jayhawks became Bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive year, a school record. Also, for the first time in school history, Kansas made back-to-back appearances in a Bowl game after accepting the invitation to play in the Insight Bowl versus the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The team finished the regular season with a victory over their archrival, the Missouri Tigers (who was then ranked 13th in the BCS Poll), in the Border War. The Jayhawks concluded the season with an 8–5 overall record (4–4 in the Big 12 Conference).
2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team
During the 2007 college football season, Virginia Tech accumulated an 11–3 record that ended with a 21–24 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2008 Orange Bowl. The Hokies also won the 2007 ACC football championship, but were not predicted to repeat that success in 2008. In the annual preseason football poll of media covering ACC football, Tech was picked second in the conference, behind the Clemson Tigers. The Hokies were picked to finish first in the ACC's Coastal Division, but lose to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game.
2009 Orange Bowl
Virginia Tech's victory raised it to a final record of 10–4, while Cincinnati's loss dropped it to a record of 11–3. The Hokies' 10-win season was the fifth consecutive year in which Tech recorded at least 10 wins, a feat matched only by the University of Southern California and the University of Texas during the same time period. As a reward for coaching the Hokies to an ACC Championship and an Orange Bowl championship, Virginia Tech coaches were given hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses.
2008 Fiesta Bowl
Per the BCS selection procedure, the bowl games that lost teams to the national championship get first picks for a replacement. The Rose Bowl, after losing top ranked Ohio State, selected Illinois. Next, the Sugar Bowl selected Georgia to replace the #2 LSU Tigers. For the second selection for each bowl, per the BCS selection procedure, the game played nearest the date of the national championship had the first pick. For 2008, this was the Orange Bowl, which selected Kansas. Following the Orange Bowl's select, the Fiesta Bowl had the next pick following lastly by the Sugar Bowl. The Fiesta Bowl committee had a few teams to select from including Arizona State, Hawaii, and Big East champion West Virginia. The committee chose to invite West Virginia who almost made the national championship game before losing their last regular season game. John Junker, CEO of the Fiesta Bowl, said "the selection we had was very simple." If West Virginia had not been selected by the Fiesta Bowl, the Sugar Bowl would have been forced to select them, as West Virginia was guaranteed a BCS bowl berth by virtue of winning the Big East.
2008 FedEx Cup Playoffs
Camilo Villegas won by shooting −15. This was Villegas' first win on the PGA Tour. Chad Campbell withdrew after the first round to attend the birth of his first child. He earned no FedEx Cup points but at the end of the BMW Championship he was in 30th place in the standings. The top 30 players in the points standings advanced to The Tour Championship.
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2008 FedEx Cup Playoffs
The Tour Championship was played September 25–28 after a two-week break for the Ryder Cup. All 30 players eligible to play did so. There was no cut for this tournament. Camilo Villegas won the tournament on the first playoff hole with Sergio García. Vijay Singh won the FedEx Cup.
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2008 Miami Hurricanes football team
The Hurricanes and Seminoles will meet for the 53rd time, last season, the Hurricanes defeated FSU 37–29 in Tallahassee and now holds a 30–22 lead in the series. The only time the two schools have met at Dolphin Stadium, UM won 16–14 in the 2004 Orange Bowl Classic.
This game, played on October 11, 2008 in Miami, was the first between the two schools, with Central Florida having joined Division I-A in 1996. For the Hurricanes, Graig Cooper ran for 90 yards and the game-winning touchdown on a career-high 23 attempts. The Hurricanes forced the Knights into punting 12 times, and limited their offense to a total of 78 yards (74 yards gained via the pass, and 4 yards on the ground). Despite the Hurricanes' defensive effort, the game remained close as UCF scored on an interception return of 62 yards, and on a 91-yard kickoff return.
Miami had a 4–1 lead in the series and had won three straight games since joining the ACC and four in a row altogether.
The only times the two teams have played in ACC action, the Hurricanes won both games by a combined score of 99–24, and UM held a 5–3 lead in the series.
This was the sixth game between the two schools, and the fifth straight year the two schools had met.
Despite losing the last two games to VT, the Hurricanes still held a 16–9 lead in the series. Frank Beamer's Hokies were 11–3 the previous year and were the ACC champions. They lost the Orange Bowl to Kansas, where new Hurricanes defensive coordinator Bill Young held that position for the Jayhawks.
Georgia Tech's triple option offense ran for 472 yards against the Hurricanes. The Jackets scored three second-quarter touchdowns and reached a 24–3 halftime lead. After that, the Hurricanes got no closer than 27–10 as Georgia Tech were successful. Late in the game, Georgia Tech ran the ball half-heartedly on 4th down to avoid scoring and avoid insulting the Hurricanes by either kneeling, kicking a field goal, or scoring a touchdown. The score was 41–10 at one point.
2008 Orange Bowl
The block neutralized all the Virginia Tech momentum that had been gained with the punt-return touchdown and kept Kansas in the lead. After the block, however, Kansas failed to gain a first down on offense. Though forced to punt the ball away, punter Kyle Tucker's 42-yard kick was helped by a 10-yard illegal blocking penalty against Virginia Tech that pinned the Hokies at their own 25-yard line. Branden Ore picked up a first down with two rushes, but the Tech offense failed to gain another first down and the Hokies were forced to punt the ball again.
Kansas took over at its own 12-yard line after the punt. On the first play of the drive, Reesing completed a 37-yard pass to Dexton Fields, putting the ball near midfield. Three straight incomplete passes later, Kansas faced a fourth-and-ten and a punt. Instead of punting the ball away, however, Kansas elected to try a risky fake punt-pass. Instead of snapping the ball to the punter, the ball was snapped to running back Brandon McAnderson, who threw the ball 22 yards downfield to Micah Brown for a first down. On the very next play, Reesing, having returned to the field, connected on a 28-yard pass to Dexton Fields, who was pushed out of bounds just short of the goal line. With a first-and-goal from inside the one-yard line, a Kansas touchdown seemed inevitable. On the first play inside the red zone, however, Kansas fumbled the ball. Though the ball was recovered by a Kansas player, the play lost four yards. On the next play, Kansas committed a 15-yard personal foul penalty. The personal foul was followed by a 10-yard holding penalty, and Kansas was pushed entirely outside the Virginia Tech red zone. In an effort to push back, Reesing threw a pass deep downfield. Instead of being completed, however, the ball was intercepted by Virginia Tech's D.J. Parker. With 39 seconds left in the quarter, Virginia Tech had stopped Kansas from gaining a point despite the Jayhawks penetrating inside the Virginia Tech one-yard line.
2008 Orange Bowl
After the missed field goal, Virginia Tech took over on offense at its own 27-yard line. Running back Kenny Lewis, Jr., replacing the suspended Branden Ore, ran for a first down, and Tyrod Taylor connected on an 11-yard pass to Eddie Royal for another first down. Now inside Kansas territory, Taylor attempted another pass. Kansas All-American cornerback Aqib Talib jumped between Taylor's throw and the receiver, intercepting the ball. Talib returned the interception 60 yards to the end zone for a Kansas touchdown, the first points of the game. An extra point kick by Scott Webb made the score 7–0 Kansas with 5:15 remaining in the quarter.
2008 Orange Bowl
Kansas' Aqib Talib was named the game's Most Valuable Player. Talib's 60-yard interception return for a touchdown was the Orange Bowl's first since the 1968 Orange Bowl, when Oklahoma's Bob Stephenson performed the same feat. When he appeared on stage on the field after the game to receive his award, Talib exclaimed, "I felt like Deion!", a reference to former NFL star Deion Sanders.
2008 Florida Gators football team
The Gators ended the game with 480 yards of offense to Oklahoma's 363. Percy Harvin led the Gators on the ground with 122 rushing yards followed by Tim Tebow with 109. The Gators used seven wide receivers to complete 18 passes for a total of 231 yards. Florida defensive lineman Carlos Dunlap was named defensive player of the game and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow was named offensive player of the game. This was the Gators' third national championship in school history and their second in the last three seasons. Bob Stoops and the Sooners extended their BCS bowl losing streak to five games and have lost two national championships at Dolphin Stadium after winning his only championship in the same stadium in 2001. Urban Meyer's BCS bowl record extended to 3-0 with the first won as head coach of the Utah Utes. He has a bowl game record at Florida of 3–1 with his only bowl loss coming in the previous season. During the championship celebration three days after the game, quarterback Tim Tebow announced he would return to the University of Florida for his senior season. This game was also determined by FOX to be their most-watched BCS bowl game since televising BCS games in January 2007. It was viewed by 26.8 million viewers, and at least 50 million viewers tuned in at some point of the game.
2008 Atlantic Coast Conference football season
Virginia Tech secured its second consecutive conference championship when it won the 2008 ACC Championship Game against Boston College. Likewise, it was the second consecutive season that Boston College finished as the conference runner-up. Virginia Tech went on to represent the conference in its BCS game, the 2008 Orange Bowl, and, with a victory over Cincinnati, ended the ACC's eight-year BCS game slump.
Awards selected by ACSMA (Atlantic Coast sports media association)
2008 Orange Bowl
Virginia Tech's Eddie Royal fielded the opening kickoff from Kansas kicker Scott Webb, returning it 59 yards to the 41-yard line of Kansas. The return gave the Virginia Tech offense excellent field position to begin the game. Tech quarterback Sean Glennon connected on an 11-yard pass to Justin Harper for a first down on the opening play of the game, but Kansas' defense stiffened on subsequent plays. After Virginia Tech's Tyrod Taylor entered the game at quarterback, Kansas sacked Taylor twice, pushing Virginia Tech 19 yards backward, out of field goal range. Because of the sacks, Virginia Tech was forced to punt the ball away without scoring any points.
2009 Oregon State Beavers football team
For the second straight season the Oregon Ducks denied the Oregon State Beavers a trip to Pasadena to play in the Rose Bowl. This year, however, with the win the Ducks go to the Rose Bowl to play the Ohio State Buckeyes. This Civil War was a see saw battle that was exciting from the opening kick-off. LaMichael James ran for 166 yards on 25 carries that included 3 touchdowns. Jacquizz Rodgers had 64 yards rushing and 73 yards receiving and a touchdown as the two featured backs didn't disappoint. LeGarrette Blount made his return from suspension in the 3rd Quarter sparking the Ducks offense. He finished with 51 yards on 9 carries and a touchdown. The turning point in the game was a critical decision when Mike Riley opted to go for it on 4th and 15 from the Ducks 27-yard line. The pass was incomplete and the Ducks took over. The Ducks ran out the remainder of the clock after converting 2 4th down plays on the drive sealing their ticket to Pasadena. The Beavers fell all the way to the Las Vegas Bowl to play BYU.