The 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with an abundance of controversy, resulting in a split national championship.

At season's end, three major conference teams finished the regular season with one loss, with only two spots available in the BCS National Championship Game. Three non-BCS teams also finished with one loss, TCU, Boise State and Miami (OH), stirring the debate of the BCS being unfair to mid-major teams.

USC had lost a triple overtime thriller at California on September 27, LSU lost at home to Florida on October 11, and Oklahoma, which had been #1 in every BCS rating^[1], AP and Coaches' Poll^[2] of the season, had been shocked by Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship Game, 35-7 on December 6. USC finished #1 in both the AP and Coaches' Polls, while both USC and LSU fell short on several computer factors. Oklahoma's schedule strength was ranked 11th to LSU's 29th and USC's 37th. Oklahoma's schedule rank was 0.44 to LSU's 1.16 and USC's 1.48. As such, despite the timing of Oklahoma's loss affecting the human voters, the computers kept Oklahoma at #1 in the BCS poll, with LSU and USC being separated by only 0.16 points.

LSU defeated Oklahoma in the 2004 Sugar Bowl, securing the BCS National Championship, as the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll is contractually obligated to vote the winner of the BCS National Championship Game #1. Meanwhile, when USC beat Michigan in the 2004 Rose Bowl, the majority of AP voters refused to drop their end-of-season #1 after the bowl win, and USC secured the AP title.

On January 9, 2004, Ted Waitt, CEO of Gateway Computers offered the NCAA $31 million for a national championship game between USC and Louisiana State. The NCAA did not consider the offer, leaving the year without an unarguable national champion.

The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award sponsored by ESPN chose USC coach Pete Carroll as their award recipient, while the Paul Bryant Coach of the Year Award, voted on by an association of sportswriters, chose LSU Coach Nick Saban.

The Orange Bowl game was noteworthy in that Miami and Florida State previously had scheduled to play each other on Labor Day in 2004. Playing in the Orange Bowl ensured that their next meeting would be each of their very next games and their first of the 2004 season.

Texas was also affected by the BCS controversy. Oklahoma's late loss kept Texas from appearing in one of the BCS games. Had Oklahoma won the Big 12 championship, the two at-large teams would have been Ohio State and Texas. But with the loss, Kansas State received the Big 12 bid and Oklahoma one of the at-large bids, leaving #5 Texas on the outside looking in. Texas lost to Washington State in the Holiday Bowl.

[edit] Bowl Championship Series Rankings

[edit] Bowl Games

Rankings given are AP poll positions at time of game

[edit] BCS Bowls

• Sugar Bowl, BCS National Championship Game: #2 (BCS #1) LSU 21, #3 (BCS #2) Oklahoma 14
• Rose Bowl: #1 (Pac 10 Champ) Southern California 28, #4 (Big 10 Champ) Michigan 14
• Orange Bowl: #9 (Big East Champ) Miami 16, #8 (ACC Champ) Florida State 14
• Fiesta Bowl: #6 (At Large) Ohio State 35, #10 (Big 12 Champ) Kansas State 28

[edit] Other January Bowls

• Cotton Bowl Classic: #18 Mississippi 31, #22 Oklahoma State 28
• 2004 Capital One Bowl: #11 Georgia 34, #13 Purdue 27 (OT)
• 2004 Gator Bowl: #24 Maryland 41, #23 West Virginia 7
• 2004 Outback Bowl: #12 Iowa 37, #17 Florida 17
• Peach Bowl: Clemson 27, #7 Tennessee 14
• Humanitarian Bowl: Georgia Tech 52, Tulsa 10

[edit] December Bowl Games

• Houston Bowl: Texas Tech 38, Navy 14
• Liberty Bowl: #25 (MWC Champ) Utah 17, (C-USA Champ) Southern Mississippi 0
• Continental Tire Bowl: Virginia 23, Pittsburgh 16
• Independence Bowl: Arkansas 27, Missouri 14
• Silicon Valley Classic: Fresno State 17, UCLA 9
• Sun Bowl: #20 Minnesota 31, Oregon 30
• Music City Bowl: Auburn 28, Wisconsin 14
• Holiday Bowl: #14 Washington State 28, #5 Texas 20
• San Francisco Bowl: Boston College 35, Colorado State 21
• Alamo Bowl: #21 Nebraska 17, Michigan State Spartans 3
• Insight Bowl: California 52, Virginia Tech 49
• Tangerine Bowl: NC State 56, Kansas 26
• Motor City Bowl: Bowling Green 28, Northwestern 24
• Hawai'i Bowl: Hawai'i 54, Houston 48 (3 OT)
• Fort Worth Bowl: #16 (WAC Champ) Boise State 34, #19 TCU 31
• Las Vegas Bowl: Oregon State 55, New Mexico 14
• GMAC Bowl: #15 (MAC Champ) Miami (Ohio) 49, Louisville 28
• New Orleans Bowl: Memphis 27, (Sun Belt Champ) North Texas 17

[edit] Final AP Poll

Others receiving votes: 26. Oklahoma State 109, 27. Arkansas 73, 28. Virginia 36, 29. Northern Illinois 30, 30. Auburn 8, 31. Oregon State 8, 32. Pittsburgh 7, 33. N.C. State 7, 34. West Virginia 4, 35. Connecticut 2.

[edit] Final Coaches Poll

Also receiving votes

Northern Illinois (10-2) 80; Arkansas (9-4) 74; Oklahoma State (9-4) 63; Auburn (8-5) 20; North Carolina State (8-5) 17; Oregon State (8-5) 15; West Virginia (8-5) 14; Southern Mississippi (9-4) 12; Fresno State (9-5) 6; Hawaii (9-5) 6; Pittsburgh (8-5) 5; Texas Tech (8-5) 4; Marshall (8-4) 3; Virginia (8-5) 3; Boston College (8-5) 2; California (8-6) 1; Connecticut (9-3) 1; Memphis (9-4) 1; Michigan State Spartans (8-5) 1; Missouri (8-5) 1; North Texas (9-4) 1.

[edit] Heisman Trophy Voting

The Heisman Trophy is given to the most outstanding player of the year

• Winner: Jason White (Jr.), QB, Oklahoma (1,481 points)
• 2. Larry Fitzgerald (So.), WR, Pittsburgh (1,353 points)
• 3. Eli Manning (Sr.), QB, Mississippi (710 points)
• 4. Chris Perry (Sr.), RB, Michigan (341 points)

[edit] Other Major Awards

• Maxwell Award (College Player of the Year): Eli Manning, Mississippi
• Walter Camp Award (top back): Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh
• AP Player Of the Year: Jason White, Oklahoma
• Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback): Jason White, Oklahoma
• Johnny Unitas Award(Sr. quarterback): Eli Manning, Mississippi
• Doak Walker Award (running back): Chris Perry, Michigan
• Fred Biletnikoff Award (wide receiver): Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh
• John Mackey Award (tight end): Kellen Winslow, Miami, Fla.
• Lombardi Award (top lineman): Tommie Harris, Oklahoma
• Dave Rimington Trophy (center): Jake Grove, Virginia Tech
• Outland Trophy (interior lineman): Robert Gallery, Iowa
• Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player): Teddy Lehman, Oklahoma
• Dick Butkus Award: Teddy Lehman, Oklahoma
• Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back): Derrick Strait, Oklahoma
• Lou Groza Award (placekicker): Jonathan Nichols, Mississippi
• Ray Guy (punter): B.J. Sander, Ohio State
• Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (Coach of the Year): Nick Saban, LSU
• The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award: Pete Carroll, USC

[edit] References