2002–03 NCAA football bowl games
The 2002–03 NCAA football bowl games were a series of 28 post-season games (including the Bowl Championship Series) played in December 2002 and January 2003 for Division I-A football teams and their all-stars. The post-season began with the New Orleans Bowl on December 17, 2002, and concluded on February 1, 2003, with the season-ending Hula Bowl.
| 2002–03 NCAA football bowl games | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Season | 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of bowls | 28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| All-star games | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl games | December 17, 2002 – January 3, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National Championship | 2003 Fiesta Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location of Championship | Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Champions | Ohio State Buckeyes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Challenge Cup winner | Big Ten[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A new record of 28 team-competitive bowls, and two all-star games, were played, including the inaugural Continental Tire Bowl, Hawaii Bowl and San Francisco Bowl. To fill the 56 available team-competitive bowl slots, a total of three teams with non-winning seasons participated in bowl games—all three had a .500 (6–6) season.
Poll rankings
The below table lists top teams (per polls taken after the completion of the regular season and any conference championship games), their win-loss records (prior to bowl games), and the bowls they later played in. The AP column represents rankings per the AP Poll,[2] while the BCS column represents the Bowl Championship Series rankings.[3]
| AP | BCS | Team | W–L | Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Miami Hurricanes | 12–0 | Fiesta Bowl  |
2 | 2 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 13–0 | Fiesta Bowl |
3 | 5 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 11–1 | Orange Bowl |
4 | 3 | Georgia Bulldogs | 12–1 | Sugar Bowl |
5 | 4 | USC Trojans | 10–2 | Orange Bowl |
6 | 8 | Kansas State Wildcats | 10–2 | Holiday Bowl |
7 | 6 | Washington State Cougars | 10–2 | Rose Bowl |
8 | 7 | Oklahoma Sooners | 11–2 | Rose Bowl |
9 | 10 | Texas Longhorns | 10–2 | Cotton Bowl Classic |
10 | 12 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 9–3 | Capital One Bowl |
11 | 9 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 10–2 | Gator Bowl |
12 | 11 | Michigan Wolverines | 9–3 | Outback Bowl |
13 | — | Alabama Crimson Tide | 10–3 | none  |
14 | 13 | Colorado Buffaloes | 9–4 | Alamo Bowl |
15 | 15 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 9–3 | Continental Tire Bowl |
16 | 14 | Florida State Seminoles | 9–4 | Sugar Bowl |
17 | — | NC State Wolfpack | 10–3 | Gator Bowl |
18 | — | Boise State Broncos | 11–1 | Humanitarian Bowl |
19 | — | Auburn Tigers | 8–4 | Capital One Bowl |
20 | — | Maryland Terrapins | 10–3 | Peach Bowl |
21 | — | Virginia Tech Hokies | 9–4 | San Francisco Bowl |
22 | — | Florida Gators | 8–4 | Outback Bowl |
23 | — | Colorado State Rams | 10–3 | Liberty Bowl |
24 | — | Pittsburgh Panthers | 8–4 | Insight Bowl |
25 | — | Arkansas Razorbacks | 9–4 | Music City Bowl |
denotes a BCS bowl game
ineligible for bowl play due to NCAA sanctions
Schedule
All-star games
| Date | Game | Winning Team | Losing Team | Venue | City | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 11, 2003 | East–West Shrine Game | East Team | 20 | West Team | 17 | SBC Park | San Francisco, California |
| January 18, 2003 | Senior Bowl | North Team | 17 | South Team | 0 | Ladd–Peebles Stadium | Mobile, Alabama |
| January 25, 2003 | Gridiron Classic | Team USA | 20 | Team Florida | 17 | Citrus Bowl | Orlando, Florida |
| January 25, 2003 | Paradise Bowl | Midwest All-Stars | 36 | West All-Stars | 31 | Hansen Stadium | St. George, Utah |
| February 1, 2003 | Hula Bowl | South (Aina) | 27 | North (Kai) | 24 | War Memorial Stadium | Wailuku, Hawaii |
References
- "Bowl Challenge Cup standings". 2003-01-05. Retrieved 2016-12-11.
- "The AP Top 25". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. December 9, 2002. p. 18. Retrieved December 5, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- "BCS Standings". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. December 9, 2002. p. 18. Retrieved December 5, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- "FBS (I-A) Schedule - 2002 (Bowls)". Retrieved 2016-12-11.