2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season
{{Short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2012}}
{{Infobox NCAA Division I FBS season
| year = 2007
| image = 2008bcschampionscropped.jpg
| image_caption = LSU's quarterback Matt Flynn lifting the AFCA National Championship Trophy after the BCS title game
| number_of_teams = 120
| preseason_ap = USC
| regular_season = August 30 – December 1
| number_of_bowls = 32
| bowl_start = December 20, 2007
| bowl_end =
January 7, 2008
| championship_system = Bowl Championship Series
| championship_bowl = 2008 BCS Championship Game
| championship_location = Louisiana Superdome,
New Orleans, Louisiana
| champions = LSU
| heisman = Tim Tebow (quarterback, Florida)
}}
The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The regular season began on August 30, 2007, and ended on December 1, 2007. The postseason concluded on January 7, 2008, with the BCS National Championship Game in New Orleans, where the No. 2-ranked Louisiana State Tigers defeated the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes to win their 2nd BCS and 3rd overall national title.
For just the second time in the Bowl Championship Series era, no FBS team finished the season undefeated. Kansas was the only team from a BCS automatic-qualifying conference to finish the entire season with just one loss.
Rules changes
After coaches expressed their disapproval of the timing changes made in the 2006 season, the following changes were made:
- On kickoffs, the clock will not start until the ball is touched in the field of play.
- On change of possession, the clock will not start until the snap.
The attempt to reduce the time of games sought by those rules was successful, reducing the average college football page from 3:21 hours in 2005 to 3:07 hours in 2006.{{cite news | url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2007-02-14-time-rules-changes_x.htm | title=NCAA rules committee proposes reworking football time-saving rules | author=Steve Wieberg |work=USA Today | date=February 14, 2007 | access-date=February 15, 2007 }} However, the reduced game time also reduced the average number of plays in a game by 13, 66 fewer offensive yards per game and average points per game by 5.
Other rules changes for the 2007 season include:
- Moving the kick-off yard-line from 35 to 30, which matches the yard-line used in the National Football League from 1994 to 2010, to reduce the number of touchbacks.
- Paring the 25-second play clock to 15 seconds after TV timeouts.
- Team time-outs for televised games are shortened from 60 seconds to 30 seconds.
- Allowing penalties against the kicking team on kickoffs to be assessed at the end of the runback, avoiding a re-kick, also matching the NFL rule.
- Once the umpire gives the ball to the kicker, the 25 second play clock starts.
- Kickoffs out of bounds are now penalized 35 yards from the spot of the kick or a re-kick with a five-yard penalty.
- Defenders cannot use any part of a teammate to jump over an opponent to block a kick.
Conference and program changes
The only change in conference membership for the 2007 season occurred when Temple left its Independent status to become the 13th member of the Mid-American Conference.
One team upgraded from Division I FCS, increasing the number of Division I FBS schools to 120.https://frontiernet.net/~bchaffee/standings/2007/week05standings.htm{{Cite web |title=2007 College Football Standings |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/2007-standings.html |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=College Football at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=NCAA College Football Predictive Rankings & Ratings |url=https://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/ranking/predictive-by-other?date=2007-08-30 |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=www.teamrankings.com}}{{Cite web |title=mcubed.net : NCAA Football : 2007 : Week-by-week Rankings |url=https://mcubed.net/ncaaf/2007/wk7.shtml |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=mcubed.net}}{{Cite web |last=Bishop |first=Chad |date=2017-06-02 |title=Ten years ago, Western Kentucky began the transition to I-A football |url=https://www.wbko.com/content/news/Ten-years-ago-Western-Kentucky-began-to-the-transition-to-I-A-football-425943444.html |access-date=2024-10-10 |website= |language=en}}https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/wkusports.com/documents/2024/8/31/WKU_FB_2024_Record_Book.pdf?timestamp=20240902095623{{Cite web |last=Bearden |first=Shane |title=Transition to FBS...The Road Ahead for WKU |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/60829-transition-to-fbsthe-road-ahead-for-wku |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2007-09-07 |title=Western Kentucky Article About Move to FBS |url=https://bigskyfans.com/threads/western-kentucky-article-about-move-to-fbs.16028/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=Big Sky Conference Athletics Fan Forums |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=WKU Football Ready To Begin New Era |url=https://wkusports.com/news/2007/8/31/wku_football_ready_to_begin_new_era |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=Western Kentucky University Athletics |language=en}}
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
| School | 2006 Conference | 2007 Conference |
|---|---|---|
| style="text-align:center;" | I-A Independent | MAC |
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | MVC | I-A Independent |
Regular season top 10 matchups
Rankings reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 7 and beyond will list BCS Rankings first and AP Poll second. Teams that failed to be a top 10 team for one poll or the other will be noted.
- Week 2
- No. 2 LSU defeated No. 9 Virginia Tech, 48–7 (Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
- Week 6
- No. 1 LSU defeated No. 9 Florida, 28–24 (Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
- Week 9
- No. 2/2 Boston College defeated No. 8/8 Virginia Tech, 14–10 (Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Virginia)
- No. 5/5 Oregon defeated No. 12/9 USC, 24–17 (Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon)
- Week 10
- No. 5/4 Oregon defeated No. 4/6 Arizona State, 35–23 (Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon)
- Week 13
- No. 4/3 Missouri defeated No. 2/2 Kansas, 36–28 (Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri)
- Week 14
- No. 9/9 Oklahoma defeated No. 1/1 Missouri, 38–17 (2007 Big 12 Championship Game, Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas)
Year of the Upset and "The Curse of No. 2"
= Year of the Upset =
{{see also|2007 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings}}
The 2007 season was highlighted by the remarkable frequency with which ranked teams fell to lower-ranked or unranked opponents, leading the media to dub the season as the "Year of the Upset".{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/bowls07/news/story?id=3141008|title=In the Year of the Upset, memorable moments were plentiful|date=December 4, 2007|publisher=ESPN|access-date=February 28, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080115205438/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls07/news/story?id=3141008|archive-date=January 15, 2008 |url-status=live}} An unranked or lower-ranked opponent defeated a higher-ranked team 59 times over the course of the regular season. Teams ranked in the top five of the AP Poll were defeated by unranked opponents 13 times during the regular season, setting a new record in the history of the AP Poll when at least 20 teams were ranked.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=273140194|title=Illinois shocks top-ranked Ohio State in Columbus|date=November 10, 2007|publisher=ESPN|agency=Associated Press|access-date=November 10, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112141738/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=273140194|archive-date=November 12, 2007 |url-status=dead}} The only other season to see more such upsets was 1967, which was one of seven seasons when the AP Poll ranked only 10 teams.
The chaos began on the first weekend of the season when FCS program Appalachian State defeated No. 5 Michigan on the road at Michigan Stadium in what was immediately hailed as one of the greatest upsets in the history of college football. Appalachian State became just the second FCS team to defeat a ranked FBS opponent, and the first to do so against a top-five team.
= "Curse of the No. 2" =
The 2007 season became known for the "Curse of the No. 2", where the team ranked No. 2 by the AP Poll was defeated seven times in the final nine weeks of the regular season:{{Cite news|url=http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/238132414/college-football-crazy-2007-season-anniversary|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625234443/http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/238132414/college-football-crazy-2007-season-anniversary|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 25, 2017|title=10 years later, 2007 CFB season looks even crazier.|last=Brown|first=Matt|date=2017-06-23|work=Sports on Earth|access-date=2017-07-11|language=en}}
- Stanford defeated No. 2 USC, 24–23, on October 6 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. This result was particularly notable for the fact that USC was favored to win the game by 41 points, having carried winning streaks of 35 games at home and 24 games in Pac-10 play into the matchup. Both streaks ended with this loss.
- Oregon State defeated No. 2 California, 31–28, on October 13 at California Memorial Stadium.
- Rutgers defeated No. 2 South Florida, 30–27, on October 18 at Rutgers Stadium.
- Florida State defeated No. 2 Boston College, 27–17, on November 3 at Alumni Stadium.
- Arizona defeated No. 2 Oregon, 34–24, on November 15 at Arizona Stadium.
- No. 4 Missouri defeated No. 2 Kansas, 36–28, on November 24 at Arrowhead Stadium in a Border War rivalry game. This was the only such upset where the winning team was also ranked.
- Pittsburgh defeated No. 2 West Virginia, 13–9, on December 1 at Mountaineer Field in a Backyard Brawl rivalry game. West Virginia was knocked out of contention for the BCS National Championship on the final weekend of the regular season.
The No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams had not lost in the same week of the season since 1996. In 2007 alone, No. 1 and No. 2 fell during the same weekend three times, including in both of the final two weeks of the regular season:
- No. 1 LSU lost to Kentucky 43–37 in three overtimes, and No. 2 California lost to Oregon State 31–28 on October 13.
- No. 1 LSU lost to Arkansas 50–48 in three overtimes on November 23, and No. 2 Kansas lost to No. 4 Missouri 36–28 on November 24.
- No. 1 Missouri lost to No. 9 Oklahoma 38–17 in the Big 12 Championship Game, and No. 2 West Virginia lost to Pittsburgh 13–9 on December 1.
Conference standings
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Big 12 Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Big East Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Big Ten Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Conference USA football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Mid-American Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Mountain West Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Pacific-10 Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Southeastern Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Sun Belt Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Western Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records}} |
Conference champions
= Conference championship games =
All games were played on December 1, 2007. Rankings reflect the Week 14 AP Poll before the games were played.
| class="wikitable"
!Conference !Champion !Runner-Up !Score !Site |
| ACC
|30–16 |
| Big 12
|38–17 |
| Conference USA
|UCF |44–25 |
| MAC
|35–10 |
| SEC
|21–14 |
= Other conference champions =
Bowl games
{{main article|2007–08 NCAA football bowl games}}Winners are listed in boldface.
= Bowl Championship Series =
| class="wikitable"
! Bowl Game !! Date !! Playing as Visitor !! Playing as Home !! Score | ||||
| BCS Title Game (New Orleans, Louisiana) | January 7, 2008 | No. 2 LSU | No. 1 Ohio State | 38–24 |
| Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California) | January 1, 2008 | No. 13 Illinois | No. 6 USC | 49–17 |
| Sugar Bowl (New Orleans) | January 1, 2008 | No. 10 Hawai{{okina}}i | No. 4 Georgia | 41–10 |
| Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Arizona) | January 2, 2008 | No. 11 West Virginia | No. 3 Oklahoma | 48–28 |
| Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, Florida) | January 3, 2008 | No. 8 Kansas | No. 5 Virginia Tech | 24–21 |
= January bowl games =
| class="wikitable"
! Bowl Game !! Date !! Playing as Visitor !! Playing as Home !! Score | ||||
| Outback Bowl (Tampa, Florida) | January 1, 2008 | No. 18 Wisconsin | No. 16 Tennessee | 21–17 |
| Cotton Bowl (Dallas, Texas) | January 1, 2008 | No. 7 Missouri | No. 25 Arkansas | 38–7 |
| Capital One Bowl (Orlando, Florida) | January 1, 2008 | Michigan | No. 9 Florida | 41–35 |
| Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, Florida) | January 1, 2008 | Texas Tech | No. 21 Virginia | 31–28 |
| International Bowl (Toronto, ON, Canada) | January 5, 2008 | Rutgers | Ball State | 52–30 |
| GMAC Bowl (Mobile, Alabama) | January 6, 2008 | Bowling Green | Tulsa | 63–7 |
= December bowl games =
= Postseason All-Star Games =
- Cornerstone Bancard Hula Bowl – January 12, Aloha Stadium, {{okina}}Halawa, Hawai{{okina}}i – {{okina}}Aina (East) 38, Kai (West) 7.
- East–West Shrine Game – January 19, Robertson Stadium, Houston, Texas – West 31, East 17.
- Under Armour Senior Bowl – January 26, Ladd–Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama – South 17, North 16.
- Western Refining Texas vs. The Nation Game – February 2, UTEP Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, Texas – Texas 41, The Nation 14
= Bowl Challenge Cup standings =
| class="wikitable"
! Conference !! Wins !! Losses !! Percent | |||
| Mountain West† | 4 | 1 | .800 |
| Southeastern§ | 7 | 2 | .777 |
| Pacific-10 | 4 | 2 | .667 |
| Big 12 | 5 | 3 | .625 |
| Big East | 3 | 2 | .600 |
| Big Ten | 3 | 5 | .375 |
| Conference USA | 2 | 4 | .333 |
| Atlantic Coast | 2 | 6 | .250 |
| Western Athletic | 1 | 3 | .250 |
| Mid-American | 0 | 3 | .000 |
† Winner of the Bowl Challenge Cup
–
§ NCAA record for bowl victories in a conference in one bowl season.
;Notes
- The Sun Belt Conference, represented by Florida Atlantic University, was not eligible for the Bowl Challenge Cup as they only had one bowl berth. Conferences must have a minimum of three bids to be a part of the challenge.
Awards and honors
=Heisman Trophy voting=
The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player
| class="wikitable"
! Player !! School !! Position !! 1st !! 2nd !! 3rd !! Total | ||||||
| Tim Tebow | Florida | QB | 462 | 229 | 113 | 1,957 |
| Darren McFadden | Arkansas | RB | 291 | 355 | 120 | 1,703 |
| Colt Brennan | Hawaii | QB | 54 | 114 | 242 | 632 |
| Chase Daniel | Missouri | QB | 25 | 84 | 182 | 425 |
| Dennis Dixon | Oregon | QB | 17 | 31 | 65 | 178 |
| Pat White | West Virginia | QB | 16 | 28 | 46 | 150 |
| Matt Ryan | Boston College | QB | 9 | 7 | 22 | 63 |
| Kevin Smith | UCF | RB | 3 | 11 | 24 | 55 |
| Glenn Dorsey | LSU | DT | 3 | 6 | 9 | 30 |
| Chris Long | Virginia | DE | 1 | 2 | 10 | 17 |
= Other major award winners =
{{Div col|colwidth=33em}}
- Walter Camp Award (top player): Darren McFadden, Arkansas{{cite web|url=http://www.palmbeachpost.com/marlins/content/sports/epaper/2007/12/07/a7b_awards_1207.html |title=Awards twice as much fun for Tebow |work=Palm Beach Post |access-date=December 7, 2007 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
- Maxwell Award (top player): Tim Tebow, Florida
- Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player): Glenn Dorsey, LSU{{cite web | url=http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10510604 | title=LSU's Dorsey beats out OSU's Laurinaitis for Nagurski award | publisher=CBS Sportsline | access-date=December 3, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206121956/http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10510604 | archive-date=December 6, 2007 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}
- Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player): Dan Connor, Penn St
- Dave Rimington Trophy (center): Jonathan Luigs, Arkansas{{cite press release|url=http://www.hogwired.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=6100&ATCLID=1349389 |title=Razorback Jonathan Luigs Wins Rimington Trophy |publisher=University of Arkansas Athletics |access-date=December 6, 2007 |date=December 6, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100124053606/http://www.hogwired.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=6100&ATCLID=1349389 |archive-date=January 24, 2010 |df=mdy }}
- Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback): Tim Tebow, Florida
- Dick Butkus Award (linebacker): James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
- Doak Walker Award (running back): Darren McFadden, Arkansas
- Draddy Trophy ("academic Heisman"): Dallas Griffin, Texas{{cite web | url=http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10512312 | title=Texas center Griffin wins Draddy Award as top scholar-athlete | publisher=CBS Sportsline | access-date=December 4, 2007 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130202222047/http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10512312 | archive-date=February 2, 2013 | df=mdy-all }}
- Fred Biletnikoff Award (wide receiver): Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
- Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back): Antoine Cason, Arizona
- John Mackey Award (tight end): Fred Davis, USC
- Johnny Unitas Award (senior quarterback): Matt Ryan, Boston College
- Lombardi Award (top lineman): Glenn Dorsey, LSU
- Lott Trophy (defensive impact): Glenn Dorsey, LSU
- Lou Groza Award (placekicker): Thomas Weber, Arizona St
- Manning Award (quarterback): Matt Ryan, Boston College
- Outland Trophy (interior lineman): Glenn Dorsey, LSU
- Ray Guy Award (punter): Durant Brooks, Georgia Tech
- Ted Hendricks Award (defensive end): Chris Long, Virginia{{cite web | url=http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10514274 | title=Virginia's Long wins Hendricks Award with 60 percent of vote | publisher=CBS Sportsline | access-date=December 5, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071207201421/http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10514274 | archive-date=December 7, 2007 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}
- Wuerffel Trophy (humanitarian-athlete): Paul Smith, Tulsa{{cite web | url=http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10512093 | title=Tulsa QB Smith wins award for academic, athletic achievements | publisher=CBS Sportsline | access-date=December 4, 2007 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912113449/http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10512093 | archive-date=September 12, 2012 | df=mdy-all }}
- The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award: Mark Mangino, Kansas
- Associated Press Coach of the Year: Mark Mangino, Kansas{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/news/story?id=3161644 |title=Mangino honored for leading Kansas to dramatic turnaround |agency=Associated Press |publisher=ESPN |date=December 19, 2007 |access-date=November 20, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071230054418/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3161644| archive-date=December 30, 2007 | url-status= live}}
- Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (head coach): Mark Mangino, Kansas
- Walter Camp Coach of the Year (head coach): Mark Mangino, Kansas{{cite press release|url=http://waltercamp.org/index.php/news/kansas_mark_mangino_named_2007_walter_camp_coach_of_the_year/ |title=Kansas' Mark Mangino Named 2007 Walter Camp Coach of the Year |publisher=Walter Camp Foundation |access-date=December 11, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080610192720/http://waltercamp.org/index.php/news/kansas_mark_mangino_named_2007_walter_camp_coach_of_the_year/ |archive-date=June 10, 2008 |df=mdy }}
- Broyles Award (assistant coach): Jim Heacock, Ohio State{{cite web | url=http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10512030 | title=Buckeyes defensive coordinator wins award for top assistant | publisher=CBS Sportsline | access-date=December 4, 2007 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912230744/http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10512030 | archive-date=September 12, 2012 | df=mdy-all }}
{{Div col end}}
= All-America selections =
Selections were made by the Associated Press.{{Cite web| url= https://www.espn.com/college-football/news/story?id=3150439&campaign=rss&source=NCFHeadlines| title= Tebow, McFadden, Smith on AP All-America first team| access-date=December 14, 2007 | publisher= ESPN| year=2007| agency=Associated Press| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071223102841/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3150439&campaign=rss&source=NCFHeadlines| archive-date=December 23, 2007 | url-status= live}}
== Offense ==
{{Div col|colwidth=33em}}
- QB: Tim Tebow, So., Florida.
- RB: Darren McFadden Jr., Arkansas; Bisel Jr., Central Florida.
- WR: Michael Crabtree, Fr., Texas Tech; Jordy Nelson Sr., Kansas State.
- OT: Jake Long Sr., Michigan; Anthony Collins Jr., Kansas.
- G: Duke Robinson Jr., Oklahoma; Martin O'Donnell Sr., Illinois.
- C: Steve Justice Sr., Wake Forest.
- TE: Martin Rucker Sr., Missouri.
- All-purpose: Jeremy Maclin, Fr., Missouri.
- K: Thomas Weber, Fr., Arizona State.
{{Div col end}}
== Defense ==
{{Div col|colwidth=33em}}
- DE: Chris Long Sr., Virginia; George Selvie, So., South Florida.
- DT: Glenn Dorsey Sr., LSU; Sedrick Ellis Sr., USC.
- LB: Dan Connor Sr., Penn State; James Laurinaitis Jr., Ohio State; Jordon Dizon Sr., Colorado.
- CB: Aqib Talib Jr., Kansas; Antoine Cason Sr., Arizona.
- S: Craig Steltz Sr., LSU; Jamie Silva Sr., Boston College.
- P: Kevin Huber Jr., Cincinnati.
{{Div col end}}
Milestones
The following teams and players set all-time NCAA Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A) records during the season:
{{Incomplete list|date=October 2008}}
Coaching changes
=Pre-season=
| class="wikitable" white-space:nowrap;"
! Team !! Former coach !! New coach | ||
| Indiana | Terry HoeppnerHoeppner, who had previously announced plans to take the 2007 season off for medical reasons, died of a brain tumor on June 19. | Bill Lynch |
=Post-season=
Notes and references
{{Reflist}}