The 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Notre Dame winning the national championship.

The Fighting Irish won the title via a 34–21 defeat of previously unbeaten West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona.

With 4 of the final Top 5 teams being independents (with the University of Miami and Florida State joining the Fighting Irish and Mountaineers), 1988 became a focus for fans and critics who wondered how the traditional conferences would deal with the indies (the answer ultimately involved all of these teams joining major conferences).

9 Michigan, won on a last drive field goal, which started off the championship season.

This year was also the first time Notre Dame and USC had ever met when ranked No.

Most notable about this game is Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz's decision to leave behind two of his stars, Tony Brooks and Ricky Watters because they were late, cementing discipline as the main theme of this championship team.

For the second year in a row the Rose Bowl berth was on the line but for USC it also had national title implications as the rivalry game with Notre Dame was the following week.

Oklahoma State running back Barry Sanders ran the Wing T offense all the way to the Heisman Trophy and numerous rushing records.

10 Texas A&M in the Kickoff Classic on August 27, and the top five teams remained the same going into September.

1 Miami made a furious comeback, scoring two touchdowns and a field goal in the last five and a half minutes to defeat No.

10 Florida State on a “puntrooskie,” a fake punt which set up a 78-yard run and a game-winning field goal for the Seminoles.

1 Miami played another Big Ten opponent and had a much easier time, defeating Wisconsin 23-3.

With losses by the sixth- and seventh-ranked teams, the Irish moved into the top five: No.

But LSU quarterback Tommy Hodson led a late drive which culminated in a touchdown pass for a 7-6 victory, and the crowd cheered so loudly that the noise registered as an earthquake at a nearby laboratory.

October 15: This week featured one of the most iconic football games of all time as No.

The contrast between the buttoned-up Fighting Irish and the flashy Hurricanes was played up as a clash of “Catholics vs. Convicts.” The game turned on a disputed fumble call midway through the fourth quarter, as Miami lost the ball at the Notre Dame one-yard line while they were trailing by just seven points, costing the Hurricanes the chance to tie or take the lead.

5 Florida State defeated East Carolina 45-21, but still fell out of the top five in the next poll.

1 UCLA led Washington State by 21 points in the second half, but the Cougars came all the way back to take the lead.

A last-minute UCLA drive was halted at WSU’s six-yard line, and Washington State was the winner in a 34-30 upset.

5 Nebraska posted an unimpressive win over Missouri, gaining just one first down in the first half before coming back for a 26-18 victory.

7 West Virginia (beat Penn State 51-30) moved ahead of the Cornhuskers in the next poll: No.

11 Arkansas defeated Texas A&M 25-20 to win the SWC title and a Cotton Bowl berth, while No.

13 Michigan clinched the Big Ten championship and a Rose Bowl appearance by beating Illinois 38-9.

Battling a case of the measles, USC quarterback Rodney Peete led the Trojans to a 31-22 victory over Troy Aikman and the Bruins.

The Cornhuskers won a 7-3 defensive struggle (their first victory over the Sooners in five years) to earn the Orange Bowl berth.

November 25–26: For the first time in the history of their storied rivalry, Notre Dame and USC met when both teams were undefeated and untied.

Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz benched key players Ricky Watters and Tony Brooks for “repeated irresponsible tardiness,” but the No.

Despite LSU’s head-to-head victory in the earthquake game, the Sugar Bowl organizers picked Auburn (who had a better overall record and higher ranking) to represent the conference.

The other top-ranked teams had finished their schedules, and the top five remained the same in the final poll before the bowls.

3 West Virginia) were both independents; they headed to the Fiesta Bowl, which had no conference tie-in, for a de facto national championship game.