Coker had the benefit of inheriting a star-studded program that Davis had rebuilt in the aftermath of NCAA sanctions in the mid-to-late '90s.

Miami completed a perfect 12–0 season, which culminated in a 37–14 win over Nebraska in the Rose Bowl BCS National Championship Game.

Florida State did not win the ACC championship for the first time since joining the conference in 1991, losing out to Maryland.

The season had one of the more competitive Heisman Trophy races with Eric Crouch of Nebraska winning by only a small margin over Rex Grossman of Florida.

Joe Paterno needed just 2 victories to pass legendary Alabama Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant as the winningest coach in Division I-A college football, However, after the Nittany Lions started the season 0–4 it looked like Bear Bryant's record would remain intact for at least 1 more year.

After a 20–0 drubbing Penn State took against Michigan at home on Oct 6, the Nittany Lions were a dismal 1–6 since Paterno notched his 321st coaching win on October 28, 2000.

[5] The newly formed Boise State/Fresno State rivalry would be a major factor in the race to be the "BCS buster" for several seasons.

The final three weeks of the regular season saw an incredible amount of drama as several teams were in prime position to earn their way to the national championship game in the Rose Bowl.

But on November 23, the day after Thanksgiving, Nebraska suffered a devastating 62–36 loss to Colorado which seemingly caused their season to fall by the wayside.

Miami, Florida, and Texas now held the top three spots in the BCS standings heading into their games on December 1, but all three teams would be pushed to the brink in a single thrilling day.

Miami barely escaped Virginia Tech 26–24 to finish as the only undefeated team in the nation and clinch a Rose Bowl berth.

Florida lost 34–32 to Tennessee in Gainesville; as with Nebraska and Oklahoma, the loss not only ended the Gators' national championship dreams but also kept them out of the conference title game.

Later that evening, Texas entered the Big 12 finals against Colorado in prime time television knowing that a win would almost certainly seal their spot in the Rose Bowl, but the Longhorns fell 39–37 in yet another nailbiter.

Many felt Colorado was the hottest team in the country after dismantling Nebraska and then beating the Longhorns in the Big 12 title game, but their two losses at the beginning of the year were tough to ignore.

Others felt Oregon deserved the honor, being ranked in both the AP and Coaches' Polls as the number two team in the country.

8 Tennessee, which was rescheduled for early December and ended up having a major effect on the national championship picture.

14 Florida State often produced nail-biting finishes, but this time the Hurricanes pulled away in the second half on their way to a 49-27 victory.

5 Oregon led Stanford by two touchdowns at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Cardinal made a furious comeback to defeat the Ducks 49-42.

3 Nebraska, and the Cornhuskers broke open a defensive struggle with a trick play for a 63-yard touchdown pass and a 20-10 victory.

1 Miami found themselves in deep trouble against unranked Boston College, clinging to a five-point lead as the Eagles had a first-and-goal at the Hurricanes’ nine-yard line with 30 seconds left.

But a Boston College pass was deflected to Miami’s Matt Walters, who handed off to Ed Reed for an 80-yard touchdown return which clinched an 18-7 Hurricanes victory.

Despite the Longhorns’ big win, the BCS dropped Tennessee and Texas from their top five in favor of Oregon (AP No.

The Buffaloes raced out to a 35-3 lead in the second quarter and cruised to a 62-36 victory, scoring the most points by any opponent in Cornhuskers history (including a record six touchdowns by running back Chris Brown).

But the two teams engaged in a hard-fought defensive struggle until backup quarterback (and future major league baseball player) Josh Fields led Oklahoma State on a late drive which ended in a touchdown pass and a 16-13 Cowboys win.

Virginia Tech got the ball back once more, but Ed Reed made his second game-saving play in less than a month with an interception that sealed Miami’s perfect regular season.

9 Colorado 41-7 in October, but this time the Buffaloes rushed out to a 29-10 lead in the second quarter as Texas quarterback Chris Simms committed four turnovers before leaving with an injured finger.

Major Applewhite, the Longhorns’ starting QB in 1998 and 1999 who had lost his job to Simms, led the team on a furious comeback that fell just short, with Colorado winning a 39-37 decision for their second shocking upset in as many weeks.

And, just like Texas, they flubbed the opportunity: LSU scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns for a 31-20 comeback win that gave coach Nick Saban his first championship of a major conference.

1 Miami was an obvious choice to play for the national championship in the Rose Bowl, but deciding their opponent was a more difficult matter.

3—Nebraska, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, and Tennessee—had suffered upset losses when they were in the driver’s seat for a berth in the title game.