2004 NCAA Division I-A Football Season

The 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with several undefeated teams vying for a spot in the national title game, triggering controversy. In the 2003 season, no team finished the regular season unbeaten, and five teams finished the season with one loss. In 2004, the situation became even more complicated, as five teams went without losing, a record in the BCS era (this record was tied in 2009, when five teams also went undefeated and a sixth, Florida, lost to undefeated Alabama in the SEC title game). USC of the Pac-10, Oklahoma of the Big 12, Auburn of the SEC, Utah of the MWC, and Boise State of the WAC all finished the regular season undefeated. USC and Oklahoma started the season ranked #1 and #2, respectively, but the other three teams were handicapped by starting out of the top 15. Thus USC and OU played for the BCS National Championship, while Auburn, Utah, and Boise State had to content themselves with other bowl games.

The Orange Bowl proved a rout with USC defeating Oklahoma 55-19, which earned the Trojans their second consecutive AP title and first BCS title. This game, USC's victory over rival UCLA, and the BCS title were later vacated as part of the sanctions levied against USC as a result of an NCAA investigation. USC appealed the decision but was denied by the NCAA on May 26, 2011, and the BCS title for 2004 was officially vacated on June 6, 2011. The AP title was not vacated, as the AP does not punish teams for violations. These sanctions have been criticized by some NCAA football writers, including ESPN’s Ted Miller, who wrote, “It's become an accepted fact among informed college football observers that the NCAA sanctions against USC were a travesty of justice, and the NCAA’s refusal to revisit that travesty are a massive act of cowardice on the part of the organization.”

Auburn played in the Sugar Bowl and beat Virginia Tech, the #8 ranked ACC champion. Utah became the first BCS Buster and beat Pitt, the #21 ranked champion of the Big East, in the Fiesta Bowl. Boise State lost a close, high scoring game in the Liberty Bowl to Louisville, the #10 ranked Conference USA champion.

As with previous seasons, fans of successful teams left out of the BCS were disappointed. Auburn, Utah, and BSU all went unbeaten but were not offered a chance to compete for the championship. Auburn was especially the focus of national media attention on this topic; many thought that since Auburn managed to go undefeated in the traditionally tough SEC, they deserved a shot at the title. Adding to the BCS frustration was the fact that Auburn and Utah, though both in BCS bowl games, would not be able to play each other as a match-up of highly ranked unbeatens. The fact that the dismay over the shutout of several deserving unbeaten teams was paired with an understanding of the 2004 season details--that USC and Oklahoma deserved their top 2 BCS spots by having perfect seasons after their initial top rankings, that Auburn was fairly ranked in the preseason as a good but not great-looking team, and that Utah and Boise State played in objectively middling conferences--made 2004 a seminal year for serious momentum building behind a multi-team playoff system in college football.

There was also a controversy in selecting the BCS bowls' second at-large team (Utah being the first). The University of California expected to get the invite, being ranked fourth in the BCS entering the last week of the regular season; the Texas Longhorns, who had been left out of the BCS the year before, was fifth before the final BCS rankings were released. Both teams finished at 10-1, but the Longhorns ultimately received enough support from poll voters to move into the fourth slot, which ensured they would also receive the final at-large bid. Texas coach Mack Brown was criticized for publicly politicking voters to put Texas ahead of California; Cal coach Jeff Tedford called for coaches' votes to be made public. Texas went on to defeat Michigan in the Rose Bowl, while California lost to Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl.

The Associated Press, as a result of two consecutive seasons of BCS controversy, prohibited the BCS from using their poll as part of its ranking formula. The AP poll was replaced by the Harris Interactive poll, and the AP continues to award its own national championship trophy.

In another first, the LSU Tigers lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Capital One Bowl, becoming the first school to lose a non-BCS bowl a year after winning the BCS National Championship Game.

In conference moves, Miami (FL) and Virginia Tech left the Big East to join the ACC, giving the ACC 11 members. Connecticut left the Independent ranks to join the Big East. Troy State also left their Independent status behind and joined the Sun Belt Conference. Florida Atlantic University made the move up from Division I-AA and became a I-A Independent. The total membership of Division I-A schools playing football now stood at 118.

Instant replay would make its debut in college football, as the Big Ten conference began to use it on a one year experimental basis.