1998 NCAA Division I-A football season

1998 NCAA Division I-A season
SEC and National Championship rings for the 1998 season Tennessee Volunteers
Number of teams	112
Preseason AP #1	Ohio State Buckeyes
Post-season
Duration	December 19, 1998 – January 4, 1999
Bowl games	22
Heisman Trophy	Ricky Williams, Texas
Bowl Championship Series
1999 Fiesta Bowl
Site	Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
Winner	Tennessee Volunteers
Division I-A football seasons
← 1997 1999 →

The 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first of the Bowl Championship Series, which saw Tennessee win the national championship, one year after star quarterback Peyton Manning left for the NFL. The Volunteers defeated the Florida State Seminoles 23-16 in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona to secure the inaugural BCS National Championship.

The BCS combined elements of the old Bowl Coalition and the Bowl Alliance it replaced. The agreement existed between the Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, and Orange Bowls, the Cotton Bowl Classic diminishing in status since the breakup of the Southwest Conference. Like the Bowl Alliance, a national championship game would rotate between the four bowls, with the top two teams facing each other. These teams were chosen based upon a BCS poll, combining the AP poll, the Coaches poll, and a third computer component. The computer factored in things such as strength of schedule, margin of victory, and quality wins without taking into account time (in other words a loss in October and a loss in November were on equal footing).

However, like the Bowl Coalition, the bowls not hosting the national championship would retain their traditional tie-ins.

The first run of the Bowl Championship Series was not without controversy as Kansas State finished third in the final BCS standings but was not invited to a BCS bowl game. Ohio State (ranked 4th) and two-loss Florida (8th) received the at-large bids instead. Also, Tulane went undefeated but finished 10th in the BCS standings and was not invited to a BCS bowl because of their strength of schedule.

Rule changes

The following rule changes were adopted by the NCAA Rules Committee during their 1998 meeting: ^[1]

Defensive players are allowed to recover and advance backward passes. Previously the defense was only allowed to recover but not advance backward passes.
Illegal touching of a forward pass by an ineligible receiver is a five-yard penalty from the previous spot but no loss-of-down.
Defensive players may not rough an offensive player in position to receive a backward pass (i.e. trail man on option play).
Standardized uniform recognition regarding memorializing of deceased or severely ill teammates/coaches.
Eyeshields must be clear.

Conference and program changes

With no teams upgrading from Division I-AA, the number of Division I-A schools was fixed at 112.

Army broke away from almost one hundred years of tradition as an independent, joining Conference USA.

School	1997 Conference	1998 Conference
Army Cadets	I-A Independent	Conference USA

Conference standings

1998 ACC football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#3 Florida State $+		7	–	1		11	–	2
#9 Georgia Tech +		7	–	1		10	–	2
#18 Virginia		6	–	2		9	–	3
North Carolina		5	–	3		7	–	5
NC State		5	–	3		7	–	5
Duke		2	–	6		4	–	7
Wake Forest		2	–	6		3	–	8
Clemson		1	–	7		3	–	8
Maryland		1	–	7		3	–	8

$ – BCS representative as conference champion + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

1998 Big East football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#25 Syracuse $		6	–	1		8	–	4
#20 Miami (FL)		5	–	2		9	–	3
#23 Virginia Tech		5	–	2		9	–	3
West Virginia		5	–	2		8	–	4
Boston College		3	–	4		4	–	7
Rutgers		2	–	5		5	–	6
Temple		2	–	5		2	–	9
Pittsburgh		0	–	7		2	–	9

$ – BCS representative as conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

1998 Big Ten football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#2 Ohio State %+		7	–	1		11	–	1
#6 Wisconsin $+		7	–	1		11	–	1
#12 Michigan +		7	–	1		10	–	3
#24 Purdue		6	–	2		9	–	4
#17 Penn State		5	–	3		9	–	3
Michigan State		4	–	4		6	–	6
Minnesota		2	–	6		5	–	6
Indiana		2	–	6		4	–	7
Illinois		2	–	6		3	–	8
Iowa		2	–	6		3	–	8
Northwestern		0	–	8		3	–	9

$ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

1998 Big 12 football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Northern Division
#10 Kansas State x		8	–	0		11	–	2
#19 Nebraska		5	–	3		9	–	4
#21 Missouri		5	–	3		8	–	4
Colorado		4	–	4		8	–	4
Kansas		1	–	7		4	–	7
Iowa State		1	–	7		3	–	8
Southern Division
#11 Texas A&M x$		7	–	1		11	–	3
#15 Texas		6	–	2		9	–	3
Texas Tech		4	–	4		7	–	5
Oklahoma State		3	–	5		5	–	6
Oklahoma		3	–	5		5	–	6
Baylor		1	–	7		2	–	9
Championship: Texas A&M 36, Kansas State 33
$ – BCS representative as conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

1998 Big West Conference football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Idaho $		4	–	1		9	–	3
Nevada		3	–	2		6	–	5
North Texas		3	–	2		3	–	8
Boise State		2	–	3		6	–	5
Utah State		2	–	3		3	–	8
New Mexico State		1	–	4		3	–	8

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

1998 Conference USA football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#7 Tulane $		6	–	0		12	–	0
Southern Miss		5	–	1		7	–	5
Louisville		4	–	2		7	–	5
East Carolina		3	–	3		6	–	5
Army		2	–	4		3	–	8
Houston		2	–	4		3	–	8
Cincinnati		1	–	5		2	–	9
Memphis		1	–	5		2	–	9

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

1998 Mid-American Conference football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
East Division
Marshall xy$		7	–	1		12	–	1
Miami x		7	–	1		10	–	1
Bowling Green		5	–	3		5	–	6
Ohio		5	–	3		5	–	6
Akron		3	–	6		4	–	7
Kent State		0	–	8		0	–	11
West Division
Toledo x		6	–	2		7	–	5
Western Michigan		5	–	3		7	–	4
Central Michigan		5	–	3		6	–	5
Eastern Michigan		3	–	6		3	–	8
Northern Illinois		2	–	6		2	–	9
Ball State		1	–	7		1	–	10
Championship: Marshall 23, Toledo 17
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

1998 Pacific-10 football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#8 UCLA $		8	–	0		10	–	2
#4 Arizona		7	–	1		12	–	1
Oregon		5	–	3		8	–	4
USC		5	–	3		8	–	5
Washington		4	–	4		6	–	6
Arizona State		4	–	4		5	–	6
California		3	–	5		5	–	6
Oregon State		2	–	6		5	–	6
Stanford		2	–	6		3	–	8
Washington State		0	–	8		3	–	8

$ – BCS representative as conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

1998 SEC football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Eastern Division
#1 Tennessee x$#		8	–	0		13	–	0
#5 Florida %		7	–	1		10	–	2
#14 Georgia		6	–	2		9	–	3
Kentucky		4	–	4		7	–	5
Vanderbilt		1	–	7		2	–	9
South Carolina		0	–	8		1	–	10
Western Division
Mississippi State xy		6	–	2		8	–	5
#16 Arkansas x		6	–	2		9	–	3
Alabama		4	–	4		7	–	5
Ole Miss		3	–	5		7	–	5
LSU		2	–	6		4	–	7
Auburn		1	–	7		3	–	8
Championship: Tennessee 24, Mississippi State 14
# – BCS National Champion $ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

1998 WAC football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Mountain Division
#13 Air Force x$		7	–	1		12	–	1
Wyoming		6	–	2		8	–	3
Colorado State		5	–	3		8	–	4
Rice		5	–	3		5	–	6
TCU		4	–	4		7	–	5
Tulsa		2	–	6		4	–	7
SMU		1	–	1		0	–	1
UNLV		0	–	8		0	–	11
Pacific Division
BYU xy		7	–	1		9	–	5
San Diego State x		7	–	1		7	–	5
Utah		5	–	3		7	–	4
Fresno State		5	–	3		5	–	6
San Jose State		3	–	5		4	–	8
UTEP		3	–	5		3	–	8
New Mexico		1	–	7		3	–	9
Hawaii		0	–	8		0	–	12
Championship: Air Force 20, BYU 13
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

1998 Division I-A independents football records
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
UCF			–			9	–	2
#22 Notre Dame			–			9	–	3
Louisiana Tech			–			6	–	6
Northeast Louisiana			–			5	–	6
UAB			–			4	–	7
Arkansas State			–			4	–	8
Navy			–			3	–	8
Southwestern Louisiana			–			2	–	9

Rankings from AP Poll

Bowl games

Bowl					Site
Fiesta Bowl	#1 Tennessee	23	#2 Florida State	16	Tempe, AZ
Sugar Bowl	#4 Ohio State	24	#8 Texas A&M	14	New Orleans, LA
Orange Bowl	#7 Florida	31	#18 Syracuse	10	Miami, FL
Rose Bowl	#9 Wisconsin	38	#6 UCLA	31	Pasadena, CA
Cotton Bowl Classic	#20 Texas	38	#25 Mississippi State	11	Dallas, TX
Peach Bowl	#19 Georgia	35	#13 Virginia	33	Atlanta, GA
Florida Citrus Bowl	#15 Michigan	45	#11 Arkansas	31	Orlando, FL
Outback Bowl	#22 Penn State	26	Kentucky	15	Tampa, FL
Gator Bowl	#12 Georgia Tech	35	#17 Notre Dame	28	Jacksonville, FL
MicronPC Bowl	#24 Miami (FL)	46	NC State	23	Miami, FL
Sun Bowl	TCU	28	USC	19	El Paso, TX
Alamo Bowl	Purdue	37	#3 Kansas State	34	San Antonio, TX
Insight.com Bowl	#23 Missouri	34	West Virginia	31	Tempe, AZ
Holiday Bowl	#5 Arizona	23	#14 Nebraska	20	San Diego, CA
Liberty Bowl	#10 Tulane	41	BYU	27	Memphis, TN
Aloha Bowl	Colorado	51	#21 Oregon	43	Honolulu, HI
Oahu Bowl	#16 Air Force	45	Washington	25	Honolulu, HI
Independence Bowl	Mississippi	35	Texas Tech	18	Shreveport, LA
Music City Bowl	Virginia Tech	38	Alabama	7	Nashville, TN
Las Vegas Bowl	North Carolina	20	San Diego State	13	Las Vegas, NV
Motor City Bowl	Marshall	48	Louisville	29	Detroit, MI
Humanitarian Bowl	Idaho	42	Southern Mississippi	35	Boise, ID

Rankings are from the AP Poll.

Final polls

Main article: 1998 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award is given to the

Most Outstanding Player of the year
Winner: Ricky Williams, Texas, Running Back (2335 points)

2. Michael Bishop, Kansas St. (792 points)
3. Cade McNown, UCLA (696 points)
4. Tim Couch, Kentucky (527 points)
5. Donovan McNabb, Syracuse (232 points)

Other major awards

Maxwell Award (College Player of the Year) - Ricky Williams, Texas
Walter Camp Award (Back) - Ricky Williams, Texas
Davey O'Brien Award (Quarterback) - Michael Bishop, Kansas St.
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (Senior Quarterback) - Cade McNown, UCLA
Doak Walker Award (Running Back) - Ricky Williams, Texas
Fred Biletnikoff Award (Wide Receiver) - Troy Edwards, Louisiana Tech
Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Defensive Player) - Champ Bailey, Georgia
Chuck Bednarik Award - Dat Nguyen, Texas A&M
Dick Butkus Award (Linebacker) - Chris Claiborne, USC
Lombardi Award (Lineman or Linebacker) - Dat Nguyen, Texas A&M
Outland Trophy (Interior Lineman) - Kris Farris, UCLA
Jim Thorpe Award (Defensive Back) - Antoine Winfield, Ohio St.
Lou Groza Award (Placekicker) - Sebastian Janikowski, Florida St.
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award - Bill Snyder, Kansas St.
Football Writers Association of America Coach of the Year Award - Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee

References

↑ "NCAA Rules Changes 1998".

NCAA football seasons

Pre-regulation	1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905

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NCAA University Division/ Division I	1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977

NCAA Division I-A/FBS	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

NCAA Division II	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

NCAA Division III	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

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