College Football 2009

Sunday, 10 January 2010 12:32

A year to remember...

College sports are arguably the most exciting events one can watch. Instead of being driven by high paying contracts or lifestyles, the players are there simply to see their athleticism reach new heights and play the game they love. NCAA football is a perfect example of all this. It's the reason why the BCS National Championship and bowl games net an audience that can rival the Super Bowl, the reason that stadiums can fill 80,000 plus without breaking a sweat, and the reason that lifetime memories are forged for players, coaches and fans.

Though every season leaves many footprints in the minds of fans, 2009 has been one of the most momentous seasons in recent history. It saw teams come out of nowhere and win against opponents that no one saw coming, more importantly, it saw legends take a bow, leaving the world of college football. With the season drawing to a close, let's take a look at the highlights of the year many will never forget.

TCU / Boise State
When tallying all the major powerhouses, you'll always hear of Wisconsin, Florida, Texas, and many others, but TCU and Boise State came onto the scene and turned the rankings upside down. Both schools went completely undefeated throughout the season, flawless through every game. Boise State, having slowly become a presence in the game, has now had three undefeated regular seasons. It is amazingly fitting that these two schools will compete against one another in this year's Fiesta Bowl.

Stanford's Wins Against Oregon and USCS
Both Oregon and USC were highly ranked in the beginning of the season. Oregon was defeated by Boise State in their season opener (see previous), but then steamrolled against almost every other opponent they came across, still quite in contention for the national title. USC had only one loss against Washington, an upset on its own. Stanford, an unranked football program pulled off upset wins against both schools late in the season. As if this wasn't amazing enough, they did it with back to back wins, and at USC.

USC Starts Freshman Matt Barkley
Matt Barkley, an outstanding high school quarterback, was recruited by USC into their illustrious program. Before long, through sheer determination, he was named the starting quarterback, officially becoming the first non-red shirt freshman to start for the program. Though USC did not keep their top-five spot for long, it showed the nation the amount of talent the young player had, and provided a glimpse of things to come.

Tim Tebow
The name says it all. Tebow, a player who will go down as one of, if not the, best player in NCAA football history, ended his astonishing career with the Sugar Bowl, stomping opponent Cincinnati a whopping 54-21. Tebow shattered Herschell Walker's SEC rushing touchdown record, set a BCS Bowl record of racking up 533 total yards on the ground and in the air, and broke many school, SEC and BCS records. He won a Heisman trophy in his sophomore year, contributed to two SEC championships and two national championships, along with many more honors. A player of his caliber won't be seen for years to come, if ever.

Urban Meyer Quits
Meyer, a coach at the top of his career, having had multiple championships and national titles, decided to quit his football career. Seemingly out of nowhere, the prolific head coach sited health reasons for his departure. Less than 20 hours later, Meyer recants, stating he would take an indefinite leave of absence. The recoil from this announcement sent the football program into shock, causing high profile recruits to look elsewhere, and left the head coach position in a state of flux.

Bobby Bowden Bids farewell
Bowden, a coach that is synonymous with college football, coached his last game at the Gator Bowl against WVU. The Seminoles sent him out with a final win. In his career, he won two national championships, many conference titles, along with 389 game wins, 21 bowl wins, and many more accomplishments. At Florida State, he only had one losing season, which was his first in 1976. Some of his honors include having the FSU field named after him, a statue of his likeness erected outside of the FSU stadium, and a trophy bearing his name passed out every year (the National Bobby Bowden Award by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes).