How a chaotic regular season reshaped the 2008 national championship landscape
In short: Before the 2008 BCS National Championship Game, the matchup seemed certain. But unexpected upsets by Missouri and West Virginia threw the college football world into upheaval, paving the way for a historic showdown between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the LSU Tigers in New Orleans.
The road to the January 7, 2008, championship game at the Louisiana Superdome was anything but predictable. As the regular season concluded, the most likely matchup involved Missouri and West Virginia. However, a series of upsets changed everything: Missouri fell to Oklahoma 38–17 in the Big 12 Championship, and West Virginia suffered a 13–9 loss to arch-rival Pitt in the Backyard Brawl. These results left the BCS rankings in upheaval, ultimately positioning the Big Ten champion Ohio State Buckeyes against the SEC champion LSU Tigers.
The game itself was a high-stakes encounter between two storied programs. LSU, led by head coach Les Miles, entered the game seeking their first consensus national championship since 1958. Ohio State, coached by Jim Tressel, arrived as the No. 1 team. The matchup was also a rematch of the 2004 Alamo Bowl, where Tressel's Buckeyes defeated Miles' Oklahoma State Cowboys 33–7.
LSU ultimately secured a 38–24 victory, marking their second national championship in five years and making them the first school to win two BCS championships. This win was historically significant for another reason: LSU became the first team since 1960 to secure a national championship title while carrying two losses. The victory was bolstered by a dominant performance from quarterback Matt Flynn, who threw multiple touchdown passes to players like Richard Dickson and Brandon LaFell, helping the Tigers overcome an early 10–3 deficit to cement their place in college football history.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: 2008 BCS National Championship Game
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