Tommy Bowden led the Green Wave to the program's best season. Tulane won a Conference-USA title and defeated BYU 41-27 in the Liberty Bowl. Tulane didn't play any ranked teams and finished No. 7 in the polls.
The Thundering Herd, led by QB Chad Pennington, won at Clemson and then rolled through the MAC before beating BYU 21-3 in the Motor City Bowl. Marshall finished 10th in the polls.
Urban Meyer's team tied a bow on a perfect season with a 35-7 win against No. 20 Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl. The Utes finished fourth in the AP poll, and Meyer left for Florida.