The 2008 season started Labor Day weekend with UCLA's incredible overtime win against Tennessee in Rick Neuheisel's debut, prompting some in the Bruins' marketing department to believe USC's monopoly in Los Angeles might be over.
UCLA finished 4-8, the Tennessee coach who lost to UCLA was forced out, USC's monopoly of L.A. continued and college football was as mind-bogglingly controversial and poll-powered as ever . . . just the way we like it.
Before we look ahead, let's recap the top 10 moments of 2008 with Times staff writer Chris Dufresne:
1 Florida wins it
Urban Meyer had a big decision to make after leading Utah to a 12-0 season in 2004. He could become coach at Notre Dame, which he had long called his dream job, or take over at Florida.
Meyer chose Florida and Thursday night won his second national title in three years as his Gators defeated Oklahoma in the Bowl Championship Series title game.
You could say Meyer made the right career choice. He has already claimed one more national title than longtime coach Steve Spurrier, who led the Gators to the championship in 1996.
The Southeastern Conference has now won three straight BCS national titles, four since 2003, and can make a strong claim that it remains the nation's preeminent college football conference.
2 Salt Lake rolls Tide
Utah capped a fabulous 13-0 year with a 31-17 win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and left many wondering why the Utes were not taken more seriously as a national-title contender. Utah clinched an automatic BCS berth by sweeping to the Mountain West Conference title but ended the regular season at No. 7 in the polls and sixth in the final BCS standings. En route to its perfect season, Utah won its opener at Michigan, defeated Oregon State -- which defeated USC -- and conquered ranked opponents Brigham Young, Texas Christian and Alabama. Utah's Sugar Bowl win lifted to 3-1 the record of "non-BCS" schools in BCS bowl games. Utah previously capped a perfect 2004 season with a win over Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.
3 Beaver-trapped
Oops, they did it again. Another key loss to an underdog Pacific 10 Conference school cost the USC Trojans a chance to play for the national title. Oregon State's 27-21 win over USC in Corvallis on Sept. 25 was certainly no fluke. Oregon State physically dominated USC in jumping out to a 21-0 halftime lead and freshman tailback Jacquizz Rodgers finished with 186 rushing yards, dodging and darting past the Trojans' defense. The heartbreak came two years after a 2006 defeat at Corvallis cost USC a title-game trip, and one year after a shocking home loss to 41-point underdog Stanford denied the Trojans a BCS title bid.
