2003 NCAA Division I-A football season

2003 NCAA Division I-A season
Gameplay during the BCS National Championship Sugar Bowl for the 2003 season
Number of teams	117
Preseason AP #1	Oklahoma Sooners
Post-season
Duration	December 16, 2003 – January 4, 2004
Bowl games	28
AP Poll #1	USC Trojans
Coaches Poll #1	LSU Tigers
Heisman Trophy	Jason White, Oklahoma QB
Bowl Championship Series
2004 Sugar Bowl
Site	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Winner	LSU Tigers
Division I-A football seasons
← 2002 2004 →

2003 ACC football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#11 Florida State $		7	–	1		10	–	3
#17 Maryland		6	–	2		10	–	3
#22 Clemson		5	–	3		9	–	4
NC State		4	–	4		8	–	5
Virginia		4	–	4		8	–	5
Georgia Tech		4	–	4		7	–	6
Wake Forest		3	–	5		5	–	7
Duke		2	–	6		4	–	8
North Carolina		1	–	7		2	–	10

$ – BCS representative as conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

2003 Big East football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#5 Miami (FL) $+		6	–	1		11	–	2
West Virginia +		6	–	1		8	–	5
Pittsburgh		5	–	2		8	–	5
Virginia Tech		4	–	3		8	–	5
Boston College		3	–	4		8	–	5
Syracuse		2	–	5		6	–	6
Rutgers		2	–	5		5	–	7
Temple		0	–	7		1	–	11

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

2003 Big Ten football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#6 Michigan $		7	–	1		10	–	3
#4 Ohio State %		6	–	2		11	–	2
#18 Purdue		6	–	2		9	–	4
#8 Iowa		5	–	3		10	–	3
#20 Minnesota		5	–	3		10	–	3
Michigan State		5	–	3		8	–	5
Wisconsin		4	–	4		7	–	6
Northwestern		4	–	4		6	–	7
Penn State		1	–	7		3	–	9
Indiana		1	–	7		2	–	10
Illinois		0	–	8		1	–	11

$ – BCS representative as conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

2003 Big 12 football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
North
#14 Kansas State x$		6	–	2		11	–	4
#19 Nebraska		5	–	3		10	–	3
Missouri		4	–	4		8	–	5
Kansas		3	–	5		6	–	7
Colorado		3	–	5		5	–	7
Iowa State		0	–	8		2	–	10
South
#3 Oklahoma x%		8	–	0		12	–	2
#12 Texas		7	–	1		10	–	3
Oklahoma State		5	–	3		9	–	4
Texas Tech		4	–	4		8	–	5
Texas A&M		2	–	6		4	–	8
Baylor		1	–	7		3	–	9
Championship: Kansas State 35, Oklahoma 7
$ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

2003 Conference USA football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Southern Miss $		8	–	0		9	–	4
#24 TCU		7	–	1		11	–	2
Louisville		5	–	3		9	–	4
Memphis		5	–	3		9	–	4
South Florida		5	–	3		7	–	4
Houston		4	–	4		7	–	6
UAB		4	–	4		5	–	7
Tulane		3	–	5		5	–	7
Cincinnati		2	–	6		5	–	7
East Carolina		1	–	7		1	–	11
Army		0	–	8		0	–	13

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

2003 Mid-American Conference football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
East Division
#10 Miami x$		8	–	0		13	–	1
Marshall		6	–	2		8	–	4
Akron		5	–	3		7	–	5
Kent State		4	–	4		5	–	7
UCF		2	–	6		3	–	9
Ohio		1	–	7		2	–	10
Buffalo		1	–	7		1	–	11
West Division
#23 Bowling Green x		7	–	1		11	–	3
Northern Illinois		6	–	2		10	–	2
Toledo		6	–	2		8	–	4
Western Michigan		4	–	4		5	–	7
Ball State		3	–	5		4	–	8
Eastern Michigan		2	–	6		3	–	9
Central Michigan		1	–	7		3	–	9
Championship: Miami 49, Bowling Green 27
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

2003 Mountain West football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#21 Utah $		6	–	1		10	–	2
New Mexico		5	–	2		8	–	5
Colorado State		4	–	3		7	–	6
Air Force		3	–	4		7	–	5
San Diego State		3	–	4		6	–	6
BYU		3	–	4		4	–	8
UNLV		2	–	5		6	–	6
Wyoming		2	–	5		4	–	8

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

2003 Pacific-10 football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#1 USC $		7	–	1		12	–	1
#9 Washington State		6	–	2		10	–	3
Oregon		5	–	3		8	–	5
California		5	–	3		8	–	6
Oregon State		4	–	4		8	–	5
Washington		4	–	4		6	–	6
UCLA		4	–	4		6	–	7
Arizona State		2	–	6		5	–	7
Stanford		2	–	6		4	–	7
Arizona		1	–	7		2	–	10

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

2003 SEC football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Eastern Division
#7 Georgia xy		6	–	2		11	–	3
#15 Tennessee x		6	–	2		10	–	3
#24 Florida x		6	–	2		8	–	5
South Carolina		2	–	6		5	–	7
Kentucky		1	–	7		4	–	8
Vanderbilt		1	–	7		2	–	10
Western Division
#2 LSU xy$#		7	–	1		13	–	1
#13 Ole Miss x		7	–	1		10	–	3
Auburn		5	–	3		8	–	5
Arkansas		4	–	4		9	–	4
Alabama		2	–	6		4	–	9
Mississippi State		1	–	7		2	–	10
Championship: LSU 34, Georgia 13
# – BCS National Champion $ – BCS representative as conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with an abundance of controversy, resulting in a split national championship. This was the first split title since the inception of the BCS, something the BCS intended to eliminate.

At season's end, three major conference teams finished the regular season with one loss, with only two spots available in the BCS National Championship Game. Three non-BCS conference teams also finished with one loss, TCU, Boise State and Miami (OH), stirring the debate of the BCS being unfair to mid-major teams.

LSU defeated Oklahoma in the 2004 Sugar Bowl, securing the BCS National Championship, as the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll is contractually obligated to vote the winner of the BCS National Championship Game #1. Meanwhile, when AP #1 USC beat Michigan in the 2004 Rose Bowl, the AP voters kept USC in the top spot, and USC secured the AP title.

Army became the first team in NCAA Division I-A football modern history to finish the season 0–13.

The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award sponsored by ESPN chose USC coach Pete Carroll as their award recipient, while the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award, voted on by an association of sportswriters, chose LSU coach Nick Saban.

The Orange Bowl game was noteworthy in that Miami and Florida State previously had scheduled to play each other on Labor Day in 2004. Playing in the Orange Bowl ensured that their next meeting would be each of their very next games and their first of the 2004 season.

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