List of NCAA Division I-A Football Seasons (2000s) (Cinco De Mayo)

The following is an overview of NCAA Division I-A football seasons in the 2000s decade, including all seasons from 2000-01 through 2009-10.

Season Overview
The 2000-01 football season ended with #3 Pittsburgh the clear victor of the Big East with a 10-1 record and Kansas State winning the Big Eight with an 11-0 record and the #1 ranking going into bowl season. In the Big Ten, Michigan and Purdue both finished with identical 8-3 overall records - however, Purdue had the head-to-head advantage and a 7-1 conference record and so was selected to go to the Rose Bowl. In the Pac-10, Washington and Oregon State ended the season tied atop the standings, with Washington ranked #2 and Oregon State ranked #4. Washington was sent to the Rose Bowl, while Oregon State would face Kansas State in the Holiday Bowl.

Purdue quarterback Drew Brees won the Heisman Trophy in a landslide along with most other awards for seniors and quarterbacks. Damien Anderson of Northwestern won the Red Grange Award for best running back, and KSU Head Coach Bill Snyder won the AP Knute Rockne Coach of the Year Award.

Bowl Results

 * Rose Bowl - #2 Washington 34, #10 Purdue 24
 * Holiday Bowl - #4 Oregon State 41, #1 Kansas State 35 (OT)
 * American Bowl - #5 Nebraska 66, #3 Pittsburgh 29

Final Standings

 * 1) Washington Huskies (11-1)
 * 2) Oregon State (11-1)
 * 3) Nebraska (11-1)
 * 4) Kansas State (11-1)

Season Overview
10-1 Oregon finished the season ranked atop the PCC and was invited to the Rose Bowl as the #1 team in the country. Colorado defeated then-No. 1 Nebraska in the last game of the regular season at home in Boulder to move up one spot in the rankings to #2, while Nebraska dropped to #3. Because Colorado went undefeated in its Big Eight slate, it won an outright conference championship and earned the right to play in the Holiday Bowl. In the Big East, Maryland finished with a 10-1 record under second-year head coach Ralph Friedgen and won the conference outright. Syracuse, which finished second in conference with an identical 10-1 record (losing on head-to-head tiebreaker), was slated to head to the Holiday Bowl. With an outright championship of the Big Ten, Illinois was selected to its first Rose Bowl since 1983-84.

Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch was awarded the Heisman Trophy over Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington in a narrow split - Harrington won the majority of other quarterback awards, and David Carr of Fresno State won the Unitas Award for Best Senior Quarterback. Luke Staley of BYU won the Red Grange Award for Best Running Back, and Ralph Friedgen was awarded National Coach of the Year.

Bowl Results

 * Rose Bowl - #1 Oregon 38, #5 Illinois 34
 * Holiday Bowl - #8 Syracuse 26, #2 Colorado 16
 * American Bowl - #4 Maryland 23, #3 Nebraska 14

Final Standings

 * 1) Oregon Ducks
 * 2) Maryland Terrapins
 * 3) Colorado Buffaloes
 * 4) Syracuse Orange
 * 5) Washington State Cougars