The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

The regular season began on September 3, 2009, and ended on December 12, 2009. The postseason concluded on January 7, 2010, with the BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, California, where the Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Texas Longhorns by the score of 37–21.

For the first time in the history of the Heisman Trophy, the annual award for the most outstanding player in college football, two previous Heisman winners played in the same season—2008 winner Sam Bradford of Oklahoma and 2007 winner Tim Tebow of Florida. For the first time since 1946, the top three vote-getters from the previous season all returned: Bradford, Colt McCoy of Texas, and Tebow, in that order. Six teams finished the regular season undefeated; a record for the BCS era.

Rule changes The NCAA football rules committee proposed several rule changes for 2009. The rule changes include:

If the home team wears colored jerseys, the visiting team may also wear colored jerseys so long as the two teams have agreed to do so. This rule comes as a result of the traditional USC–UCLA game where both teams wore their home uniforms. Previously, the visiting team would be charged a first-half timeout for illegal equipment.Rogers Redding, Secretary-Rules Editor, NCAA Football Rules Committee – NCAA Football 2009-10 Rules and Interpretations. THE NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION May 2009 If the punter carries the ball outside of the tackle box, he is no longer protected under the roughing the kicker penalty. Deliberately grabbing the chin strap is now included as part of the face mask penalty. The edge of the tackle box is defined as being five yards to the left and right of the snapper, rather than two parallel lines from the position of the offensive tackles. Periods will not be extended for plays that result in loss of down (i.e. illegal forward pass). If a defensive player is injured, the play clock will be reset to 40 seconds. The play clock will be reset to 25 seconds for an injury to an offensive player.

Conference changes Western Kentucky joined the Sun Belt Conference after playing the 2008 as an FBS independent, completing their two-year transition from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The number of full FBS members increased to 120. School Former conference New conference Western Kentucky Hilltoppers FBS independent Sun Belt

New and updated stadiums Akron opened InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field against Morgan State on September 12, winning 41–0. Minnesota christened their new TCF Bank Stadium with a win, defeating Air Force 20–13 on September 12. Missouri expanded the capacity of Faurot Field from 68,349 to 71,004.Mizzou Football Guide 09 (PDF), p. 5 Indiana expanded the capacity of Memorial Stadium from 49,225 to 52,929 with the horseshoeing of the North End Zone.

Regular season top 10 matchups Rankings reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 8 and beyond will list BCS Rankings first and AP Poll second. Teams that failed to be a top 10 team for one poll or the other will be noted. Week 1 No. 5 Alabama defeated No. 7 Virginia Tech, 34–24 (Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia) Week 2 No. 3 USC defeated No. 8 Ohio State, 18–15 (Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio) Week 6 No. 1 Florida defeated No. 4 LSU, 13–3 (Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana) Week 9 No. 10/10 Oregon defeated No. 5/4 USC, 47–20 (Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon) Week 10 No. 3/3 Alabama defeated No. 9/9 LSU, 24–15 (Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama) Week 14 No. 2/2 Alabama defeated No. 1/1 Florida, 32–13 (2009 SEC Championship Game, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia)

Conference standings

FCS team wins over FBS teams Italics denotes FCS teams.

Conference summaries Rankings reflect the Week 14 AP Poll before the conference championship games were played. Conference championship gamesConference Champion Runner-UpScoreOffensive Player of the YearDefensive Player of the YearACC No. 12 Georgia Tech* (vacated) No. 25 Clemson 39–34C. J. Spiller, RB, ClemsonDerrick Morgan, DE, Georgia TechBig 12 No. 3 Texas No. 21 Nebraska 13–12Colt McCoy, QB, TexasNdamukong Suh, DT, NebraskaC-USAEast Carolina No. 18 Houston 38–32Case Keenum, QB, Houston (C-USA MVP)Joe Webb, QB, UAB (OPOY) Bruce Miller, DE, Central FloridaMACCentral MichiganOhio 20–10Dan LeFevour, QB, Central Michigan Adrian Robinson, DE, TempleSEC No. 2 Alabama No. 1 Florida 32–13Mark Ingram II, RB, AlabamaRolando McClain, LB, AlabamaOther conference championsConferenceChampionRecordOffensive Player of the YearDefensive Player of the YearBig East No. 5 Cincinnati 12–0 (7–0)Dion Lewis, RB, PittsburghGreg Romeus, DE, PittsburghMick Williams, DT, PittsburghBig Ten No. 8 Ohio State 10–2 (7–1)John Clay, RB, WisconsinJared Odrick, DT, Penn StateGreg Jones, LB, Michigan StateMountain West No. 4 TCU 12–0 (8–0)Andy Dalton, QB, TCUJerry Hughes, DE, TCUPac-10 No. 7 Oregon 10–2 (8–1)Toby Gerhart, RB, StanfordBrian Price, DT, UCLASun BeltTroy 9–3 (8–0) Levi Brown, QB, TroyCardia Jackson, LB, Louisiana-MonroeChris McCoy, DE, Middle TennesseeWAC No. 6 Boise State 13–0 (8–0)Kellen Moore, QB, Boise StateDontay Moch, LB, Nevada

For the first time since 1983, every conference in Division I FBS, even those that did not contest a championship game, had an undisputed champion.

* In July 2011, the NCAA released its findings from a two-year investigation into allegations that a Georgia Tech player received $321 in clothing from a runner for an agent. While no conclusive evidence was brought against the player, actions taken by the Georgia Tech athletic department were perceived as an attempt to hinder the NCAA investigation into this offense. The NCAA determined that the player should have been declared ineligible for the final three games of the 2009 season. As punishment for an accused "lack of cooperation" and hindering the investigation, Georgia Tech was required to vacate the ACC Championship Game win, along with other penalties. Consequently, there is currently no official 2009 ACC football champion.

Bowl games

Non-BCS BowlsDateGameSiteTeamsWinner Dec 19New Mexico BowlUniversity StadiumUniversity of New MexicoAlbuquerque, New MexicoWyoming (6–6, 4–4 MWC)Fresno State (8–4, 6–2 WAC) Wyoming 35–28 (2 OT)St. Petersburg Bowl presented by Beef 'O' Brady'sTropicana FieldSt. Petersburg, FloridaRutgers (8–4, 3–4 Big East)UCF (8–4, 6–2 C-USA)Rutgers 45–24 Dec 20R+L Carriers New Orleans BowlLouisiana SuperdomeNew OrleansMiddle Tennessee (9–3, 7–1 Sun Belt)Southern Miss (7–5, 5–3 C-USA)Middle Tennessee 42–32 Dec 22Maaco Bowl Las VegasSam Boyd StadiumUniversity of Nevada, Las VegasLas VegasNo. 14 BYU (10–2, 7–1 MWC)No. 18 Oregon State (8–4, 6–3 Pac-10)BYU 44–20 Dec 23SDCCU Poinsettia BowlQualcomm StadiumSan DiegoNo. 23 Utah (9–3, 6–2 MWC)California (8–4, 5–4 Pac-10)Utah 37–27 Dec 24Sheraton Hawaii BowlAloha StadiumHonolulu, HISMU (7–5, 6–2 C-USA)Nevada (8–4, 7–1 WAC)SMU 45–10 Dec 26Little Caesars Pizza BowlFord FieldDetroitMarshall (6–6, 4–4 C-USA)Ohio (9–4, 7–1 MAC)Marshall 26–17Meineke Car Care BowlBank of America StadiumCharlotte, North CarolinaNo. 17 Pittsburgh (9–3, 5–2 Big East)North Carolina (8–4, 4–4 ACC)Pittsburgh 19–17Emerald BowlAT&T ParkSan FranciscoNo. 24 USC (8–4, 5–4 Pac-10)Boston College (8–4, 5–3 ACC)USC 24–13 Dec 27Gaylord Hotels Music City BowlLP FieldNashville, TennesseeClemson (8–5, 6–2 ACC)Kentucky (7–5, 3–5 SEC)Clemson 21–13 Dec 28Advocare V100 Independence BowlIndependence StadiumShreveport, LouisianaGeorgia (7–5, 4–4 SEC)Texas A&M (6–6, 3–5 Big 12)Georgia 44–20 Dec 29EagleBank BowlRFK Stadium Washington, D.C.UCLA (6–6, 3–6 Pac-10)Temple (9–3, 7–1 MAC)UCLA 30–21Champs Sports BowlCitrus BowlOrlando, FloridaNo. 25 Wisconsin (9–3, 5–3 Big Ten)No. 15 Miami (9–3, 5–3 ACC)Wisconsin 20–14 Dec 30Roady's Humanitarian BowlBronco StadiumBoise State UniversityBoise, IdahoIdaho (7–5, 4–4 WAC)Bowling Green (7–5, 6–2 MAC)Idaho 43–42Pacific Life Holiday BowlQualcomm StadiumSan DiegoNo. 22 Nebraska (9–4, 6–3 Big 12)No. 20 Arizona (8–4, 6–3 Pac-10)Nebraska 33–0 Dec 31Bell Helicopters Armed Forces BowlAmon G. Carter StadiumTexas Christian UniversityFort Worth, TexasAir Force (7–5, 5–3 MWC)Houston (10–3, 6–2 C–USA)Air Force 47–20Brut Sun BowlSun Bowl StadiumUniversity of Texas at El PasoEl Paso, TexasOklahoma (7–5, 5–3 Big 12)No. 21 Stanford (8–4, 6–3 Pac-10)Oklahoma 31–27Texas BowlReliant StadiumHoustonNavy (9–4)Missouri 13 (8–4, 4–4 Big 12)Navy 35–13Insight BowlSun Devil StadiumArizona State UniversityTempe, ArizonaIowa State (6–6, 3–5 Big 12)Minnesota (6–6, 3–5 Big Ten)Iowa State 14–13Chick-fil-A BowlGeorgia DomeAtlantaNo. 11 Virginia Tech (9–3, 6–2 ACC)Tennessee (7–5, 4–4 SEC)Virginia Tech 37–14 Jan 1Outback BowlRaymond James StadiumTampa, FloridaAuburn (7–5, 3–5 SEC)Northwestern (8–4, 5–3 Big Ten)Auburn 38–35 (OT)Konica Minolta Gator BowlJacksonville Municipal StadiumJacksonville, FloridaFlorida State (6–6, 4–4 ACC)No. 16 West Virginia (9–3, 5–2 Big East)Florida State 33–21Capital One BowlCitrus BowlOrlando, FloridaNo. 13 Penn State (10–2, 6–2 Big Ten)No. 12 LSU (9–3, 5–3 SEC)Penn State 19–17 Jan 2International BowlRogers CentreToronto, CanadaSouth Florida (7–5, 3–4 Big East)Northern Illinois (7–5, 5–3 MAC)South Florida 27–3Papajohns.com BowlLegion FieldBirmingham, AlabamaConnecticut (7–5, 3–4 Big East)South Carolina (7–5, 3–5 SEC)Connecticut 20–7AT&T Cotton Bowl ClassicCowboys StadiumArlington, TexasOle Miss (8–4, 4–4 SEC)No. 19 Oklahoma State (9–3, 6–2 Big 12)Ole Miss 21–7 AutoZone Liberty BowlLiberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TennesseeArkansas (7–5, 3–5 SEC)East Carolina (9–4, 7–1 C–USA)Arkansas 20–17 (OT)Valero Energy Alamo BowlAlamodomeSan AntonioTexas Tech (8–4, 5–3 Big 12)Michigan State (6–6, 4–4 Big Ten)Texas Tech 41–31Jan 6GMAC BowlLadd–Peebles StadiumMobile, AlabamaCentral Michigan (11–2, 8–0 MAC)Troy (9–3, 8–0 Sun Belt) Central Michigan 44–41 (2OT)Bowl Championship SeriesDateGameSiteTeamsWinnerJan 1Rose Bowl Game presented by CitiRose Bowl StadiumPasadena, CaliforniaNo. 8 Ohio State (10–2, 7–1 Big Ten)No. 7 Oregon (10–2, 8–1 Pac-10)Ohio State 26–17Allstate Sugar BowlLouisiana SuperdomeNew OrleansNo. 5 Florida (12–1, 8–0 SEC)No. 3 Cincinnati (12–0, 7–0 Big East)Florida 51–24 Jan 4Tostitos Fiesta BowlUniversity of Phoenix StadiumGlendale, ArizonaNo. 6 Boise State (13–0, 8–0 WAC)No. 4 TCU (12–0, 8–0 MWC)Boise State 17–10 Jan 5FedEx Orange BowlLand Shark StadiumMiami Gardens, FloridaNo. 10 Iowa (10–2, 6–2 Big Ten)No. 9 Georgia Tech (11–2, 7–1 ACC)Iowa 24–14 Jan 72010 Citi BCS National Championship GameRose Bowl StadiumPasadena, CaliforniaNo. 1 Alabama (13–0, 8–0 SEC)No. 2 Texas (13–0, 8–0 Big 12)Alabama 37–21

Bowl Challenge Cup standings Conference Wins Losses Pct. Division I FBS Independents * 1 0 1.000 MWC 4 1 .800 Big East 4 2 .667 SEC 6 4 .600 Big Ten 4 3 .571 Big 12 4 4 .500 WAC 2 2 .500 Sun Belt * 1 1 .500 ACC 3 4 .429 C-USA 2 4 .333 Pac-10 2 5 .286 MAC 1 4 .200 * Does not meet minimum game requirement of three teams needed for a conference to be eligible. (In any case, "Independent" is not a conference, rather, it is the lack of one.)

Awards and honors

Heisman Trophy voting The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player

Player School Position 1st 2nd 3rd Total Mark Ingram II Alabama RB 227 236 151 1,304 Toby Gerhart Stanford RB 222 225 160 1,276 Colt McCoy Texas QB 203 188 160 1,145 Ndamukong Suh Nebraska DT 161 105 122 815 Tim Tebow Florida QB 43 70 121 390 C. J. Spiller Clemson RB 26 31 83 223 Kellen Moore Boise State QB 10 20 30 100 Case Keenum Houston QB 2 9 13 37 Mardy Gilyard Cincinnati WR 2 2 13 23 Golden Tate Notre Dame WR 2 3 9 21

Other award winners Walter Camp Award (top player): Colt McCoy, QB, Texas Maxwell Award (top player): Colt McCoy, QB, Texas AP Player of the Year: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska