2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2019 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 in 2019. The regular season began on August 24, 2019, and ended on December 14, 2019. The postseason concluded on January 13, 2020, with the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The LSU Tigers defeated the defending champion Clemson Tigers by a score of 42–25 to claim their first national championship in the College Football Playoff era, and fourth overall.
November 6, 2019, marked the 150th anniversary of what is traditionally considered the first college football game, played between Princeton and Rutgers in 1869. Various sports media, the NCAA, and the CFP honored the 150th anniversary of the sport throughout the season. Because there were no games played during the 1871 season, this was also the 150th season of college football.
Conference realignment
Membership changes
completed a two-year transition from the FCS to the FBS in 2018 and became fully bowl-eligible starting with the 2019 season. It remained an NCAA Division I FBS Independent.Rule changes
The following playing rule changes have been approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel for 2019:- Requiring replay reviews on targeting calls be either confirmed or overturned by reviewing all aspects of the play. If the review cannot confirm that all elements of targeting exist, the targeting call will be overturned.
- Players who commit three or more targeting penalties in the same season will receive a one-game suspension in addition to any ejection penalties.
- Eliminating the two-man wedge on kickoffs, except when the kicking team is in an obvious onside kick formation or if the kick results in a touchback, fair catch, or goes out of bounds in the field of play.
- Starting with the fifth overtime period, each team will line up at the three-yard line to attempt a two point conversion instead of snapping the ball from the 25 yard line. The first game using this new procedure was on October 19, 2019, between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Virginia Tech Hokies which went to six overtimes before Virginia Tech won 43–41.
- Adding a two-minute break after the second and fourth overtime period.
- Blindside blocks delivered with forcible contact will draw a 15-yard penalty. If elements of targeting exist, the player delivering the block will be subject to ejection as with any other targeting foul.
Other headlines
- January 31 – The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions banned SEC school Missouri's football, baseball and softball teams from competing in the postseason for the 2019 season and placed the athletics department on 3 years of probation. The penalties were handed down after a 2 year investigation into alleged academic fraud, conducted by the University of Missouri and initiated by former Missouri tutor Yolanda Kumar's allegations in November 2016 that she improperly assisted 42 student-athletes. She claimed she was groomed by her superiors to commit "academic dishonesty" and alleged that she completed online courses and took final exams for Missouri men's basketball and football players. The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions found that Kumar violated NCAA ethical conduct, academic misconduct and academic extra benefits rules when she completed academic work for 12 student-athletes. The NCAA's report did not find evidence that her colleagues directed her to complete the athletes' work. Kumar was given a 10-year show-cause order, in which any NCAA member attempting to hire her must restrict her from any athletic-related duties. The football, baseball and softball programs will have a 5 percent reduction in scholarships and a 12.5 percent reduction in official visits and evaluation days for the 2019–20 academic year. Further, these sports will face a 7 week ban on unofficial visits, recruiting communications, and off-campus recruiting evaluation days. Finally, the NCAA fined Missouri $5,000, plus 1 percent of each of its budgets in football, baseball and softball. Missouri athletic director Jim Sterk issued a statement saying the school will file an appeal.
- February 8 – Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith announced that he is stepping down from the CFP selection committee in order to focus on helping head coach Ryan Day. He will be replaced by Iowa athletic director Gary Barta.
- February 12 – Ole Miss Athletic Director Ross Bjork announced that Ole Miss will vacate 33 victories from their football program between the seasons of 2010 and 2016 due to fielding ineligible players. The Rebels will vacate four wins from 2010, two from 2011, seven from 2012, seven from 2013, eight from 2014 and five from 2016, to include a victory over Alabama in 2014. The vacated wins stem from an investigation into the Ole Miss football program involving academic, booster and recruiting misconduct, and a lack of institutional control. Ole Miss had already served a two-year postseason ban in 2017 and 2018 and was given three years of probation, through 2020, as well as scholarship reductions and recruiting restrictions in sanctions handed down more than a year ago.
- March 9 – U.S. District Judge Claudia Ann Wilken ruled against the NCAA in an antitrust lawsuit, saying football and basketball players should be permitted to receive more compensation from schools but only if the benefits are tied to education. Her ruling said the NCAA cannot "limit compensation or benefits related to education." The claim was originally brought forward by West Virginia football player Shawne Alston, and later merged with other lawsuits, including one brought forward by Clemson player Martin Jenkins. Judge Wilken had previously ruled against the NCAA in the O'Bannon v. NCAA lawsuit brought against the NCAA by former UCLA player Ed O'Bannon.
- May 13 – The Orange Bowl was rescheduled for December 30, 2019, after initially being scheduled on New Year's Day, 2020. The adjustment was made to allow the 2019 Orange Bowl to maintain its status as a prime-time event. Had it remained on New Year's Day, it would have been scheduled to play in the afternoon, rather than at night. It is not a College Football Playoff Semifinal game this season.
- June 4 – The Big Ten and SEC announced changes to its bowl tie-ins for the 2020 season through 2025. The two conferences joined the Belk Bowl and Las Vegas Bowl in alternating years; the Big Ten will play the Las Vegas Bowl in odd-numbered years, and the SEC in even-numbered years, both against a Pac-12 opponent. This move acts to heighten the profile of the game, as it plans to move to Allegiant Stadium in 2020. The conference not playing the Las Vegas bowl will play an ACC opponent at the Belk Bowl. The Big Ten will also gain a tie-in for the Cheez-It Bowl. In return, the Big Ten will drop the Gator Bowl and Holiday Bowl.
- June 27 – The Big East Conference, following a vote of approval by the presidents of the conference's current members, announced that the University of Connecticut will be joining the Big East in academic year 2020–21. Thus, the 2019 season will be UConn's last in the American Athletic Conference. UConn had not yet determined which conference their football team will play in, as the AAC will not allow UConn to remain as a football-only member and the Big East does not currently sponsor football. UConn was a charter member of the original Big East when it formed in 1979. The original conference split along football lines in 2013, with three football-sponsoring schools departing for the Atlantic Coast Conference, the seven schools without FBS football leaving to form a new Big East Conference, and the remaining FBS schools joining with several new members to reorganize the original Big East corporate entity as The American. All three members of the current Big East that sponsor football play that sport in FCS conferences.
- July 26 – Multiple media reports indicated that UConn and The American had reached a buyout agreement that cemented July 2020 as UConn's exit date. The fee was reportedly $17 million. UConn also announced that its football team would become an FBS independent.
- August 19 & 20 – Arkansas State announced that head coach Blake Anderson had taken a leave of absence while his wife Wendy was dealing with a second bout with breast cancer. The following day, the coach posted on Twitter that his wife had died. During Anderson's bereavement leave, Red Wolves defensive coordinator David Duggan served as interim head coach. Anderson returned to the sidelines for the Red Wolves' September 7 game at UNLV.
- September 21 – Pitt defeated UCF 35–34 ending the Knights 25-game regular-season winning streak in a game known as the "Pitt Special"
- September 30 – California governor Gavin Newsom signed the Fair Pay to Play Act into law, which upon taking effect in 2023 will prohibit public colleges and universities in the state from punishing their athletes for earning endorsement income. The bill places the state in direct conflict with the NCAA's current rules, which prohibits college athletes from receiving such income. At the time the bill was signed, several other states were proposing similar laws.
- October 19 – Illinois upset Wisconsin 24–23 on a last-second field goal. The 30 1/2 point underdog's win was the biggest upset in Big Ten football since Northwestern's win over Minnesota in 1982 as a 32 point underdog. This was Illinois's first win over a ranked opponent since defeating Arizona State in 2011. Also in this game, Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor became the 4th player in FBS football history to reach 5,000 career rushing yards during his junior season, joining former Georgia running back Herschel Walker, former Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne, and former Oregon running back LaMichael James. Taylor reached this milestone in 736 career rushes, fewer than the previous quickest to this milestone.
- October 27 – LSU edged Alabama and Ohio State in one of the closest AP Poll votes ever. LSU received 1,476 points and 17 first-place votes from the voters, while Alabama received 1,474 points and 21 first-place votes and Ohio State received 1,468 points and 17 first-place votes. This 8-point margin between 1st and 3rd was the fewest since the current ranking system was remade in 1978.
- October 29 – The NCAA board of governors voted unanimously to begin the process of changing institutional rules so that college athletes can profit from their names, images, and likenesses, while still maintaining a distinction between college and professional sports. The proposal calls for each of the three NCAA divisions to draft new rules consistent with this mandate, with a target date of January 2021.
- November 5 — The first College Football Playoff committee rankings were released. The committee ranked Ohio State at No. 1, after the November 3 AP Poll ranked LSU at No. 1 and the November 3 Coaches Poll ranked Alabama at No. 1. This resulted in all three major college football selectors splitting on the number one team for the first time in the CFP era.
Stadiums
Updated
- Appalachian State is currently rebuilding the north end zone of Kidd Brewer Stadium. The $45 million upgrade began with the demolition of Owens Field House, and will feature an accommodation of a wide variety of athletics and academic uses and will add around 1,000 seats to the stadium. The project is expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2020 season.
- Iowa is rebuilding the north end zone of Kinnick Stadium. The $89.9 million upgrade will feature the addition of box seating, outdoor club seating, and a new scoreboard. The entire project is nearing completion and is expected to be finished in time for the Hawkeyes' 2019 home opener.
- Liberty is expanding the Arthur L. Williams Football Operations Center at Williams Stadium; additions to the east and west sides of the building will bring the center to about 75,000 square feet. Construction is expected to be completed in time for the 2020 season.
- Missouri is rebuilding the south end zone of Faurot Field. The $98 million upgrade will feature new suites, club seats and a 750-person membership only field-level club, an expanded video scoreboard, as well as a new football facility with state-of-the-art training rooms, offices, and home and away dressing rooms. Construction is expected to be completed in time for the 2019 season.
- Old Dominion is currently rebuilding the east and west grandstands of Ballard Stadium. The $24.8 million upgrade began with demolition of the old grandstands immediately after the Monarchs' last 2018 home game, with reconstruction expected to be completed in time for ODU's 2019 home opener.
- Syracuse began a $118 million, two-phase renovation of the Carrier Dome during the summer of 2019. The centerpiece of the first phase, planned to be completed in time for the 2020 football season, will see the Dome's inflatable roof replaced by a new fixed, semi-translucent roof. Other improvements in this phase include a new scoreboard that can be moved to optimal positions for football or basketball, Wi-Fi improvements, new sound and lighting systems, and accessibility upgrades. The second phase, to be completed in 2022, will see the installation of air conditioning, new concessions space, and further accessibility upgrades.
- Coastal Carolina has completed the expansion of Brooks Stadium, adding an Upper Deck and Suites to the west grandstands. This expansion brings the seating capacity to 20,000.
Renamed
- Rutgers renamed their stadium to SHI Stadium as part of a new naming rights agreement with New Jersey-based IT firm SHI International Corp.
Related news
- While the stadium was not renamed, Louisville announced on October 24, 2019 that it had settled a naming rights dispute with Papa John's Pizza founder John Schnatter regarding Cardinal Stadium. The company's name had been stripped from the stadium in 2018 amid controversy over the use of a racial slur by Schnatter. Unlike most naming rights deals, the Cardinal Stadium contract was with Schnatter personally and not Papa John's, and gave him almost unlimited power to change the stadium name. The settlement calls for the Louisville athletic department to pay Schnatter $9.5 million over 5 years in exchange for his release of naming rights.
Upcoming
- The 2019 season was the last for South Alabama at its current home of Ladd–Peebles Stadium. The school began construction of the new on-campus Hancock Whitney Stadium in 2018, and plans to open the 25,000-seat facility in time for the 2020 season.
- The Birmingham–Jefferson Civic Center Authority began construction on UAB's new home of Protective Stadium on the grounds of the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex on July 25, 2019. The new venue, seating slightly over 45,000, is planned to open in 2021.
- The 2019 season was expected to be the last for UNLV at its current off-campus home of Sam Boyd Stadium. For 2020 and beyond, the Rebels will move to the new Allegiant Stadium, also off-campus but much closer to the school, alongside the stadium's primary tenant, the relocated Las Vegas Raiders of the NFL.
Kickoff games
"Week Zero"
The regular season began with two Week 0 games on Saturday, August 24:The majority of FBS teams opened the season on Labor Day weekend. Three neutral-site "kickoff" games were held.
- Belk College Kickoff Game : North Carolina defeated South Carolina, 24–20
- Advocare Classic : #16 Auburn defeated #11 Oregon, 27–21
- Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game : #2 Alabama defeated Duke, 42–3
Week 3
- Texas Kickoff : #20 Washington State defeated Houston, 31–24
Regular season top 10 matchups
- Week 2
- *No. 6 LSU defeated No. 9 Texas 45–38
- Week 4
- *No. 3 Georgia defeated No. 7 Notre Dame 23–17
- Week 6
- *No. 10 Florida defeated No. 7 Auburn 24–13
- Week 7
- *No. 5 LSU defeated No. 7 Florida 42–28
- Week 9
- *No. 2 LSU defeated No. 9 Auburn 23–20
- Week 10
- *No. 8 Georgia defeated No. 6 Florida 24–17
- Week 11
- *No. 2/1 LSU defeated No. 3/2 Alabama 46–41
- Week 13
- *No. 2/2 Ohio State defeated No. 8/9 Penn State 28–17
- Week 14
- *No. 1/2 Ohio State defeated No. 13/10 Michigan 56–27
- Week 15
- * No. 6/6 Oklahoma defeated No. 7/8 Baylor 30–23, OT
- * No. 2/1 LSU defeated No. 4/4 Georgia 37–10
- * No. 1/2 Ohio State defeated No. 8/10 Wisconsin 34–21
Upsets
No. 3 Georgia falls to South Carolina in 2OT
On October 12, No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs played a home conference game against the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Bulldogs, who had won five straight against the Gamecocks, were favored by 20.5 points. Though Georgia outgained South Carolina by more than 170 yards, they had four turnovers to South Carolina's none. Tied at 17, the game went to overtime, where, after Georgia failed to score on its possession, South Carolina had a chance to kick a game-winning 33-yard field goal. However, they missed it and the game went to a second overtime where South Carolina converted on a 24-yard field goal and Georgia missed a 42-yard field goal.
No. 6 Wisconsin defeated by Illinois on last second field goal
On October 19, No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers was heavily favored, by 30.5 points, against their conference rivals Illinois Fighting Illini. The game was played at Illinois' stadium in Champaign, Illinois. Wisconsin led the entire game until a last second field goal was made by Illinois to give them a 24–23 win. Wisconsin turned over the ball on their last two drives which allowed Illinois to score twice in the last six minutes of the game. The Badgers had previously defeated the Fighting Illini in nine consecutive match-ups.
No. 5 Oklahoma's rally falls short against Kansas State after onside kick recovery overturned
On October 26, No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners traveled to the Kansas State Wildcats for a conference game. The Sooners were favored by 23.5 points and led 17–7 after the 1st quarter. However, Kansas State built a large 48–23 lead by scoring on 8 consecutive possessions, including scoring on each possession in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, after punting on its first possession of the game. In the 4th quarter, Oklahoma scored 18 consecutive points to cut the Kansas State lead to 48–41. After Oklahoma attempted an onside kick and appeared to recover it, the recovery was overturned due to an Oklahoma player touching the football prior to the ball traveling the required 10 yards. Kansas State was awarded possession of the ball and ran out the clock to preserve the Wildcats' first win over a top 5 team since 2006 and their first home win over Oklahoma since 1996.
No. 6 Oregon loses at Arizona State
On November 23, No. 6 Oregon Ducks traveled to the Arizona State Sun Devils for a conference game. The Ducks were favored by 13.5 points, but were behind at halftime 10–7. Arizona State stretched its lead to 24–7 with less than 9 minutes left in the 4th quarter, before 4 combined touchdowns scored in the final minutes allowed the Sun Devils to escape with a 31–28 victory.
Conference standings
Conference summaries
CFP College Football Playoff participantPostseason
Bowl selections
There were 39 team-competitive post-season bowl games, with two teams advancing to a 40th – the CFP National Championship game. Normally, a team is required to have a.500 minimum winning percentage during the regular season to become bowl-eligible. If there are not enough winning teams to fulfill all open bowl slots, teams with losing records may be chosen to fill all 78 bowl slots. Additionally, on the rare occasion in which a conference champion does not meet eligibility requirements, they are usually still chosen for bowl games via tie-ins for their conference.Bowl-eligible teams
- ACC : Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
- American : Cincinnati, Memphis, Navy, SMU, Temple, Tulane, UCF
- Big Ten : Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin
- Big 12 : Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas
- C-USA : Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, FIU, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Southern Miss, UAB, Western Kentucky
- MAC : Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami, Ohio, Toledo*, Western Michigan
- Mountain West : Air Force, Boise State, Hawaii, Nevada, San Diego State, Utah State, Wyoming
- Pac-12 : Arizona State, California, Oregon, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State
- SEC : Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Texas A&M
- Sun Belt : Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Louisiana
- Independent : BYU, Liberty, Notre Dame
Number of bowl-eligible teams: 79
Bowl-eligible teams that were not invited
- MAC : Toledo
Bowl-ineligible teams
- ACC : Duke, Georgia Tech, NC State, Syracuse
- American : East Carolina, Houston, South Florida, Tulsa, UConn
- Big Ten : Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers
- Big 12 : Kansas, TCU, Texas Tech, West Virginia
- C-USA : Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Old Dominion, Rice, UTEP, UTSA
- MAC : Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois
- Mountain West : Colorado State, Fresno State, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV
- Pac-12 : Arizona, Colorado, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA
- SEC : Arkansas, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Vanderbilt
- Sun Belt : Coastal Carolina, Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State, Troy
- Independent : Army, New Mexico State, UMass
College Football Playoff
Conference performance in bowl games
| Conference | Total games | Wins | Losses | Pct. |
| SEC | 10 | 8 | 2 | |
| Independents | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Sun Belt | 5 | 3 | 2 | |
| The American | 7 | 4 | 3 | |
| MW | 7 | 4 | 3 | |
| Pac-12 | 7 | 4 | 3 | |
| Big Ten | 9 | 4 | 5 | |
| MAC | 7 | 3 | 4 | |
| ACC | 11 | 4 | 7 | |
| C-USA | 8 | 3 | 5 | |
| Big 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 |
Awards and honors
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player.- Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
- Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma
- Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
- Chase Young, DE, Ohio State
Other overall
- AP Player of the Year: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
- Lombardi Award : Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
- Maxwell Award : Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
- SN Player of the Year: Joe Burrow, LSU
- Walter Camp Award : Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
Special overall
- Burlsworth Trophy : Kenny Willekes, DE, Michigan State
- Paul Hornung Award : Lynn Bowden Jr., WR/RS/QB, Kentucky
- Jon Cornish Trophy : Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State
- Campbell Trophy : Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
- Wuerffel Trophy : Jon Wassink, QB, Western Michigan
- Senior CLASS Award : Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn
Offense
- Davey O'Brien Award: Joe Burrow, LSU
- Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award : Joe Burrow, LSU
- Manning Award: Joe Burrow, LSU
- Sammy Baugh Trophy :
- Doak Walker Award: Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
- Fred Biletnikoff Award: Ja'Marr Chase, LSU
- John Mackey Award: Harrison Bryant, Florida Atlantic
- Rimington Trophy : Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin
Defense
- Bronko Nagurski Trophy : Chase Young, DE, Ohio State
- Chuck Bednarik Award : Chase Young, DE, Ohio State
- Lott Trophy : Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn
- Bill Willis Award :
- Dick Butkus Award : Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
- Jack Lambert Trophy :
- Ted Hendricks Award : Chase Young, Ohio State
- Paycom Jim Thorpe Award: Grant Delpit, S, LSU
- Jack Tatum Trophy:
Special teams
- Lou Groza Award : Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia
- Ray Guy Award : Max Duffy, Kentucky
- Jet Award : Joe Reed, Virginia
- Peter Mortell Award : Preston Brady, Memphis
Other positional awards
- Outland Trophy : Penei Sewell, OL, Oregon
Coaches
- AFCA Coach of the Year: Ed Orgeron, LSU
- AP Coach of the Year: Ed Orgeron, LSU
- Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year: Kyle Whittingham, Utah
- Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year: Ed Orgeron, LSU
- George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year: Ed Orgeron, LSU
- Home Depot Coach of the Year: Ed Orgeron, LSU
- Paul "Bear" Bryant Award: Ed Orgeron, LSU
- Sporting News Coach of the Year:
- Walter Camp Coach of the Year: Ed Orgeron, LSU
Assistants
- AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year: Mike Viti, FB, Army
- Broyles Award: Joe Brady, WR/passing game, LSU
All-Americans
Rankings
CFB Playoff final rankings
On December 8, 2019, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced its final team rankings for the year.| Rank | Team | W–L | Conference and standing | Bowl game |
1 | LSU | 13–0 | SEC Champions | Peach Bowl |
2 | Ohio State | 13–0 | Big Ten Champions | Fiesta Bowl |
3 | Clemson | 13–0 | ACC Champions | Fiesta Bowl |
4 | Oklahoma | 12–1 | Big 12 Champions | Peach Bowl |
5 | Georgia | 11–2 | SEC Runners-up | Sugar Bowl |
6 | Oregon | 11–2 | Pac-12 Champions | Rose Bowl |
7 | Baylor | 11–2 | Big 12 Runners-up | Sugar Bowl |
8 | Wisconsin | 10–3 | Big Ten Runners-up | Rose Bowl |
9 | Florida | 10–2 | SEC East Division second place | Orange Bowl |
10 | Penn State | 10–2 | Big Ten East Division second place | Cotton Bowl |
11 | Utah | 11–2 | Pac-12 Runners-up | Alamo Bowl |
12 | Auburn | 9–3 | SEC West Division third place | Outback Bowl |
13 | Alabama | 10–2 | SEC West Division second place | Citrus Bowl |
14 | Michigan | 9–3 | Big Ten East Division third place | Citrus Bowl |
15 | Notre Dame | 10–2 | Independent | Camping World Bowl |
16 | Iowa | 9–3 | Big Ten West Division third place | Holiday Bowl |
17 | Memphis | 12–1 | American Champions | Cotton Bowl |
18 | Minnesota | 10–2 | Big Ten West Division co-champions | Outback Bowl |
19 | Boise State | 12–1 | Mountain West Champions | Las Vegas Bowl |
20 | Appalachian State | 12–1 | Sun Belt Champions | New Orléans Bowl |
21 | Cincinnati | 10–3 | American Runners-up | Birmingham Bowl |
22 | USC | 8–4 | Pac-12 South Division second place | Holiday Bowl |
23 | Navy | 9–2 | American West Division co-champions | Liberty Bowl |
24 | Virginia | 9–4 | ACC Runners-up | Orange Bowl |
25 | Oklahoma State | 8–4 | Big 12 third place | Texas Bowl |
Coaching changes
Preseason and in-season
This is restricted to coaching changes taking place on or after May 1, 2019, and includes any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled game but before its bowl game. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2019, see 2018 NCAA Division I FBS end-of-season coaching changes.| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
| Rutgers | Fired | |||
| Florida State | Fired | |||
| Arkansas | Fired | |||
| Boston College | Fired | |||
| Washington | Chris Petersen | December 2, 2019 | Resigned | Jimmy Lake |
| Florida Atlantic | December 7, 2019 | Hired by Ole Miss | ||
| Memphis | December 7, 2019 | Hired by Florida State |
End of season
This list includes coaching changes announced during the season that did not take effect until the end of the season.| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
| New Mexico | Bob Davie | November 25, 2019 | Resigned | Danny Gonzales |
| UNLV | Tony Sanchez | November 25, 2019 | Resigned | Marcus Arroyo |
| Missouri | Barry Odom | November 30, 2019 | Fired | Eliah Drinkwitz |
| Rutgers | Nunzio Campanile | December 1, 2019 | Permanent replacement | Greg Schiano |
| UTSA | Frank Wilson | December 1, 2019 | Fired | Jeff Traylor |
| South Florida | Charlie Strong | December 1, 2019 | Fired | Jeff Scott |
| Ole Miss | Matt Luke | December 1, 2019 | Fired | Lane Kiffin |
| Old Dominion | Bobby Wilder | December 2, 2019 | Resigned | Ricky Rahne |
| Colorado State | Mike Bobo | December 4, 2019 | Resigned | Steve Addazio |
| Fresno State | Jeff Tedford | December 5, 2019 | Resigned | Kalen DeBoer |
| Arkansas | Barry Lunney Jr. | December 7, 2019 | Permanent replacement | Sam Pittman |
| Florida State | Odell Haggins | December 8, 2019 | Permanent replacement | Mike Norvell |
| Appalachian State | Eliah Drinkwitz | December 8, 2019 | Hired by Missouri | Shawn Clark |
| Florida Atlantic | Glenn Spencer | December 11, 2019 | Permanent replacement | Willie Taggart |
| Boston College | Rich Gunnell | December 13, 2019 | Permanent replacement | Jeff Hafley |
| Mississippi State | Joe Moorhead | January 3, 2020 | Fired | Mike Leach |
| Baylor | Matt Rhule | January 7, 2020 | Hired by Carolina Panthers | Dave Aranda |
| San Diego State | Rocky Long | January 8, 2020 | Resigned | Brady Hoke |
| Washington State | Mike Leach | January 9, 2020 | Hired by Mississippi State | Nick Rolovich |
| Hawaii | Nick Rolovich | January 14, 2020 | Hired by Washington State | Todd Graham |
| Michigan State | Mark Dantonio | February 4, 2020 | Resigned | Mel Tucker |
| Colorado | Mel Tucker | February 12, 2020 | Hired by Michigan State | Karl Dorrell |
Television viewers and ratings
Most watched regular season games
- Rankings are from the AP Poll and CFP Rankings.
Conference championship games
- Rankings are from the CFP Rankings.
Most watched non-CFP bowl games
- CFP Rankings.
College Football Playoff