# 2009 BCS National Championship Game
The 2009 [BCS National Championship Game](https://www.edgepedia.org/bcs-national-championship-game) was the [Bowl Championship Series](https://www.edgepedia.org/bowl-championship-series) title game for the 2008 college football season, played on January 8, 2009, in which the #2 [Florida Gators](https://www.edgepedia.org/florida-gators) defeated the #1 Oklahoma Sooners 24-14 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.[1](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2021/9/7/bcs-history) It was the FedEx BCS National Championship Game, the third of the series, and it gave Florida its second national championship in three years under head coach Urban Meyer.[2](https://www.si.com/college/2009/01/09/09bcs-national-championship-game)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | January 8, 2009, Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL; attendance 78,468; TV rating 15.82[1](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2021/9/7/bcs-history) |
| Matchup | BCS No. 1 Oklahoma (Big 12 champion, 12-1) vs. BCS No. 2 Florida (SEC champion, 12-1)[3](https://soonersports.com/news/2008/12/7/208400746) |
| Final score | Florida 24, Oklahoma 14; Florida finished 13-1, Oklahoma 12-2[1](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2021/9/7/bcs-history) • [4](https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=290080201) |
| Passing | Tim Tebow (UF) 18 of 30, 231 yards, 2 TD; Sam Bradford (OU) 26 of 41, 256 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT[5](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/collegefootballplayoff.sidearmsports.com/documents/2017/10/16/Media_Guide_BCS_Historical_Records.pdf) |
| Rushing mark | Tebow and Percy Harvin became the first teammates to each rush for 100 or more yards in the same BCS National Championship game[6](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRECB-2009-pt1/pdf/CRECB-2009-pt1.pdf) |
| Heisman angle | Only the second meeting ever between two Heisman Trophy winners, Bradford (2008) and Tebow (2007)[7](https://www.heraldnet.com/2009/01/08/bradford-and-ou-come-up-short/) |
## How the teams got there
The Bowl Championship Series ranked teams by blending human polls with a set of computer ranking systems, and its standings selected the top two teams for the title game, determined automatic qualifiers from the major conferences, and established the pool of at-large teams eligible for the BCS bowls.[8](https://bcsfootball.org/bcsfb/standings/) Oklahoma entered as BCS No. 1 and Big 12 champion at 12-1, Florida as BCS No. 2 and SEC champion, also 12-1.[3](https://soonersports.com/news/2008/12/7/208400746)
Both quarterbacks arrived with Heisman Trophies. Bradford had thrown for an average of 343.4 yards per game in Oklahoma's no-huddle, hurry-up offense, while Tebow, the 2007 winner, had led Florida to the 2006 season's national title.[9](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2009/01/08/sooners-get-defensive-about-their-teams-perceived-shortcomings/5ee63372-eadc-403b-935f-2dc45abc0c5c/) Pre-game discussion centered on whether Oklahoma's high-scoring offense could handle Florida's speed; Oklahoma players pushed back publicly, with safety Nic Harris saying the Sooners would "play with an edge" because nobody had given their defense any respect.[9](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2009/01/08/sooners-get-defensive-about-their-teams-perceived-shortcomings/5ee63372-eadc-403b-935f-2dc45abc0c5c/)
## The game
Florida's defense, rather than the Gators' celebrated offensive speed, kept the game close. Oklahoma reached a first-and-goal at the Florida 9-yard line poised to break a tie midway through the second quarter, but the drive ended without points, and the teams went to halftime tied 7-7.[10](https://soonersports.com/news/2009/1/8/208392496) By quarter the score ran 0-0, 7-7, 14-7 Florida, and 24-14 Florida.[4](https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=290080201)
**Bradford under pressure.** Bradford had been sacked only 11 times in Oklahoma's first 13 games, but Florida's speedy defense harassed him and forced him to work on the move; he finished 26 of 41 for 256 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, his first two-interception game since October 11, 2008, and 256 yards was his third-lowest total of the season.[7](https://www.heraldnet.com/2009/01/08/bradford-and-ou-come-up-short/) • [6](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRECB-2009-pt1/pdf/CRECB-2009-pt1.pdf)
**Tebow and Harvin on the ground.** Tebow threw two touchdown passes and, together with [Percy Harvin](https://www.edgepedia.org/percy-harvin), produced the decisive offensive moments; no two teammates had ever before both topped 100 rushing yards in a single BCS National Championship Game, making them the first to do so.[5](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/collegefootballplayoff.sidearmsports.com/documents/2017/10/16/Media_Guide_BCS_Historical_Records.pdf) • [6](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRECB-2009-pt1/pdf/CRECB-2009-pt1.pdf) Leading 17-14 with about eight minutes remaining and facing third-and-12, Tebow hit [Riley Cooper](https://www.edgepedia.org/riley-cooper) on a 16-yard strike to keep the clinching drive alive.[11](https://designatedhitter.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/a-few-thoughts-on-the-bcs-championship/) His fourth-quarter passing put the finishing touches on the 24-14 win.[2](https://www.si.com/college/2009/01/09/09bcs-national-championship-game)
## Significance
The victory was Florida's second national championship in three seasons, following the 2006 title.[2](https://www.si.com/college/2009/01/09/09bcs-national-championship-game) It also fell inside the [Southeastern Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/southeastern-conference)'s run of seven straight BCS championships from the 2006 season through the 2012 season, a stretch across four different programs that became a major part of why "SEC bias" became a lasting fixture of ranking debates.[12](https://bcsfootball.org/bcsfb/bcs-national-championship/) The United States Congress took note: a resolution recorded that Florida defeated Oklahoma 24-14 in the game and highlighted the Tebow-Harvin rushing milestone.[6](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRECB-2009-pt1/pdf/CRECB-2009-pt1.pdf)
For Oklahoma, the loss was part of a pattern: the Sooners played in four BCS title games and lost three, more losses than any other program in BCS title game history.[12](https://bcsfootball.org/bcsfb/bcs-national-championship/) The BCS itself, which gave only two teams a chance to win a national championship in the postseason, was replaced by the four-team [College Football Playoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-playoff) starting with the 2014 season.[13](https://apnews.com/article/d51d69e7fe94f942c85a6afe312d2108)
## References
1. [Bowl Championship Series (BCS) All-Time Results, College Football Playoff](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2021/9/7/bcs-history)
2. [BCS National Championship Game, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/college/2009/01/09/09bcs-national-championship-game)
3. [Sooners vs. Gators for National Title, University of Oklahoma](https://soonersports.com/news/2008/12/7/208400746)
4. [Florida 24-14 Oklahoma (Jan 8, 2009) Game Recap, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=290080201)
5. [BCS National Championship Game Recaps, CFP Media Guide](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/collegefootballplayoff.sidearmsports.com/documents/2017/10/16/Media_Guide_BCS_Historical_Records.pdf)
6. [Congressional Record, 2009, Vol. 155, Part 1, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRECB-2009-pt1/pdf/CRECB-2009-pt1.pdf)
7. [Bradford and OU come up short, HeraldNet](https://www.heraldnet.com/2009/01/08/bradford-and-ou-come-up-short/)
8. [How the BCS Standings Were Calculated, BCSFootball.org](https://bcsfootball.org/bcsfb/standings/)
9. [Sooners Get Defensive About Their Team's Perceived Shortcomings, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2009/01/08/sooners-get-defensive-about-their-teams-perceived-shortcomings/5ee63372-eadc-403b-935f-2dc45abc0c5c/)
10. [Gators Top Sooners in Miami, 24-14, University of Oklahoma](https://soonersports.com/news/2009/1/8/208392496)
11. [A few thoughts on the BCS Championship, Alex Podlogar](https://designatedhitter.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/a-few-thoughts-on-the-bcs-championship/)
12. [BCS Championship: Every Title Game, 1998-2013, BCSFootball.org](https://bcsfootball.org/bcsfb/bcs-national-championship/)
13. [CFP 1.0 changed college football, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/d51d69e7fe94f942c85a6afe312d2108)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › College, minor, and international American football › Bowl games and playoffs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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