The 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Kansas Jayhawks on January 3, 2008, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Spread bettors favored Virginia Tech by three points, but in a game dominated by defensive and special teams play, Kansas defeated Virginia Tech 24–21. The game was part of the 2007–08 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) of the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the concluding game of the season for both teams. This 74th edition of the Orange Bowl was televised in the United States on Fox and was watched by more than eight million viewers.
The game between the fifth-ranked ACC champion Virginia Tech Hokies and the eighth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks from the Big 12 Conference (Big 12) was played at neutral-site Dolphins Stadium. Tech served as the home team in the contest. Virginia Tech automatically qualified for the Orange Bowl by virtue of the ACC's tie-in with the bowl, while the Orange Bowl selected Kansas over West Virginia, which had been upset by then 4–7 Pittsburgh, and conference rival Missouri. Two weeks after Kansas's selection, controversy erupted when a deal was revealed to put 4th-ranked Oklahoma against Virginia Tech. The deal was vetoed by BCS commissioners, and the selection of Kansas was upheld.
The game marked the first time the Jayhawks had been to the Orange Bowl since the 1969 Orange Bowl and was their first bowl game since the 2005 Fort Worth Bowl, when they defeated Houston 41–13. Virginia Tech last played in the Orange Bowl game in December 1996, losing to Nebraska 21–41. The 2008 Orange Bowl was Virginia Tech's 15th consecutive season with a bowl game, a streak dating to the 1993 Independence Bowl.
Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing completed 20 of his 37 passes for 227 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. On the opposite side of the ball, Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon finished the game 13 for 28 passing, earning 160 yards and one touchdown, with two interceptions. Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib, whose 60-yard interception return for a touchdown gave Kansas its first lead of the game, won the game's Most Valuable Player award. After the game, Talib was one of several players from both teams to announce an intention to enter the 2008 NFL draft.
Team selection
As champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Virginia Tech was awarded an automatic bid to the Orange Bowl game.Hokies to face Kansas in FedEx Orange Bowl Virginia Tech Sports Information Department, December 3, 2007. Accessed December 10, 2007. The automatic ACC bid was the result of an off-season deal following the inaugural ACC Championship Game which granted the winner of the ACC Championship Game an automatic bid to the Orange Bowl unless it was ranked high enough in the Bowl Championship Series standings to play in the National Championship Game.
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech's 2007 football season began five months after the Virginia Tech massacre, and football served as a way to help the university community emotionally heal.East Carolina adjusts to uncomfortable role in Virginia Tech's comeback story The Associated Press, ESPN.com, August 27, 2007. Accessed December 19, 2007. The opening game of the season, on September 1, 2007, was against East Carolina and featured numerous remembrance ceremonies and commemorations before the Hokies earned a 17–7 victory.Hokies hold off East Carolina, 17–7, in season opener Matt Kovatch, Hokiesports.com the Newspaper, September 1, 2007. Accessed December 19, 2007. One week later, Virginia Tech traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to face the No. 2 LSU Tigers, widely regarded in pre-season polls as favorites to play in the National Championship Game. The Tigers overwhelmed the Hokies in front of a home crowd, 48–7.Tigers swarm Hokies in Death Valley, 48–7 Virginia Tech Sports Information Department, September 9, 2007. Accessed December 7, 2007.
In the wake of the Hokies' defeat, Virginia Tech chose to start a new quarterback and a new offensive plan. Behind freshman Tyrod Taylor, the Hokies earned five straight victories, including a win over No. 22 Clemson by 18 points.Hokies 'special' in 41–23 win over Clemson Virginia Tech Sports Information Department, October 6, 2007. Accessed December 19, 2007. During the winning streak, Sean Glennon, who had started at quarterback for the Hokies during the first two games of the season, returned to alternate possessions with Taylor in an unusual two-quarterback system. On October 25, the Hokies faced No. 2 Boston College on a Thursday night in Blacksburg, Virginia. Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan managed a late-game comeback to win the game 14–10 with 11 seconds remaining.BC rains on Hokies' parade with 14–10 victory Virginia Tech Sports Information Department, October 25, 2007. Accessed December 7, 2007.
With four consecutive victories after the loss, including a win over then-No. 16 Virginia, the Hokies won the Coastal division and secured a bid to the 2007 ACC Championship Game in Jacksonville, Florida.Hokies win Coastal division with 33–21 defeat of UVa Virginia Tech Sports Information Department, November 24, 2007. Accessed December 7, 2007. There, they faced a rematch with Boston College, champions of the Atlantic Division. As in the previous matchup, defense dominated, but unlike in the earlier matchup, Matt Ryan was unable to seize the victory. Two fourth-quarter interceptions by Virginia Tech sealed the Hokie win and an automatic bid to the Orange Bowl game.Hokies ride Glennon's arm, Taylor's legs to ACC crown ESPN.com, December 1, 2007. Accessed December 10, 2007.
Kansas
Kansas began its 2007 football season unregarded and without much consideration from the national media. In the opening Associated Press football poll of the 2007 season, Kansas did not receive a single vote. From their opening game of the year, however, the Jayhawks began to impress voters with their offensive efficiency. Against Mid-American Conference Champion Central Michigan, Kansas scored 52 points while allowing only a single touchdown.Flyin' high Ryan Wood, Lawrence Journal-World, September 2, 2007. Accessed December 19, 2007.
Over the next three games, Kansas outscored its opponents 162–16.2007 Football Schedule Lawrence Journal-World. Accessed December 19, 2007. As Kansas's Big 12 schedule began, the Jayhawks continued to win. On October 6, Kansas traveled to Manhattan, Kansas, home of then-ranked No. 24 Kansas State for the opening game of its Big 12 schedule.Kansas Jayhawks Schedule – 2007 ESPN.com. Accessed February 21, 2018. In front of 50,924 spectators, Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing struggled for the first time in the season.Beyond a doubt Ryan Wood, Lawrence Journal-World, October 7, 2007. Accessed December 19, 2007. Late in the fourth quarter, Reesing threw a ball that bounced off the facemask of wide receiver Dexton Fields before being intercepted. The interception set up a Kansas State touchdown that put Kansas into a 24–21 deficit with seven and a half minutes remaining. Reesing and the Jayhawks struck back quickly, however, and scored a 30-yard touchdown to take the lead for good.
With the win, Kansas broke into the rankings of the top 25 college football teams in the country for the first time since 1996,Eighth-Ranked Kansas Football To Host Nebraska Saturday At 11:30 a.m. Kansas Athletics Department, kusports.com, October 29, 2007. Accessed February 18, 2008. entering the AP Poll at No. 20. Over the next six weeks, Kansas defeated Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M, and Kansas climbed the national rankings. By the 13th week of the season, the stage had been set for an epic game against Kansas's traditional rival, Missouri.
Due to prior agreement, the 2007 edition of the Border War was held in Kansas City, Missouri, at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs. In front of over 80,000 fans, No. 4 Missouri defeated No. 2 Kansas 36–28, giving the Jayhawks their first loss of the season.KU's perfect season spoiled by Tigers Ryan Wood, Lawrence Journal-World, November 25, 2007. Accessed December 19, 2007. Missouri, with the win, earned a trip to the Big 12 Championship Game. In that game, Oklahoma defeated Missouri 38–17 to earn an automatic bid to the 2008 Fiesta Bowl.Oklahoma's dominance, Big 12 North's resurgence highlight season Tim Griffin, ESPN.com, December 14, 2007. Accessed December 27, 2021. Because the loss was Missouri's second of the year, Kansas (which had only one loss) was selected as an at-large pick by the BCS and earned a trip to the Orange Bowl.KU to play Virginia Tech in Orange Bowl on Jan. 3 Lawrence Journal-World, December 2, 2007. Accessed December 19, 2007.
Controversy Although Virginia Tech's selection via automatic bid was relatively quiet, Kansas' selection caused a great deal of controversy. Kansas had lost to Big 12 runner-up Missouri and had a lower Bowl Championship Poll ranking than the Tigers. Dan Angell, the Missourian, December 4, 2007. Accessed December 18, 2007. Some believed Missouri should have been selected ahead of Kansas because they had defeated Kansas and because they had played in the Big 12 Championship Game. According to BCS officials, however, Missouri's two losses were more of a detriment than Kansas's one loss and subsequent championship game absence.
Pundits and fans who opposed Kansas' selection pointed to the Jayhawks' strength of schedule, which at one point during the season was as low as 109th out of 119 Division I teams.Bowl Breakdowns: Kansas vs. Virginia Tech MSNBC.com, Accessed January 7, 2008. By the time of the BCS selection, however, Kansas's strength of schedule had climbed by a small amount, reaching 88th in the Sagarin rankings and 74th in the CBS rankings.Polls Sportsline.com. Accessed March 6, 2018. The final rankings rated Kansas' schedule as more difficult than Hawaii, which was also selected to play in the BCS. Aggravating the situation was that Kansas and Missouri had one of the most intense rivalries in college football. Known as the Border War, the roots of the rivalry dated to the years before the American Civil War.BCS snub, Kansas getting picked for Orange Bowl riles Missouri fans The Associated Press, December 4, 2007. Accessed December 18, 2007.