2002–03 NCAA football bowl games
The 2002–03 NCAA football bowl games were a series of 28 post-season games played in December 2002 and January 2003 for Division I-A football teams and their all-stars. The post-season began with the New Orleans Bowl on December 17, 2002, and concluded on February 1, 2003, with the season-ending Hula Bowl.
A new record of 28 team-competitive bowls, and two all-star games, were played, including the inaugural Continental Tire Bowl, Hawaii Bowl and San Francisco Bowl. To fill the 56 available team-competitive bowl slots, a total of three teams with non-winning seasons participated in bowl games—all three had a.500 season.
Poll rankings
The below table lists top teams, their win-loss records, and the bowls they later played in. The AP column represents rankings per the AP Poll, while the BCS column represents the Bowl Championship Series rankings.| AP | BCS | Team | W–L | Bowl |
| 1 | 1 | Miami Hurricanes | 12–0 | Fiesta Bowl |
| 2 | 2 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 13–0 | Fiesta Bowl |
| 3 | 5 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 11–1 | Orange Bowl |
| 4 | 3 | Georgia Bulldogs | 12–1 | Sugar Bowl |
| 5 | 4 | USC Trojans | 10–2 | Orange Bowl |
| 6 | 8 | Kansas State Wildcats | 10–2 | Holiday Bowl |
| 7 | 6 | Washington State Cougars | 10–2 | Rose Bowl |
| 8 | 7 | Oklahoma Sooners | 11–2 | Rose Bowl |
| 9 | 10 | Texas Longhorns | 10–2 | Cotton Bowl Classic |
| 10 | 12 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 9–3 | Capital One Bowl |
| 11 | 9 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 10–2 | Gator Bowl |
| 12 | 11 | Michigan Wolverines | 9–3 | Outback Bowl |
| 13 | — | Alabama Crimson Tide | 10–3 | none |
| 14 | 13 | Colorado Buffaloes | 9–4 | Alamo Bowl |
| 15 | 15 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 9–3 | Continental Tire Bowl |
| 16 | 14 | Florida State Seminoles | 9–4 | Sugar Bowl |
| 17 | — | NC State Wolfpack | 10–3 | Gator Bowl |
| 18 | — | Boise State Broncos | 11–1 | Humanitarian Bowl |
| 19 | — | Auburn Tigers | 8–4 | Capital One Bowl |
| 20 | — | Maryland Terrapins | 10–3 | Peach Bowl |
| 21 | — | Virginia Tech Hokies | 9–4 | San Francisco Bowl |
| 22 | — | Florida Gators | 8–4 | Outback Bowl |
| 23 | — | Colorado State Rams | 10–3 | Liberty Bowl |
| 24 | — | Pittsburgh Panthers | 8–4 | Insight Bowl |
| 25 | — | Arkansas Razorbacks | 9–4 | Music City Bowl |
denotes a BCS bowl game
ineligible for bowl play due to NCAA sanctions