The 2009 season opener between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Virginia Tech Hokies, rumored for months, has now been made official. The two teams will face off in the 2009 Chick-fil-A College Kickoff at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Saturday, September 5.

In their 2008 season opener at the Georgia Dome, Alabama defeated the Clemson Tigers 34-10. The Crimson Tide went on to win their next 11 games before losing in the SEC Championship game to the Florida Gators.

Alabama and Virginia Tech have met a total of 11 times since 1932. The Crimson Tide are 10-1 against the Hokies. In their last meeting in the 1998 Music City Bowl, Virginia Tech defeated Alabama 38-7.

Related Links:

• 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Schedule
• Alabama Crimson Tide Fan Shop
• 2009 Virginia Tech Hokies Football Schedule
• Virginia Tech Hokies Fan Shop

The Northern Illinois Huskies and the Illinois Fighting Illini have scheduled a non-conference matchup in 2010. The Huskies will travel to play Illinois on September 18, 2010.

NIU and Illinois have met three times and first played in 1992. Illinois is 3-0 against the Huskies, winning 30-14 (1992), 34-10 (1994) and 17-12 (2001).

Other future non-conference games for the Northern Illinois Huskies include at Wisconsin and at Purdue in 2009. NIU will also play the Wisconsin Badgers on September 17, 2011, at Soldier Field in Chicago.

Related Links:

• Illinois Fighting Illini Football Schedules
• Northern Illinois Huskies Football Schedules

Gentry Estes, a writer for the Mobile Press-Register, is reporting that some tentative information on Alabama’s 2009 football schedule has been released. The schedule includes non-conference games against Virginia Tech (at Atlanta, GA), Florida International, North Texas and Chattanooga.

Using this information, we have updated the 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Schedule as well as a few other 2009 SEC schedules.

On Saturday, the Oklahoma Sooners rolled over the Missouri Tigers 62-21 to win the 2008 Big 12 Championship. The win vaulted the Sooners to the BCS National Championship game. Now you can celebrate the Sooners victory with apparel and merchandise from our fan shop.

3-Day shipping is only $4.99 for any size order in the continental United States. Orders over $75 qualify for free 3-Day shipping (use code Free3Day). Click on the image below for more information and to place your order:

On Saturday, the Florida Gators won the 2008 SEC Championship by beating the previously unbeaten Alabama Crimson Tide 31-20. The win propelled the Gators to the BCS National Championship game. Now you can celebrate the Gators victory with apparel and merchandise from our fan shop.

3-Day shipping is only $4.99 for any size order in the continental United States. Orders over $75 qualify for free 3-Day shipping (use code Free3Day). Click on the image below for more information and to place your order:

On Saturday, the Virginia Tech Hokies won the 2008 ACC Championship by beating Boston College 30-12. The win puts the Hokies in the Orange Bowl against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Now you can celebrate the Hokies victory with apparel and merchandise from our fan shop.

3-Day shipping is only $4.99 for any size order in the continental United States. Orders over $75 qualify for free 3-Day shipping (use code Free3Day). Click on the image below for more information and to place your order:

The 2008-09 college football bowl schedule begins on December 20, 2008 with the EagleBank Bowl and ends on January 8, 2009 with the FedEx BCS National Championship game. Listed below are all of the NCAA bowl games with dates, times, TV and tickets. Games are listed in date order.

2008-09 College Football Bowl Schedule

EagleBank Bowl - Washington, DC; Sat. Dec. 20, 2008; 11:00 a.m. ET
Wake Forest vs. Navy (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

New Mexico Bowl - Albuquerque, NM; Sat. Dec. 20, 2008; 2:30 p.m. ET
Colorado State vs. Fresno State (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

St. Petersburg Bowl - St. Petersburg, FL; Sat. Dec. 20, 2008; 4:30 p.m. ET
Memphis vs. USF (ESPN2 - Buy Tickets)

Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl - Las Vegas, NV; Sat. Dec. 20, 2008; 8:00 p.m. ET
BYU vs. Arizona (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - New Orleans, LA; Sun. Dec. 21, 2008; 8:15 p.m. ET
Southern Miss vs. Troy (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

San Diego Cty. CU Poinsettia Bowl - San Diego, CA; Tue. Dec. 23, 2008; 8:00 p.m. ET
TCU vs. Boise State (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl - Honolulu, HI; Wed. Dec. 24, 2008; 8:00 p.m. ET
Hawaii vs. Notre Dame (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

Motor City Bowl - Detroit, MI; Fri. Dec. 26, 2008; 8:00 p.m. ET
Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

Meineke Car Care Bowl - Charlotte, NC; Sat. Dec. 27, 2008; 1:00 p.m. ET
North Carolina vs. West Virginia (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

Champs Sports Bowl - Orlando, FL; Sat. Dec. 27, 2008; 4:30 p.m. ET
Wisconsin vs. Florida State (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

Emerald Bowl - San Francisco, CA; Sat. Dec. 27, 2008; 8:00 p.m. ET
Miami (FL) vs. California (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

Independence Bowl - Shreveport, LA; Sun. Dec. 28, 2008; 8:15 p.m. ET
Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Louisiana Tech (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

Papajohns.com Bowl - Birmingham, AL; Mon. Dec. 29, 2008; 3:00 p.m. ET
NC State vs. Rutgers (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

Valero Alamo Bowl - San Antonio, TX; Mon. Dec. 29, 2008; 8:00 p.m. ET
Missouri vs. Northwestern (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl - Boise, ID; Tue. Dec. 30, 2008; 4:30 p.m. ET
Maryland vs. Nevada (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

Texas Bowl - Houston, TX; Tue. Dec. 30, 2008; 8:00 p.m. ET
Western Michigan vs. Rice (NFL Network - Buy Tickets)

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl - San Diego, CA; Tue. Dec. 30, 2008; 8:00 p.m. ET
Oklahoma State vs. Oregon (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

Bell Heli. Armed Forces Bowl - Fort Worth, TX; Wed. Dec. 31, 2008; 12:00 p.m. ET
Houston vs. Air Force (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

Brut Sun Bowl - El Paso, TX; Wed. Dec. 31, 2008; 2:00 p.m. ET
Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh (CBS - Buy Tickets)

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl - Nashville, TN; Wed. Dec. 31, 2008; 3:30 p.m. ET
Boston College vs. Vanderbilt (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

Insight Bowl - Tempe, AZ; Wed. Dec. 31, 2008; 5:30 p.m. ET
Kansas vs. Minnesota (NFL Network - Buy Tickets)

Chick-fil-A Bowl - Atlanta, GA; Wed. Dec. 31, 2008; 7:30 p.m. ET
LSU vs. Georgia Tech (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

Outback Bowl - Tampa, FL; Thurs. Jan. 1, 2009; 11:00 a.m. ET
South Carolina vs. Iowa (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

Capital One Bowl - Orlando, FL; Thurs. Jan. 1, 2009; 1:00 p.m. ET
Georgia vs. Michigan State (ABC - Buy Tickets)

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl - Jacksonville, FL; Thurs. Jan. 1, 2009; 1:00 p.m. ET
Clemson vs. Nebraska (CBS - Buy Tickets)

Rose Bowl - Pasadena, CA; Thurs. Jan. 1, 2009; 4:30 p.m. ET
USC vs. Penn State (ABC - Buy Tickets)

FedEx Orange Bowl - Miami, FL; Thurs. Jan. 1, 2009; 8:30 p.m. ET
Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati (FOX - Buy Tickets)

AT&T Cotton Bowl - Dallas, TX; Fri. Jan. 2, 2009; 2:00 p.m. ET
Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech (FOX - Buy Tickets)

AutoZone Liberty Bowl - Memphis, TN; Fri. Jan. 2, 2009; 5:00 p.m. ET
Kentucky vs. East Carolina (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

AllState Sugar Bowl - New Orleans, LA; Fri. Jan. 2, 2009; 8:00 p.m. ET
Alabama vs. Utah (FOX - Buy Tickets)

International Bowl - Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Sat. Jan. 3, 2009; 12:00 p.m. ET
Buffalo vs. Connecticut (ESPN2 - Buy Tickets)

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl - Glendale, AZ; Mon. Jan. 5, 2009; 8:00 p.m. ET
Texas vs. Ohio State (FOX - Buy Tickets)

GMAC Bowl - Mobile, AL; Tue. Jan. 6, 2009; 8:00 p.m. ET
Tulsa vs. Ball State (ESPN - Buy Tickets)

FedEx BCS National Championship - Miami, FL; Thurs. Jan. 8, 2009; 8:00 p.m. ET
Florida vs. Oklahoma (FOX - Buy Tickets)

We have posted the 2009 Conference USA Football Schedules. The schedules are not official yet, but there are some non-conference games that have been confirmed. Some of the prominent games include East Carolina at Virginia Tech, Marshall at West Virginia, Memphis at Tennessee, Southern Miss at Kansas and UCF at Texas.

Listed below are direct links to the 2009 Conference USA Football Schedules:

• 2009 East Carolina Pirates Football Schedule
• 2009 Houston Cougars Football Schedule
• 2009 Marshall Thundering Herd Football Schedule
• 2009 Memphis Tigers Football Schedule
• 2009 Rice Owls Football Schedule
• 2009 SMU Mustangs Football Schedule
• 2009 Southern Miss Golden Eagles Football Schedule
• 2009 Tulane Green Wave Football Schedule
• 2009 Tulsa Golden Hurricane Football Schedule
• 2009 UAB Blazers Football Schedule
• 2009 UCF Knights Eagles Football Schedule
• 2009 UTEP Miners Football Schedule

Dan Wetzel, an award-winning sportswriter for Yahoo.com and Rivals.com, has a great article where he details his plan for a college football playoff. Wetzel’s plan is a 16-team playoff, with all of the Conference Champions receiving a bid. The remaining 5 spots would be assigned by a selection committee, sort of like the current basis of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament.

We definitely feel a college football playoff should be initiated in the Football Bowl Subdivision. If not 16 teams, at least give us a 4-team playoff. Check out the article and let us know what you think!

The 2008 college football regular season is almost over. The final weekend features several interesting matchups, plus the conference championship games for the ACC, Big 12, Conference USA, MAC and SEC. Listed below are the games:

Thursday, December 4

• Louisville at Rutgers - 7:30 p.m.; ESPN (Buy Tickets)

Friday, December 5

• MAC Championship
  Ball State vs. Buffalo - 8:00 p.m. ET; ESPN2 (Buy Tickets)

Saturday, December 6

• Conference USA Championship
  East Carolina at Tulsa - 12:00 p.m. ET; ESPN2
• ACC Championship
  Boston College vs. Virginia Tech - 1:00 p.m. ET; ABC (Buy Tickets)
• SEC Championship
  Alabama vs. Florida - 4:00 p.m. ET; CBS (Buy Tickets)
• Big 12 Championship
  Missouri vs. Oklahoma - 8:00 p.m. ET; ABC (Buy Tickets)

• Army vs. Navy - 12:00 p.m. ET; CBS (Buy Tickets)
• Pittsburgh at Connecticut - 12:00 p.m. ET; ESPN (Buy Tickets)
• USC at UCLA - 4:30 p.m. ET; ABC (Buy Tickets)
• South Florida at West Virginia - 8:00 p.m. ET; ESPN2 (Buy Tickets)
• Arizona State at Arizona - 9:00 p.m. ET; FSAZ/ESPN GP (Buy Tickets)
• Cincinnati at Hawaii - 11:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2 (Buy Tickets)

The Missouri Tigers will face the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2008 Big 12 Championship football game. The game will be held on Saturday, December 6, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. Tickets for the game are available through our preferred vendor Stubhub.

The Oklahoma Sooners, who won a tiebreaker over the Texas Longhorns, are ranked 2nd in the latest BCS BCS standings. They are 11-1 (7-1 Big 12) on the season, losing only to Texas.

The Missouri Tigers, currently ranked 20th in the BCS, have a 9-3 record (5-3 Big 12). Their losses were against Oklahoma State, Texas and Kansas.

If you can’t find tickets for the game at Stubhub, check out our other vendors RazorGator, TickCo.com, TicketsNow and TicketNetwork.com.

The 2008 ACC Championship football game is set with the Boston College Eagles facing the Virginia Tech Hokies. The game will be held on Saturday, December 6, 2008 at 1:00 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Tickets for the game are available through our preferred vendor Stubhub.

The Boston College Eagles are currently ranked 17th in the latest BCS rankings. They are 9-3 (5-3 ACC) on the season. The Virginia Tech Hokies are ranked 25th in the BCS. They have an 8-4 record (5-3 ACC).

Listed below are links to all of our vendors for ACC Championship Football Tickets:

• ACC Championship Football Tickets - Stubhub
• ACC Championship Football Tickets - RazorGator
• ACC Championship Football Tickets - TickCo.com
• ACC Championship Football Tickets - TicketsNow
• ACC Championship Football Tickets - TicketNetwork

The FBSchedules.com Fan Shop, powered by Football Fanatics and TeamFanShop, is having a Holiday Kickoff Sale. Now through December 1, 2008, all sale items are reduced an additional 20%. Thousands of college and pro football items are available at this special deal. Other sports are available, including MLB, NBA, NHL and NASCAR.

3-day shipping is only $4.99 for any size order (except Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico). APO/FPO and PO Box addresses will be automatically defaulted to the USPS option as these addresses do not have 3-day or expedited shipping available.

We have posted the 2009 Texas A&M Aggies Football Schedule. Their schedule includes Big 12 games against Colorado, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech.

The Aggies will play non-conference games against Arkansas, New Mexico, UAB and Utah State. Listed below are links to the Texas A&M Aggies 2009 football schedule and our Texas A&M home page:

• 2009 Texas A&M Aggies Football Schedule
• Texas A&M Aggies Home Page

Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez has announced that the Wolverines will host the Eastern Michigan Eagles in 2009. The teams will play in Ann Arbor on September 19.

Michigan now has only one opening left on their 2009 football schedule. The Wolverines also host Western Michigan on September 5 and Notre Dame on September 12.

The Wolverines have an 8-0 record against the Eagles. In their last matchup in 2007, Michigan defeated Eastern Michigan 33-22 in Ann Arbor.

Related Links:

• 2009 Michigan Wolverines Football Schedule

The 2008 SEC Championship football game is set with the Alabama Crimson Tide facing the Florida Gators. The game will be held on Saturday, December 6, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Tickets for the game are available through our preferred vendor Stubhub.

The Alabama Crimson Tide are currently ranked number one in the latest BCS rankings. They are 11-0 (7-0 SEC) on the season. Their final regular season game is this Saturday at home against Auburn at 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS).

The Florida Gators are currently ranked number four in the BCS. They have a 10-1 record (7-1 SEC), with their only loss coming against Ole Miss at home. They play at the No. 20 Florida State Seminoles on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC).

Listed below are links to all of our vendors for SEC Championship Football Tickets:

• SEC Championship Football Tickets - Stubhub
• SEC Championship Football Tickets - RazorGator
• SEC Championship Football Tickets - TickCo.com
• SEC Championship Football Tickets - TicketsNow
• SEC Championship Football Tickets - TicketNetwork

The 2009 Texas Tech Red Raiders Football Schedule has been posted. Their schedule features Big 12 games against Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas.

The Red Raiders will play non-conference games against Houston, New Mexico, North Dakota and Rice.  Listed below are links to the Texas Tech Red Raiders 2009 football schedule and our Texas Tech home page:

• 2009 Texas Tech Red Raiders Football Schedule
• Texas Tech Red Raiders Home Page

The 2009 Texas Longhorns Football Schedule has been posted. Their schedule features games against Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.

The Longhorns will play non-conference games against Louisiana-Monroe, Wyoming, UCF and UTEP.  Listed below are links to the Texas Longhorns 2009 football schedule and our Texas home page:

• 2009 Texas Longhorns Football Schedule
• Texas Longhorns Home Page

We have posted the 2009 Oklahoma State Cowboys Football Schedule. Their schedule, which is not official yet, includes games against Georgia, Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech.

Listed below are links to the Oklahoma State Cowboys 2009 football schedule and our Oklahoma State home page:

• 2009 Oklahoma State Cowboys Football Schedule
• Oklahoma State Cowboys Home Page

The 2009 Oklahoma Sooners Football Schedule has been posted. Their schedule, which is not official yet, features games against Miami, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech.

Listed below are links to the Oklahoma Sooners 2009 football schedule and our Oklahoma home page:

• 2009 Oklahoma Sooners Football Schedule
• Oklahoma Sooners Home Page