2004 Independence Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 2004 Independence Bowl was a post-season college football
bowl game
between the and the on December 28, 2004, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana
. It was the twenty-ninth time the Independence Bowl had been played and the final game of the 2004 NCAA Division I FBS football season for both teams. Iowa State defeated Miami 17-13.
Typically the Independence Bowl featured teams from the Southeastern Conference
and Big 12 Conference
, but the entire post-season bowl picture was thrown into chaos after a brawl between Clemson (Atlantic Coast Conference
) and South Carolina
(SEC) caused both teams, which had been bowl eligible, to remove themselves from consideration. With the SEC no longer able to supply enough bowl-eligible teams, Independence Bowl organizers looked elsewhere, and settled on Miami, coming off a second consecutive East Division championship in the Mid-American Conference
.
Iowa State came back from a 2-10 2003 season to finish 6-5. A Big 12 team, Iowa State normally would have gone to the Houston Bowl
, but with fellow conference members Texas and Oklahoma headed for BCS bowls the remaining Big 12 teams received bids to better games. Iowa State accepted the bid on December 6, 2004. Iowa State previously played in the 2001 Independence Bowl
, losing in the last seconds to Alabama
14-13.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
between the and the on December 28, 2004, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
. It was the twenty-ninth time the Independence Bowl had been played and the final game of the 2004 NCAA Division I FBS football season for both teams. Iowa State defeated Miami 17-13.
Typically the Independence Bowl featured teams from the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
and Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
, but the entire post-season bowl picture was thrown into chaos after a brawl between Clemson (Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
) and South Carolina
2004 South Carolina Gamecocks football team
The 2004 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference during the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Gamecocks were led by Lou Holtz in his sixth and final season as USC head coach and played their home games in...
(SEC) caused both teams, which had been bowl eligible, to remove themselves from consideration. With the SEC no longer able to supply enough bowl-eligible teams, Independence Bowl organizers looked elsewhere, and settled on Miami, coming off a second consecutive East Division championship in the Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
.
Iowa State came back from a 2-10 2003 season to finish 6-5. A Big 12 team, Iowa State normally would have gone to the Houston Bowl
2004 Houston Bowl
The 2004 EV1.net Houston Bowl was the fifth edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. The game pitted the University of Colorado Buffaloes from the Big 12 and the from the Western Athletic Conference...
, but with fellow conference members Texas and Oklahoma headed for BCS bowls the remaining Big 12 teams received bids to better games. Iowa State accepted the bid on December 6, 2004. Iowa State previously played in the 2001 Independence Bowl
2001 Independence Bowl
The 2001 MainStay Independence Bowl, part of the 2001–02 bowl game season, took place on December 27, 2001, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference , and the of the Big 12 Conference . Alabama...
, losing in the last seconds to Alabama
2001 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 2001 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama during 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. They began their season trying to improve upon a 3–8 record during the 2000 season. This was the team's 69th season in the SEC. This marked Dennis Franchiones first ...
14-13.