The 2008 Independence Bowl marked the thirty-third edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The game was contested starting on Sunday, December 28, 2008, with a 7:15 PM US CST kickoff, telecast on ESPN. the contest pitted the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs against the Northern Illinois Huskies. Both Louisiana Tech and Northern Illinois were chosen because both of the contracted conferences - the Big 12 and the SEC - failed to produce enough bowl eligible teams as both had a pair of schools in the 2009 Bowl Championship Series. Prior to the game, citing financial difficulties stemming from the 2008 economic crisis, PetroSun pulled out as title sponsor.