Bowl Championship Series

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BCS Logo 2006-Present with logo of Television Rightsholder Fox Broadcasting Company

The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is a selection system designed to pair the top two teams in college football against each other in the BCS National Championship Game, with the winner crowned the BCS national champion. The system also selects matchups for the other prestigious BCS bowl games. The ten teams selected include the conference champion from each of the six BCS conferences plus four others ("at-large" selections). It has been in place since the 1998 season, but a number of controversial selections have spurred changes in the system that continue into the present. Prior to the 2006 season eight teams competed in four BCS Bowls. The BCS replaced the Bowl Alliance (in place from 1995-1997), which followed the Bowl Coalition (in place from 1992-1994). As of the 2006-07 season, the BCS will air primarily on FOX while only the Rose Bowl will continue to be aired on ABC.

BCS bowl games

For a complete list of bowl games for the 2006-2007 season, see NCAA football bowl games, 2006-07.

File:BCS Map.PNG

A map of every university in the BCS Conferences.

In the current BCS format, four bowl games and the National Championship Game are considered "BCS bowl games". The four bowl games are the Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, and the Orange Bowl in Miami. In the first eight seasons of the BCS contract, the championship game was rotated among the four bowls; for example, the Sugar Bowl would have the national championship "weight" once every four years. Starting with the 2007 BCS, the site of the game that served as the last game on January 1 (or if January 1 fell on a Sunday, January 2) in the BCS will now serve as the host facility of the new stand-alone BCS National Championship game played on January 8 of that year, one week following the playing of the traditional bowl game which would follow the Rose Bowl with the exception of the games to be played in 2010. There are also twenty-seven non-BCS bowls.

Initial plans were for the additional BCS bowl game to be held at the site of that year's championship game, such that the additional, non-championship bowl be named after the original bowl (e.g. the Sugar Bowl when the championship is in New Orleans), and have the extra game just be called "The National Championship Game". Later, the BCS considered having cities bid to be the permanent site of the new BCS game, and to place the new game in the title rotation. In the end, the BCS opted for its original plan.

A complicated set of rules is used to determine which teams compete in the BCS bowl games[1]. Certain teams are given automatic berths depending on their BCS ranking and conference, as follows:

• The top two teams are given automatic berths in the BCS National Championship Game.
• The champions of the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10, and SEC conferences are guaranteed automatic BCS bowl appearances.
• The highest ranked champion of a non-BCS conference will receive an automatic berth if:
  • It is ranked in the top twelve, or
  • Ranked in the top sixteen and higher than another BCS Conference champion.
• A special case is made for independent Notre Dame, which receives an automatic berth if they finish in the top eight.
• The third-ranked team will receive an automatic berth, if it has not already received one.
• If the third-ranked team did not require an at-large berth, then the fourth-ranked team will receive an automatic berth, if it has not already received one.
• No more than 2 teams from any one conference may receive berths in BCS games.

After the automatic berths have been granted, the remaining berths, known as "at-large" berths, are filled from a pool of teams who are ranked in the top fourteen and have at least nine wins. The actual teams that are chosen for the at-large births are determined by the individual bowl committees.

Despite the possibility of an "at-large" berth being granted to a "mid-major" conference team, this didn't happen until the 2004-05 season, when Utah received a BCS bid to play in the Fiesta Bowl, in which the Utes convincingly defeated Pittsburgh 35-7. The extra BCS game will relax requirements to give mid-major conferences better access to a BCS bowl game, possibly ahead of a higher ranked school from a major conference.

Unless their champion is involved in the BCS National Championship game, the conference tie-ins are as follows:

• Rose Bowl - Big Ten vs. Pac-10.
• Fiesta Bowl - Big 12.
• Orange Bowl - ACC.
• Sugar Bowl - SEC.

The Big East champion takes one of the at-large spots remaining.

BCS rankings

For the portions of the ranking that are determined by polls and computer-generated rankings, the BCS uses a series of borda counts to arrive at its overall rankings. This is an example of using a voting system to generate a complete ordered list of winners from both human and computer-constructed votes. Obtaining a fair ranking system is a difficult mathematical problem and numerous algorithms have been proposed for ranking college football teams in particular. One example is the "random-walker rankings" studied by applied mathematicians Thomas Callaghan, Peter Mucha, and Mason Porter that employs the science of complex networks.

1998-99 formula

The BCS formula calculated the top 25 teams in poll format. After combining a number of factors, a final point total was created and the teams that received the 25 lowest scores were ranked in descending order. The factors were:

• Poll average: Both the AP and ESPN-USA Today coaches polls were averaged to make a number which is the poll average.
• Computer average: An average of the rankings of a team in three different computer polls were gathered (Jeff Sagarin/USA Today, Anderson-Hester/Seattle Times, and New York Times), with a 50% adjusted maximum deviation factor. (For instance, if the computers had ranked a team third, fifth, and twelfth, the poll which ranked the team twelfth would be adjusted to rank the team sixth.)
• Strength of Schedule: This was the team's NCAA rank in strength of schedule divided by 25. A teams strength of schedule was calculated by win/loss record of opponents (66.6%) and cumulative win/loss record of team's opponents (33.3%). The team who played the toughest schedule was given .04 points, second toughest .08 points, and so on.
• Losses: One point was added for every loss the team has suffered during the season. All games are counted, including Kickoff Classics and conference title games. [2]

The University of Tennessee was the first team to win a BCS national championship. They beat Florida State despite the fact that they were heavily unfavored. This proved that the BCS was a reliable way for deciding the national championship. Without it a biased Coaches and AP poll would not have allowed for this.

1999-2000 formula

Five more computer rankings were added to the system. The new five were Richard Billingsley, Richard Dunkel, Kenneth Massey, Herman Matthews/Scripps Howard and David Rothman. The lowest ranking was dropped and the remainder averaged.

2000-01 formula

No changes were made.

2001-02 formula

In place of the NYT and Dunkel rankings, the Peter Wolfe and Wes Colley/Atlanta Journal-Constitution computer rankings were used. The change was made because the BCS wanted computer rankings that did not depend heavily on margin of victory. [3] The highest and lowest rankings were discarded, and the remainder averaged. A team's poll average, computer average, strength of schedule points, and losses were added to create a subtotal.

In addition, a Quality Win component was added. If a team beat a team which was in the top 15 in the BCS standings, a range of 1.5 to .1 points was subtracted from their total. Beating the #1 ranked team resulted in a subtraction of 1.5 point, beating the #2 team resulted in a deduction of 1.4 points, and so on. Beating the #15 ranked team would have resulted in a deduction of .1 points. A team would only be awarded for a quality win once if it beat a Top 10 team more than once (such as in the regular season and a conference championship game), and quality wins were determined using a team's current subtotal, not the ranking when the game was played. The subtotal ranks were used to determine quality win deductions to create a team's final score.

2002-03 formula

The BCS continued to purge ranking systems which included margin of victory, causing the removal of the Matthews and Rothman ratings. Sagarin provided a BCS-specific formula that did not include margin of victory, and the New York Times index returned in a form without margin of victory considerations. In addition, a new computer ranking, the Wesley Colley Matrix, was added. [4] The lowest ranking was dropped and the remaining six averaged.

In addition, the quality win component was modified such that the deduction for beating the #1 team in the BCS would be 1.0, declining by 0.1 increments until beating the 10th ranked team at 0.1. Teams on probation were not included in the BCS standings, but quality win points were given to teams who beat teams on probation as if they were ranked accordingly in the BCS.

2003-04 formula

No changes to the formula were made. However, selection criteria for bowls were changed slightly.

2004-05 formula

In response to the controversy created by the voters in the AP poll naming USC as the No. 1 ranked team at the end of the year and a general consensus that USC would have been a preferable opponent for BCS Champion LSU (over Oklahoma, the actual opponent), the formula was completely rewritten. Supporters of USC and the media in general criticized the fact that human polls were not weighted more heavily than computer rankings and this criticism led to the new math.

• AP Poll: A team's AP Poll number is the percentage of the possible points it could receive in the poll. As an example, in the final regular-season poll of 2003, LSU received a total of 1,580 out of a possible 1,625 points from the voters, giving them an AP Poll percentage of 97.2.
• Coaches' Poll: This is calculated in the same manner as the AP Poll number. For LSU, their final regular-season number in this poll would have been 99.4 (1,516 out of 1,525 possible points).
• Computer Average: The BCS used six ranking systems, with the New York Times opting not to participate. In the calculation, the highest and lowest ranking for each team are dropped. Then, it will give a team 25 points for a Number 1 ranking in an individual system, 24 points for Number 2, and so on down to 1 point. Each team's set of numbers is then added, conveniently making the number compatible with the percentages from the two polls. To address concerns about loss of the schedule strength factor, the description of the computer rankings explicitly included schedule strength as a consideration.

For USC, dropping their highest and lowest computer rankings would have left them with four third-place finishes, worth 23 points each for a total of 92, while LSU would have had four second-place finishes for a total of 96. The BCS averaged the three numbers obtained above, divided the result by 100, and converted it to a decimal fraction. This system placed twice as much emphasis on human polls than computer rankings, and made it highly unlikely that the top team in both human polls would be denied a place in the title game, as it happened in 2003-04.

2005-06 formula

The BCS formula for 2005-06 was the same as in the 04-05, except that the Harris Interactive College Football Poll replaced the AP poll. ^{[5] [6]} The Harris Interactive College Football Poll's maximum point value was 2,825 [7] and for the Coaches' Poll, it was 1,550. The Harris Interactive College Football Poll was created expressly to replace the AP Poll after the Associated Press refused the use of its poll as a component of the BCS formula going forward.

2006-07 formula

There was no change to the formula for this season, although the maximum point value of the Harris Poll was 2,850 and the USA Today/Coaches' Poll was 1,575.

BCS controversies

Among the criticism of the BCS (and the bowl system in general) is the fact that the final ranking of Division I FBS NCAA football teams is decided by arbitrary and subjective standards. Opponents of the current system believe that the “champion” of the largest and most popular collegiate sport should be decided on the field, in a head-to-head match-up. In 2003, five teams (three from BCS conferences) finished the regular season with one loss, with no unbeaten team, while in the following season, the same number of teams (again with three from BCS conferences) finished the regular season unbeaten. In both seasons, the three teams from BCS conferences had legitimate cases for playing in the BCS title game. More recently, the Associated Press has prohibited the BCS from using its rankings in the BCS formula, and ESPN has removed itself from the USA Today coaches poll.

Only playing a single national championship game requires a formula to determine which two teams receive bids. The most recent year in which there were only two undefeated Division I-A or FBS teams at the end of the regular season was 2006, when Ohio State and Boise State both finished the regular season undefeated, but the Buckeyes were believed to have played a tougher schedule. Florida lost one game in SEC play. Florida's victory over Ohio State in the title game in 2007 might have vindicated the process. However, if USC had beaten UCLA, it would have likely played in the title game, leaving Florida out of luck because of the lack of a playoff.

Another criticism of the system is that it is often accused of institutionalized bias towards the six BCS conferences (and Notre Dame, which is independent) at the deliberate expense of the five non-BCS conferences. Since the inception of the BCS in 1998, five non-BCS conference Division I-A or FBS teams have finished the regular season undefeated (Tulane in 1998, Marshall in 1999, Utah in 2004, and Boise State in 2004 and 2006) without being given an opportunity to win the national championship, making it impossible for a non-BCS conference team to compete for the BCS title regardless of their achievements on the field. In 1998 Marshall was in danger of not going to any bowl game despite their #11 final ranking, due to MAC bowl tie-ins.

A third criticism is that a team can fail to win its conference championship, but still play in the BCS championship game. This happened in the 2001 and 2003 seasons. In 2001 Nebraska played Miami (Florida), after being crushed by Colorado and knocked out of the Big 12 Conference Championship game. In 2003 Oklahoma played LSU despite losing to Kansas State 35-7 in the Big 12 Conference title game.

A fourth criticism, which occurs primarily during the season but has affected certain years, is that the BCS does not account for the strength and parity of particular conferences. This criticism is most commonly used in support of the SEC, which is one of the toughest if not the toughest conference, where a team with a conference loss would be a more deserving opponent rather than an undefeated team from another conference that is not as strong. This argument claims that most teams would not come out undefeated with a weekly schedule in a conference such as the SEC.

Questions regarding disparities in revenue sharing

In addition to concerns about the inclusion of non-BCS conference teams in the five BCS bowls, some critics have noted the disparities between the amounts paid to the six BCS conferences and their respective schools, as opposed to other conferernces and their own schools.

The official BCS website discusses the payouts for the 2007-2008 BCS bowls.

• Each BCS conference is guaranteed approximately $17 million, plus an additional $4.5 million should a second conference team be selected. Although each conference has its own arrangement for the distribution of these funds, the average income per school in each conference is as follows (One team selected/Two teams selected):
  • Atlantic Coast (12 teams): $1.417M / $1.792M
  • Big East (8 teams): $2.125M / $2.688M
  • Big Ten (11 teams): $1.545M / $1.955M
  • Big XII (12 teams): $1.417M / $1.792M
  • Pacific 10 (10 teams): $1.7M / $2.15M
  • Southeastern (12 teams): $1.417M / $1.792M
• Notre Dame is guaranteed 1/66th of net revenues, or approximately $1.3 million. If selected to play in a BCS bowl, Notre Dame will receive $4.5 million.
• Independent programs Army and Navy will each receive $100,000 for allowing their teams to participate in the selection for BCS bowls.
• A total of $1.8 million will be paid to the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA), which is comprised of 122 football programs. As a result, although the actual distribution will vary significantly, each school will receive an average of $14,754.
• Nine percent, or approximately $9 million, is guaranteed in aggregate to Conference USA, the Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt, and Western Athletic conferences. If a team from one of these five conferences plays in a BCS bowl, an additional nine percent (approximately $9M) will be given in aggregate to the conferences, and if a second team participates, those conferences will receive an additional $4.5M. These five conferences are composed of a total of 51 teams, broken down as follows:
  • Conference USA - 12 teams
  • Mid-American - 13 teams
  • Mountain West - 9 teams
  • Sun Belt - 8 teams
  • Western Athletic - 9 teams
• Therefore, if the payouts to these conferences were broken down equally per school (which is not the case), this would amount to an average of $176,470 per school. If one team from these conferences were to play in a BCS game, that figure would increase to $352,941 per school. Should two teams be selected, the average per school would rise to $441,176 per school.

As a result, in the best-case scenario schools from the non-BCS conferences would receive approximately 34% of the least of the schools in the BCS conferences, including Notre Dame. These numbers are not the actual amounts paid to each school, but look at the amounts paid to each school on average.

The disparities between BCS conferences and non-BCS conferences continue outside the Bowl Championship Series to other bowls, but since the payouts for the five BCS bowls are so much greater than other bowls, the BCS has a major impact on revenue distribution paid to the various Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) schools. A 2003 study described the disparities between the different schools. In 2003, there were 24 bowls other than the BCS bowls, creating opportunities for 48 teams to participate in bowl games. Of these 48 teams, 33 were from BCS conferences.

In 2003, the Big Ten led all conferences with $31.9 million from its seven bowl appearances. By comparison, Conference USA, which led the non-BCS conferences with five bowl appearances, brought in a total of $5.75 million. TCU led all non-BCS schools with $1.37 million from its Liberty bowl appearance.

As a result, there has been significant criticism regarding the revenue distribution by bowls, specifically the BCS due to its significantly higher payout to participating teams. This disparity coupled with the comparative difficulty for non-BCS teams to participate in BCS bowls, compounded by the uneven split even for non-BCS teams competing in a BCS bowl, have raised calls for further reform in the revenue distribution structure. These concerns have also called into question the underlying motivations of the BCS, insofar as revenue is concerned. These issues have been the center of some Congressional inquiries, as well.

1998-99 season

The first year of the BCS ended in controversy when Kansas State finished third in the final BCS standings but was passed over for participation in BCS bowl games in favor of Ohio State (ranked 4th) and Florida (ranked 8th). The following season, the BCS adopted the "Kansas State Rule," which provides that the 3rd ranked team (or 4th ranked team if the 3rd ranked team has already qualified as a conference champion) in the final BCS standings is ensured of an invitation to a BCS bowl game.

The following season, Kansas State finished 6th in the BCS standings but again received no invitation, this time being passed over in favor of Michigan (ranked 8th). Kansas State's predicament (as well as that of undefeated Tulane who was denied a BCS bid because they played in Conference USA) inaugurated the long-standing media controversies regarding the system.

2000-01 season

One-loss Florida State was chosen to play undefeated Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl for the national championship, despite their one loss coming to another one loss team, the Miami Hurricanes, that was ranked #2 in both human polls. Adding to the confusion, Miami's one loss came to yet another one loss team, the 10-1 Washington Huskies, leaving three teams with a legitimate claim to play Oklahoma in the National Championship game.

Florida State lost to Oklahoma 13-2, after Florida State was finally able to score on a safety with minutes to go in the game. Washington and Miami both easily won their bowl games, adding more fuel to the fire. As a result of the controversy, the BCS was tweaked in the off-season. A "quality-win" bonus was added to the formula, giving extra credit for beating a top ten team.

2001-02 season

In another controversial season, second-ranked Nebraska in the BCS was chosen as a national title game participant despite being ranked #4 in the human polls and not winning their conference or even their division. The Huskers went into their last regularly scheduled game at Colorado undefeated, but left Boulder with a 62-36 loss. The Buffaloes went on to win the Big 12 championship game. However, the BCS computers did not (and still do not) take into account time of loss, so one-loss Nebraska came out ahead of two-loss Colorado and one-loss, second-ranked Oregon. Nebraska beat Colorado for the #2 spot in the BCS poll by .05 points. Nebraska was routed in the game, 37-14, by the Miami Hurricanes. Meanwhile Oregon, the consensus #2 team in both human polls (and #4 in the BCS), routed Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl.

2003-04 season

The 2003-2004 season came about with much controversy when three schools from BCS conferences finished the season with one loss (in fact, no Division I-A team finished the season undefeated, something that hadn't happened since 1996, two years before the advent of the BCS). The three schools in question were:

• Oklahoma
• LSU
• USC

Three non-BCS schools also finished with one loss:

• Miami University (Ohio)
• Boise State
• TCU

USC was ranked #1 in both the AP and ESPN-USA Today Coaches poll, but was burdened by a collective 2.67 computer ranking due to a schedule deemed weaker by computer analysis. Meanwhile Oklahoma, after an undefeated regular season, was beat by Kansas State (35-7) in the Big 12 Championship Game. The loss dropped Oklahoma to #3 in the human polls (while the computers still had them at #1). LSU had earned a stronger computer ranking than USC and a #2 human poll ranking, and went on to claim the BCS championship with a 21-14 win over Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. USC, which beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl, retained its #1 ranking in the AP Poll by out-polling LSU in first place votes by a vote of 48 - 17. Oklahoma (which finished 12-2) had been clearly eliminated from national championship contention, but the split in polls left many LSU (13-1) and USC (12-1) fans displeased, as USC was named the AP national football champion. This incident has been considered a lightning rod of controversy by some sportswriters covering college football.

The college coaches involved in the coaches poll were contractually obligated to award their organization's trophy and first place votes to the winner of the BCS championship game, LSU. However, for the first and, so far, only time in the history of the BCS Championship Series, the BCS Champion was not a unanimous #1 in the final Coaches Poll as the final vote was 60 - 3 for LSU as National Champion with USC as a runner-up. It is speculated that the three coaches who broke rank--Lou Holtz of South Carolina, Mike Bellotti of Oregon and Ron Turner of Illinois--violating their contractual obligation, did so because they believed that USC was the best team. Meanwhile other coaches followed their contractual obligation under the coaches "poll" and changed their choice of #1 from USC to LSU.

2004-05 season

The 2004-2005 regular season finished with five undefeated teams for the first time since 1979. Despite having perfect records, the Auburn Tigers, Utah Utes, and Boise State Broncos were denied an opportunity to play for the BCS championship. There was great debate for Auburn, who went undefeated in the Southeastern Conference, leading to debates over the strength of schedule, a value that was diminished in the BCS before the season. Also, preseason rankings this year had USC and Oklahoma at #1 and #2, a fact that enabled ESPN analysts and pollsters to argue for an increasing bar of "style points" for the other three schools. Oklahoma went on to play USC for the title. USC defeated Oklahoma, 55-19. Utah won their BCS game easily as did Auburn, who domnitated Virginia Tech until the closing minutes of the game and only came out with a three point victory, leaving 3 undefeated teams at season's end. Ironically, the PAC-10, which called endlessly for the "style points" change, was harmed by it when the at-large bids were issued. The pollsters jumped the Texas Longhorns over the California Golden Bears in the final regular-season poll. Texas coach Mack Brown publicly lobbied for the pollsters to give Texas the final at-large bid. California's cause was hurt when it was less than impressive in a 26-16 victory over Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Mississippi the night before bowl bids were extended. Weakening their cause after the fact was the 45-31 defeat in the Holiday Bowl to Texas Tech University. Cal played without two of the highest performing receivers in the NCAA, however, this loss was attributed in many press reports to the Bears' disappointment over being denied their first Rose Bowl appearance in 45 years.

2005-06 season

The 2005-2006 season resulted in few controversies, as USC and Texas went wire-to-wire as the number 1 and number 2-ranked teams, respectively, and played in the Rose Bowl for the BCS title. However, a minor controversy ensued as after all the automatic bids, there were two at-large bids available. The first was taken by the fourth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. The second was taken by the sixth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish over the fifth-ranked Oregon Ducks, in spite of the fact that Notre Dame had a loss to the unranked Michigan State Spartans in addition to a loss to the first-ranked USC Trojans that both teams shared. This was due to a clause that gave Notre Dame an automatic bid to a BCS bowl game if it finished in the top eight of the BCS rankings, as Notre Dame is unaffiliated with any league. Many felt that Oregon deserved the BCS Bowl Bid and would have provided a better match for OSU. Both Oregon and Notre Dame ended up losing the Holiday and Fiesta Bowls, respectively, making a clear argument either way difficult. Notre Dame lost to Ohio State by 14, 34-20, while Oregon lost 17-14 to a 7-4 Oklahoma team. Oregon played without starting QB, Kellen Clemens, who was injured earlier in the season.

2006-07 season

Going into the final poll, undefeated Boise State and four one-loss teams (Louisville, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida) were up for a spot against undefeated top-ranked Ohio State in the BCS National Championship game in Glendale, Arizona. Most fans and pundits did not consider Wisconsin, Louisville, or Boise State contenders because they played significantly weaker schedules than Florida and Michigan.

Michigan lost to Ohio State 42-39 in its regular season finale, but was still ranked ahead of Florida but behind USC going into the final ballot. Florida defeated Arkansas in the SEC Championship Game, and number 2 ranked USC lost to UCLA, leaving Michigan and Florida as one-loss teams who both claimed they deserved to play for the national championship against Ohio State. Many pundits denied that Michigan should get another chance to play Ohio State, and Florida coach Urban Meyer lobbied heavily in the press using this argument. Ultimately, the BCS National Championship was a meeting between Ohio State and Florida. A mere .0101 points separated #2 Florida from #3 Michigan. This small difference was a result of the human polls (USA Today's Coaches' Poll and Harris Interactive Poll) ranking Florida above Michigan while the computer polls had the two teams tied for second.

Michigan, which was automatically guaranteed a BCS at-large berth by virtue of its #3 ranking, went to the Rose Bowl, which they lost to USC 32-18. Florida officially became the national champions by impressively beating Ohio State 41-14. Florida also received all but one of the 65 first-place votes in the final Associated Press poll (the other went to undefeated Boise State, which won an epic Fiesta Bowl over Oklahoma).

Although Wisconsin (11-1, BCS #7) and Auburn (10-2, BCS #9) were ranked higher in the BCS standings they were denied an at-large bid because of the BCS rule established by their conferences that prohibits more than two teams from the same conference from playing in a BCS bowl. Because Ohio State and Michigan were already representing the Big Ten, and Florida and LSU were already representing the Southeastern Conference, Notre Dame received the final at-large bid to the Sugar Bowl against LSU.

At the conclusion of the season, three other one-loss teams were denied the chance to compete in a playoff or to play Florida for the national championship. Wisconsin and Louisville ended the season with only one loss (the same as Florida andOhio State). Boise State, which received the other first-place vote in the AP poll, was the only undefeated Division I football team.

Because of a BCS rule allowing only two teams from each conference to play in BCS bowl games, highly-ranked Wisconsin and Auburn were not eligible for selection to a BCS game. Wisconsin was excluded because Ohio State and Michigan represented the Big Ten, and Auburn was excluded because LSU and Florida represented the SEC, even though Auburn defeated LSU 7-3 and Florida 27-17 during the season. LSU earned the at-large bid on the strength of its 31-26 victory over SEC West champion Arkansas in Little Rock, while the Razorbacks crushed then second-ranked Auburn 27-10 in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn's 37-15 loss at home to a reeling Georgia team also destroyed its chances at the BCS.

An omission of the rule still would have not have been enough for Auburn to secure a berth, as Wisconsin would have likely been the final at-large bid. The final BCS poll had seven teams from the SEC and the Big Ten ranked in the top twelve but by the rule only two from each conference were eligible to play in BCS bowl games, offering the opportunity to argue that both conferences are over-ranked, that the Big Ten schedule does not produce a true conference champion, or that the limit of 2 teams from any one conference is inappropriate.

BCS support

While there is substantial criticism aimed the BCS system from coaches, media and fans alike, there is also ardent support for the system. Supporters cite several key advantages that the BCS has over a playoff system. Under the BCS, a single defeat is extremely detrimental to a team's prospects for a national championship. Supporters contend that this creates a substantial incentive for teams to do their best to win every game. Under a playoff system, front-running teams could be in a position of safety at the end of the regular season and could pull or greatly reduce their use of top players in order to protect them from injuries or give them recovery time (this happens frequently in the NFL). This is very unlikely to happen in the BCS system where a team in the running for a #1 or #2 ranking at the end of the year would be nearly certain to be punished in the polls enough for a loss that the team would be eliminated from contention.

Supporters also note that while the BCS routinely involves controversy about which two teams are the top teams, in rare instances there is a clear-cut top two; the BCS ensures these top two will play each other for the championship. For example, USC and Texas in 2005 were the only undefeated teams , and both teams had only a couple of close contests and had nearly every other game out of reach for the opponent by the second or third quarter. Under the BCS system, these two teams got to play for the championship. Before the BCS, they would likely have played two other schools, and if they both won, then there would be either two champions, or else #2 Texas would have been denied a championship despite going 13-0.

The BCS format system is currently scheduled to end after the 2010 season. However, there has been one extension from the 2006 season for four years, so the system could be extended again.

BCS history and schedule

1998-99 season

These BCS bowl games were played following the 1998 regular season

• Friday, January 1, 1999 - Rose Bowl Game presented by AT&T: Wisconsin (Big Ten champion) 38, UCLA (Pac-10 champion) 31
• Friday, January 1, 1999 - Nokia Sugar Bowl: Ohio State (at-large) 24, Texas A&M (Big 12 champion) 14
• Saturday, January 2, 1999 - FedEx Orange Bowl: Florida (at-large) 31, Syracuse (Big East champion) 10
• Monday, January 4, 1999 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, (National Championship): Tennessee (BCS #1, SEC champion) 23, Florida State (BCS #2, ACC champion) 16

1999-2000 season

These BCS bowl games were played following the 1999 regular season:

• Saturday, January 1, 2000 - Rose Bowl Game presented by AT&T: Wisconsin (Big Ten champion) 17, Stanford (Pac-10 champion) 9
• Saturday, January 1, 2000 - FedEx Orange Bowl: Michigan (at-large) 35, Alabama (SEC champion) 34 (OT)
• Sunday, January 2, 2000 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Nebraska (Big 12 champion) 31, Tennessee (at-large) 21
• Tuesday, January 4, 2000 - Nokia Sugar Bowl, (National Championship): Florida State (BCS #1, ACC champion) 46, Virginia Tech (BCS #2, Big East champion) 29

2000-01 season

These BCS bowl games were played following the 2000 regular season

• Monday, January 1, 2001 - Rose Bowl Game presented by AT&T: Washington (Pac-10 champion) 34, Purdue (Big Ten champion) 24
• Monday, January 1, 2001 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oregon State (at-large) 41, Notre Dame (at-large) 9
• Tuesday, January 2, 2001 - Nokia Sugar Bowl: Miami (FL) (Big East champion) 37, Florida (SEC champion) 20
• Wednesday, January 3, 2001 - FedEx Orange Bowl, (National Championship): Oklahoma (BCS #1, Big 12 champion) 13, Florida State (BCS #2, ACC champion) 2

2001-02 season

These BCS bowl games were played following the 2001 regular season

• Tuesday, January 1, 2002 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oregon (Pac-10 champion) 38, Colorado (Big 12 champion) 16
• Tuesday, January 1, 2002 - Nokia Sugar Bowl: LSU (SEC champion) 47, Illinois (Big Ten champion) 34
• Wednesday, January 2, 2002 - FedEx Orange Bowl, Florida (at-large) 56, Maryland (ACC champion) 23
• Thursday, January 3, 2002 - Rose Bowl Game presented by AT&T (National Championship): Miami (FL) (BCS #1, Big East champion) 37, Nebraska (BCS #2) 14

2002-03 season

These BCS bowl games were played following the 2002 regular season

• Wednesday, January 1, 2003 - Rose Bowl Game presented by PlayStation 2: Oklahoma (Big 12 champion) 34, Washington State (Pac-10 champion) 14
• Wednesday, January 1, 2003 - Nokia Sugar Bowl: Georgia (SEC champion) 26, Florida State (ACC champion) 13
• Thursday, January 2, 2003 - FedEx Orange Bowl: USC (at-large) 38, Iowa (at-large) 17
• Friday, January 3, 2003 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (National Championship): Ohio State (BCS #2, Big Ten champion) 31, Miami (FL) (BCS #1, Big East champion) 24 (2 OT)

NOTE 1: USC and Washington State tied for the Pac-10 championship, but due to the Cougars' victory over the Trojans during the season, Washington St. was extended the automatic berth to the Rose Bowl as league champion.

NOTE 2: Iowa and Ohio State did not play each other during the season, and both finished at 8-0 in Big Ten conference play. With a better overall record as the tiebreaker (13-0 vs Iowa's 11-1), Ohio State was extended the league's automatic bid to the BCS.

NOTE 3: The Rose Bowl was originally scheduled to match Iowa and Washington State, in keeping with the traditional Big 10-Pac 10 matchup. However, the Orange Bowl had the first selection since it lost the top-ranked team in the BCS (Miami) to the championship game. The Orange Bowl selected Iowa with this pick. Since USC and Washington State had already met in the regular season, and under BCS rules, regular season rematches cannot occur except under extraordinary circumstances, the Rose Bowl was forced to select Oklahoma, which was displaced from the Big 12's normal BCS bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, since it was hosting the championship game.

2003-04 season

These BCS bowl games were played following the 2003 regular season

• Thursday, January 1, 2004 - Rose Bowl Game presented by citi : Southern California (Pac-10 champion) 28, Michigan (Big Ten champion) 14
• Thursday, January 1, 2004 - FedEx Orange Bowl: Miami (Big East champion) 16, Florida State (ACC champion) 14
• Friday, January 2, 2004 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State (at-large) 35, Kansas State (Big 12 champion) 28
• Sunday, January 4, 2004 - Nokia Sugar Bowl (National Championship) LSU (BCS #2, SEC champion) 21, Oklahoma (BCS #1) 14

2004-05 season

These BCS bowl games were played following the 2004 regular season:

• Saturday, January 1, 2005 - Rose Bowl presented by citi: Texas (at-large) 38, Michigan (Big Ten champion) 37
• Saturday, January 1, 2005 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Utah (at-large*) 35, Pittsburgh (Big East champion) 7
• Monday, January 3, 2005 - Nokia Sugar Bowl: Auburn (SEC champion) 16, Virginia Tech (ACC champion) 13
• Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - FedEx Orange Bowl (National Championship): USC (BCS #1, Pac-10 champion) 55, Oklahoma (BCS #2, Big 12 champion) 19

NOTE: Utah was an automatic at-large selection as it was champion of the Mountain West Conference and ranked #6 in the final BCS standings.

2005-06 season

These BCS bowl games were played following the 2005 regular season in chronological order:

• Monday, January 2, 2006 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: #4 Ohio State (at-large) 34, #6 Notre Dame (at-large) 20
• Monday, January 2, 2006 - Nokia Sugar Bowl: #11 West Virginia (Big East champion) 38, #8 Georgia (SEC champion) 35

(NOTE: Due to damage to the Louisiana Superdome because of Hurricane Katrina, the game was played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.)

• Tuesday, January 3, 2006 - FedEx Orange Bowl: #3 Penn State (Big Ten champion) 26, Florida State (ACC champion) 23 (3 OT)
• Wednesday, January 4, 2006 - Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi (National Championship): Texas (BCS #2, Big 12 champion) 41, USC (BCS #1, Pac-10 champion) 38

2006-07 season

See also: NCAA football bowl games, 2006-07

These BCS bowl games were played following the 2006 regular season in chronological order:

• Monday, January 1 - Rose Bowl Game presented by Citibank: USC (10-2, Pac-10 champion) 32, Michigan (11-1, at-large) 18
• Monday, January 1 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Boise State (12-0, at-large) 43, Oklahoma (11-2, Big 12 champion) 42 (OT)
• Tuesday, January 2 - FedEx Orange Bowl: Louisville (11-1, Big East champion) 24, Wake Forest (11-2, ACC champion) 13
• Wednesday, January 3 - Allstate Sugar Bowl: LSU (10-2, at-large) 41, Notre Dame (10-2, at-large) 14
• Monday, January 8 - Tostitos BCS National Championship: Florida 41 (BCS #2, SEC champion), Ohio State (BCS #1, Big Ten champion) 14

NOTE: Boise State was an automatic at-large selection as it was champion of the Western Athletic Conference and ranked #8 in the final BCS standings.

BCS Bowl wins and appearances by team

Appearances	School	W	L	Pct	Games
6	Florida State	1	5	.167	Lost 1999 Fiesta Bowl* Won 2000 Sugar Bowl* Lost 2001 Orange Bowl* Lost 2003 Sugar Bowl Lost 2004 Orange Bowl Lost 2006 Orange Bowl
5	Ohio State	4	1	.800	Won 1999 Sugar Bowl Won 2003 Fiesta Bowl* Won 2004 Fiesta Bowl Won 2006 Fiesta Bowl Lost 2007 BCS National Championship Game*
5	Oklahoma	2	3	.400	Won 2001 Orange Bowl* Won 2003 Rose Bowl Lost 2004 Sugar Bowl* Lost 2005 Orange Bowl* Lost 2007 Fiesta Bowl
5	USC	4	1	.800	Won 2003 Orange Bowl Won 2004 Rose Bowl Won 2005 Orange Bowl* Lost 2006 Rose Bowl* Won 2007 Rose Bowl
4	Florida	3	1	.750	Won 1999 Orange Bowl Lost 2001 Sugar Bowl Won 2002 Orange Bowl Won 2007 BCS National Championship Game*
4	Miami (FL)	3	1	.750	Won 2001 Sugar Bowl Won 2002 Rose Bowl* Lost 2003 Fiesta Bowl* Won 2004 Orange Bowl
4	Michigan	1	3	.250	Won 2000 Orange Bowl Lost 2004 Rose Bowl Lost 2005 Rose Bowl Lost 2007 Rose Bowl
3	LSU	3	0	1.000	Won 2002 Sugar Bowl Won 2004 Sugar Bowl* Won 2007 Sugar Bowl
3	Notre Dame	0	3	.000	Lost 2001 Fiesta Bowl Lost 2006 Fiesta Bowl Lost 2007 Sugar Bowl
2	Georgia	1	1	.500	Won 2003 Sugar Bowl Lost 2006 Sugar Bowl
2	Nebraska	1	1	.500	Won 2000 Fiesta Bowl Lost 2002 Rose Bowl*
2	Tennessee	1	1	.500	Won 1999 Fiesta Bowl* Lost 2000 Fiesta Bowl
2	Texas	2	0	1.000	Won 2005 Rose Bowl Won 2006 Rose Bowl*
2	Virginia Tech	0	2	.000	Lost 2000 Sugar Bowl* Lost 2005 Sugar Bowl
2	Wisconsin	2	0	1.000	Won 1999 Rose Bowl Won 2000 Rose Bowl
1	Alabama	0	1	.000	Lost 2000 Orange Bowl
1	Auburn	1	0	1.000	Won 2005 Sugar Bowl
1	Boise State	1	0	1.000	Won 2007 Fiesta Bowl
1	Colorado	0	1	.000	Lost 2002 Fiesta Bowl
1	Illinois	0	1	.000	Lost 2002 Sugar Bowl
1	Iowa	0	1	.000	Lost 2003 Orange Bowl
1	Kansas State	0	1	.000	Lost 2004 Fiesta Bowl
1	Louisville	1	0	1.000	Won 2007 Orange Bowl
1	Maryland	0	1	.000	Lost 2002 Orange Bowl
1	Oregon	1	0	1.000	Won 2002 Fiesta Bowl
1	Oregon State	1	0	1.000	Won 2001 Fiesta Bowl
1	Penn State	1	0	1.000	Won 2006 Orange Bowl
1	Pittsburgh	0	1	.000	Lost 2005 Fiesta Bowl
1	Purdue	0	1	.000	Lost 2001 Rose Bowl
1	Stanford	0	1	.000	Lost 2000 Rose Bowl
1	Syracuse	0	1	.000	Lost 1999 Orange Bowl
1	Texas A&M	0	1	.000	Lost 1999 Sugar Bowl
1	UCLA	0	1	.000	Lost 1999 Rose Bowl
1	Utah	1	0	1.000	Won 2005 Fiesta Bowl
1	Wake Forest	0	1	.000	Lost 2007 Orange Bowl
1	Washington	1	0	1.000	Won 2001 Rose Bowl
1	Washington State	0	1	.000	Lost 2003 Rose Bowl
1	West Virginia	1	0	1.000	Won 2006 Sugar Bowl
*Denotes BCS National Championship Game

BCS Bowl wins and appearances by conference

Conference	W	L	Pct	School	Games
ACC	1	8	0.111	Florida State Florida State Florida State Maryland Florida State Florida State Virginia Tech Florida State Wake Forest	Lost 1999 Fiesta Bowl* Won 2000 Sugar Bowl* Lost 2001 Orange Bowl* Lost 2002 Orange Bowl Lost 2003 Sugar Bowl Lost 2004 Orange Bowl Lost 2005 Sugar Bowl Lost 2006 Orange Bowl Lost 2007 Orange Bowl
Big 12	5	7	0.417	Texas A&M Nebraska Oklahoma Nebraska Colorado Oklahoma Oklahoma Kansas State Oklahoma Texas Texas Oklahoma	Lost 1999 Sugar Bowl Won 2000 Fiesta Bowl Won 2001 Orange Bowl* Lost 2002 Rose Bowl* Lost 2002 Fiesta Bowl Won 2003 Rose Bowl Lost 2004 Sugar Bowl* Lost 2004 Fiesta Bowl Lost 2005 Orange Bowl* Won 2005 Rose Bowl Won 2006 Rose Bowl* Lost 2007 Fiesta Bowl
Big East	5	4	0.555	Syracuse Virginia Tech Miami, Fla. Miami, Fla. Miami, Fla. Miami, Fla. Pittsburgh West Virginia Louisville	Lost 1999 Orange Bowl Lost 2000 Sugar Bowl* Won 2001 Sugar Bowl Won 2002 Rose Bowl* Lost 2003 Fiesta Bowl* Won 2004 Orange Bowl Lost 2005 Fiesta Bowl Won 2006 Sugar Bowl Won 2007 Orange Bowl
Big Ten	8	7	0.533	Wisconsin Ohio State Wisconsin Michigan Purdue Illinois Ohio State Iowa Michigan Ohio State Michigan Penn State Ohio State Ohio State Michigan	Won 1999 Rose Bowl Won 1999 Sugar Bowl Won 2000 Rose Bowl Won 2000 Orange Bowl Lost 2001 Rose Bowl Lost 2002 Sugar Bowl Won 2003 Fiesta Bowl* Lost 2003 Orange Bowl Lost 2004 Rose Bowl Won 2004 Fiesta Bowl Lost 2005 Rose Bowl Won 2006 Orange Bowl Won 2006 Fiesta Bowl Lost 2007 BCS National Championship Game* Lost 2007 Rose Bowl
MWC	1	0	1.000	Utah	Won 2005 Fiesta Bowl
Pac-10	7	4	0.637	UCLA Stanford Washington Oregon State Oregon Washington State USC USC USC USC USC	Lost 1999 Rose Bowl Lost 2000 Rose Bowl Won 2001 Rose Bowl Won 2001 Fiesta Bowl Won 2002 Fiesta Bowl Lost 2003 Rose Bowl Won 2003 Orange Bowl Won 2004 Rose Bowl Won 2005 Orange Bowl* Lost 2006 Rose Bowl* Won 2007 Rose Bowl
SEC	9	4	0.692	Tennessee Florida Alabama Tennessee Florida LSU Florida Georgia LSU Auburn Georgia Florida LSU	Won 1999 Fiesta Bowl* Won 1999 Orange Bowl Lost 2000 Orange Bowl Lost 2000 Fiesta Bowl Lost 2001 Sugar Bowl Won 2002 Sugar Bowl Won 2002 Orange Bowl Won 2003 Sugar Bowl Won 2004 Sugar Bowl* Won 2005 Sugar Bowl Lost 2006 Sugar Bowl Won 2007 BCS National Championship Game* Won 2007 Sugar Bowl
WAC	1	0	1.000	Boise State	Won 2007 Fiesta Bowl
Independent	0	3	0.000	Notre Dame Notre Dame Notre Dame	Lost 2001 Fiesta Bowl Lost 2006 Fiesta Bowl Lost 2007 Sugar Bowl
*Denotes BCS National Championship Game

Future schedules

Changes for 2006-07

The 2006-07 BCS featured major changes from its previous editions.

Television rights shifted from ABC to FOX, while ABC continued telecasting the Rose Bowl. Second, the addition of a BCS National Championship Game matched the top two teams in the BCS rankings (Ohio State and Florida) at the site of one of the BCS games one week after these games have been played (University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, one week after the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl). The addition of a fifth BCS game allowed for the potential addition of two "at large" teams.

Another new rule stated: "...one conference champion from among Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt, and Western Athletic Conferences will automatically qualify to play in a BCS bowl if it is: (1) ranked among the top 12 teams in the final BCS Standings; or (2) ranked among the top 16 teams in the final BCS Standings and ranked higher than the champion of one of the conferences whose champion has an annual automatic berth in a BCS bowl." In the first year with this new rule, Boise State was able to earn a berth in the Fiesta Bowl by virtue of a 12-0 regular season and #8 ranking in the final BCS Standings. Boise State became the second non-BCS school (after Utah in 2004) to play in a BCS game, and the second to win, defeating Oklahoma 43-42 in overtime.

If the 2006 automatic qualification standards had been in place, the following additional teams would have been guaranteed automatic selection to the BCS during the first eight seasons of the BCS: 1998 Tulane, Conference USA (#10); 1999 Marshall, Mid-American (#12); 2000 Texas Christian, Conference USA (#14); 2003 Miami (Ohio), Mid-American (#11); 2005 Texas Christian, Mountain West (#14).

2008 schedule

To be played following 2007 season.

• Tuesday, January 1 - Rose Bowl Game
• Tuesday, January 1 - Sugar Bowl
• Wednesday, January 2 - Fiesta Bowl
• Thursday, January 3 - Orange Bowl
• Monday, January 7 - BCS National Championship: (New Orleans, Louisiana)

2009 schedule

To be played following 2008 season.

• Thursday, January 1 - Rose Bowl Game
• Thursday, January 1 - Orange Bowl
• Friday, January 2 - Sugar Bowl
• Monday, January 5 - Fiesta Bowl
• Thursday, January 8 - BCS National Championship: (Miami Gardens, Florida)

2010 schedule

To be played following 2009 season.

• Friday, January 1 - Rose Bowl Game
• Friday, January 1 - Sugar Bowl
• Monday, January 4 - Fiesta Bowl
• Tuesday, January 5 - Orange Bowl
• Friday, January 8 - BCS National Championship: (Pasadena, California)

BCS Buster

The term BCS Buster refers to any team not from a BCS conference that manages to earn a spot in a BCS bowl game.With the exception of independents, it is generally more difficult for a non-BCS team to reach a BCS bowl than for a BCS conference team (see rules above), so becoming a BCS Buster is noteworthy. Even though there have been a number of worthy teams, only two teams have actually been considered by the BCS officials to be "good enough" to become BCS Busters. The University of Utah football program became the first BCS Buster in 2004 after an undefeated season. The Utah Utes played in the 2004 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, and beat their opponent, the Pittsburgh Panthers, 35-7.

With the addition of a fifth BCS bowl game in 2006 and the accompanying rule changes, it is now slightly less difficult to bust into the BCS. It is unclear whether or not BCS Busters will become more commonplace, but due to the rule change, in 2006 Boise State became the second BCS Buster after a 12-0 regular season and subsequent Fiesta Bowl berth against the Oklahoma Sooners. The Broncos won 43-42 in overtime, making non-BCS teams undefeated (2-0) in BCS bowl games.

Each season, among all the pre-season picks and predictions, media members will pick their most likely BCS Buster(s). In addition to the two successful BCS Busters, recent media favorites have included, but are not limited to, Louisville in early 2004, Boise State in late 2004, TCU at several different points over the last few years (2003, late 2005 and early in 2006), Miami University (Ohio) late in 2003, the Marshall Thundering Herd in 1999, and the Tulane Green Wave in 1998.

Previous logo

• 1998-2005 BCS logo. An alternate version of this logo (used more often on television) had the ABC network's logomark in place of the star
  1998-2005 BCS logo. An alternate version of this logo (used more often on television) had the ABC network's logomark in place of the star

Notes

1. ^ BCS Football Official Website
2. ^ Harris Interactive Poll replaces AP Poll in BCS rankings
3. ^ Harmonson, Todd "Texas ascends to No. 1 in BCS ahead of USC" October 25, 2005 San Diego Union Tribune pD1.
4. ^ Schecter, B. J. Trojan fans, stay calm October 24, 2005 Sports Illustrated.com

See also

• Mythical National Championship
• AP Poll
• Coaches Poll
• Grantland Rice Award
• NCAA Division I-A national football championship
• Dickinson System
• Harris Interactive College Football Poll

External links

• Home page of the Bowl Championship Series
• Mathematicians Examine the BCS
• Comprehensive FAQ about the BCS
• The "Notre Dame" clause in the BCS contract
• BCS plans to incorporate fifth BCS bowl
• AP Poll and BCS Ranking History

BCS controversies

• Congress to look into 'deeply flawed' BCS system
• BCS-Sucks.com
• SacktheBCS.org

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