BCS Explained
from BCS Releases with editorial
contributions from our staff
Updated 5/5/08 5:50
am edt
Also See: BCS Automatic Qualification, At-Large Eligibility and Selection Procedures, 2007-2010 Games
Past BCS Championship
Games
1998 Tennessee 23, Florida State 16
1999 Florida State 46, Virginia Tech 29
2000 Oklahoma 13, Florida State 2
2001 Miami (Fla.) 37, Nebraska 14
2002 Ohio State 31, Miami (Fla.) 24 (2 OT)
2003 LSU 21, Oklahoma 14 (USC was voted #1 by the AP after a 28-14 win over Michigan in the Rose Bowl)
2004 USC 55, Oklahoma 19
2005 Texas 41, USC 38
2006 Florida 41, Ohio State 14
2007 LSU 38, Ohio State 24
Pre-BCS Split "Mythical" Titles
1954 Ohio State (AP), UCLA (UPI Coaches Poll)
1957 Auburn (AP), Ohio State (UPI Coaches Poll)
1965 Alabama (AP), Michigan State (UPI Coaches Poll)
1970 Nebraska (AP), Texas (UPI Coaches Poll)
1973 Notre Dame (AP), Alabama (UPI Coaches Poll)
1974 Oklahoma (AP), Southern California (UPI Coaches Poll)
1978 Alabama (AP), Southern California (UPI Coaches Poll)
1990 Colorado (AP), Georgia Tech (UPI Coaches Poll)
1991 Miami, Fla. (AP), Washington (USA Today/CNN Coaches
Poll)
1994 Nebraska (AP, USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll)
1997 Michigan (AP), Nebraska (USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll)
(Additionally
in 1994, the AP and Coaches Poll each voted Nebraska
as the
National Champion but the Congrove Computer Rankings
awarded
the title to a similarly undefeated Penn State team.)
Compilation of Standings
The BCS Standings are compiled by the National Football Foundation
and College Hall of Fame.
This year, the BCS Standings will once again include three components:
USA Today Coaches Poll, Harris Interactive College Football Poll
and an average of six computer rankings. Each component will
count one-third of a team's overall BCS score in the BCS Standings.
The statistical rating system used to determine the teams that
will participate in the championship game of the Bowl Championship
Series consists of three components and each will count as 1/3rd
of the final BCS formula - subjective polls of Harris Interactive
(replaces AP) and coaches (USA Today) and six computer rankings.
The first BCS Rankings for 2008 will be released October 12,
then weekly through December 7.
A breakdown of the components:
I. Harris Interactive Poll (1/3rd)
Replaces the AP Poll. The first poll will be released September
23, then weekly through December 3. A team's score in the Harris
poll will be divided by 2,850, which is the maximum number of
points any team can receive if all 114 voting members rank the
same team as Number 1. (Example: 2,850 / 2,850 = 1.0. If a team
receives a total of 114 voting points, an average of 25th place,
their BCS quotient of this component would be .04. (1.0 / 25
II. Coaches Poll (1/3rd)
A team's score in the USA Today poll will be divided by 1,500,
which is the maximum number of points any team can receive if
all 60 voting members rank the same team as Number 1. (Example:
1,500 / 1,500 = 1.0. If a team receives a total of 60 voting
points, an average of 25th place, their BCS quotient of this
component would be .04. (1.0 / 25 = 0.04.)
(Better understanding the polls: In both human polls,
voting members fill out their own top 25 rankings ballot. Each
team receives 1-25 points in reverse order of the way they are
ranked. The 25th place team on each ballot receives 1 point,
24th place gets 2 points, 23rd receives 3 points... first place
receives 25 points.
In the Harris Interactive College Football Poll and USA Today
Coaches Poll, a team will be evaluated on the number of voting
points it receives in each poll. The number of actual voters,
which can vary and has varied in the past, is figured into the
computation on a weekly basis in stating each team's percentage
of a possible perfect score.
III. Computer rankings (1/3rd)
Six computer ranking systems will participate. The highest and
lowest rating of each team will be thrown out and the remaining
four will be averaged. The current participating computer rankings
are:
Peter Wolfe
Wes Colley
Sagarin
Seattle Times
Richard Billingsley
Kenneth Massey
Simplifying the formula
A = Harris Poll
B = Coaches Poll
C = Throw out the high and low of the six computer rankings
for each team. Add the remaining four. Divide that total by four.
Result: A+B+C = Total Score
BCS News Release On "Future Structure"
The 2005 regular season marked the eighth and final year
of ABC Sport's exclusive rights to telecast the four BCS bowls.
Beginning with the post-season following the 2006 campaign, FOX
Sports took over the telecasts of the FedEx Orange, Nokia Sugar
and Tostitos Fiesta Bowls. Fox also has the rights to telecast
the National Championship games through January 2009.
ABC will continue to telecast the Rose Bowl through January 2014.
It will also telecast the National Championship game when it
is played in Pasadena in January 2010. The BCS began using a
"double hosting" format with the games played after
the 2006 regular season. Under this model there are five (5)
BCS games annually, including the National Championship game.
The four BCS bowl games (Orange, Fiesta, Sugar, Rose) will be
held annually, in addition to a National Championship game that
will rotate among those four bowl sites each year. Once every
four years, one of the aforementioned bowls will host two BCS
games: its traditional bowl game and the National Championship
game.
Under the double hosting format, the champions of the Atlantic
Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pacific-10 and Southeastern
Conferences will continue to play annually in one of the BCS
bowls. In addition, 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.
Under the new BCS arrangement Notre Dame will be guaranteed one
of the at-large slots in a BCS bowl if it is ranked No. 8 or
better in the final BCS Standings. It is also guaranteed annual
payment for its participation in the BCS. In those seasons in
which the Irish play in a BCS game, the school will receive $4.5
million (an amount equivalent that received by a conference that
places a second team in a BCS bowl). In those seasons in which
Notre Dame does not play in a BCS game, it is projected to be
paid $1.3 million for its participation in the BCS arrangement.
No more than two teams from
the same conference may play in the BCS bowls in any particular
year.
After the 2007 season, automatic qualification standards will
be applied to all 11 Division I-A conferences to determine the
number of conferences whose champion will automatically qualify
for a BCS game for the next two seasons ('08 and '09). Each conference
will be evaluated on each of the previous four seasons ('04,
'05, '06, '07), based on membership during the '07 season. The
champions of no fewer than five conferences and no more than
seven conferences will have annual automatic berths in the BCS
bowl games played following the 2008 and 2009 regular season.
It is anticipated that payments to those conferences whose champions
have an annual automatic berth in a BCS bowl game will increase
from approximately $17 million following the 2006 regular season
to $18.5 million for the BCS bowl games played following the
2009 regular season. Any conference placing a second team in
one of the BCS bowls will continue to receive a payment of $4.5
million for such team.
How does the "double-hosting" format work? How will
the new BCS National Championship Game work?
Under the "double-hosting" format, the BCS National
Championship Game will be played Jan. 7 in New Orleans, La.,
one week after the Sugar Bowl. The participants in the championship
game will be the top two-ranked teams in the BCS standings, announced
Dec. 2. There will be no "play-in" games. The BCS standings
will determine the No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup, the same it has been
since the BCS began in 1998.
The four BCS bowls and the new championship game expand the
number of slots from eight to 10, creating more accessibility.
How will this work?
With this format, the champions of the Atlantic Coast, Big East,
Big Ten, Big 12, Pacific-10 and Southeastern Conferences will
continue to play annually in one of the BCS bowls through the
post-season following the regular season. In addition, 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 14 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.
Under the new BCS arrangement Notre Dame will be guaranteed one
of the at-large slots in a BCS bowl if it is ranked No. 8 or
better in the final BCS standings. It is also guaranteed annual
payment for its participation in the BCS. In those seasons in
which the Irish play in a BCS bowl game, the school will receive
$4.5 million (an amount equivalent to that received by a conference
that places a second team in a BCS bowl). In those seasons in
which Notre Dame does not play in a BCS bowl game, it is projected
to be paid $1.3 million for its participation in the BCS arrangement.
As in the current BCS arrangement, no more than two teams from
the same conference may play in the BCS bowls in any particular
season.
How do I get tickets to the new BCS National Championship
Game?
Send a letter with your contact information to this address,
and you will be placed on a mailing list for ticket information:
BCS National Championship Game Tickets
c/o The Sugar Bowl
110 Veterans Blvd,Suite 500
Metairie, Louisiana 70005
What does the TV deal with FOX entail?
FOX Sports and the BCS reached an exclusive four-year agreement
covering all media distribution and sponsorship rights for the
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, FedEx Orange Bowl and Allstate Sugar Bowl
from 2007 through 2010, and a new, stand-alone BCS National Championship
Game from 2007 through 2009. In addition to telecast rights,
the contract also covers national radio rights; Internet rights;
all sponsorship rights, including naming rights, signage and
virtual signage opportunities and in-game enhancements; ancillary
programming on FOX and/or FSN; and a joint venture (FOX, BCS
and Bowls) to identity and exploit merchandising opportunities.
What are the future dates for the BCS National Championship
Game and the four BCS bowls?
Following the 2008 Regular Season
Jan. 1, 2009 - Orange Bowl
Jan. 1, 2009 - Rose Bowl
Jan. 2, 2009 - Sugar Bowl
Jan. 5, 2009 - Fiesta Bowl
Jan. 8, 2009 - BCS National Championship Game (Miami)
Following the 2009 Regular Season
Jan. 1, 2010 - Sugar Bowl
Jan. 1, 2010 - Rose Bowl
Jan. 4, 2010 - Fiesta Bowl
Jan. 5, 2010 - Orange Bowl
Jan. 7, 2010 - BCS National Championship Game (Pasadena)
The BCS is...
- The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is a five-game arrangement for post-season college football that is designed to match the two top-rated teams in a national championship game and to create exciting and competitive matchups between eight other highly regarded teams in four other games.
- The bowl games participating are the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, FedEx Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and the BCS National Championship Game which will be played each year at one of the bowl sites.
- The BCS is managed by the commissioners of the 11 NCAA Division I-A conferences, the director of athletics at the University of Notre Dame, and representatives of the bowl organizations. The conferences are Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt, Pacific 10, Southeastern and Western Athletic.
- The conference commissioners and the Notre Dame athletics director make decisions regarding all BCS issues, in consultation with an athletics directors advisory group and subject to the approval of a presidential oversight committee whose members represent all 117 Division 1-A programs.
- The five BCS games are part of the overall bowl structure. All bowl games provide meaningful season-ending opportunities to teams.
- As one conference commissioner said, "the celebration that occurs among the student-athletes, coaching staff and fans at the end of each bowl games is an indication of the importance of all bowl games."
- The BCS places great premium on the regular season of college football. Football weekends are an important ingredient in the overall college experience-going well beyond simply what occurs in the athletics department. A significant amount of the revenue that supports all athletic programs is generated by regular-season football. And so it is of great importance that the regular season remains strong and vibrant.
- The top two teams were matched in bowl games infrequently before the BCS, when conferences were contractually obligated to certain games and there was no flexibility to attempt to match the top teams.
- The BCS conferences have a contract with Fox Sports to televise the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar Bowls through 2010 and the National Championship Games through 2009. ABC has an agreement to continue to televise the 2010 National Championship Game and the Rose Bowl through 2014.
BCS Governance
The BCS is managed by the commissioners of the 11 NCAA Division I-A conferences, the director of athletics at the University of Notre Dame, and representatives of the bowl organizations. The conferences are Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt, Pacific 10, Southeastern and Western Athletic.
The conference commissioners and the Notre Dame athletics director make decisions regarding all BCS issues, in consultation with an athletics directors advisory group and subject to the approval of a presidential oversight committee whose members represent all 119 Division 1-A programs. A conference commissioner serves as BCS coordinator. For the 2008 and 2009 regular seasons, the coordinator is John Swofford, commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Presidential Oversight Committee
David Frohnmayer - President, University of Oregon
Rev. John Jenkins - President, University of Notre Dame
Robert Khayat - Chancellor, University of Mississippi
Mark A. Nordenberg - President, University of Pittsburgh
John G. Peters - President, Northern Illinois University
Harvey Perlman - Chancellor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Graham Spanier - President, The Pennsylvania State University
Charles W. Steger - President, Virginia Tech University
Conference Commissioners and Notre Dame Athletics Director
Coordinator - John Swofford (ACC)
Britton Banowsky (C-USA)
Dan Beebe (Big 12)
Karl Benson (WAC)
Rick Chryst (MAC)
Jim Delany (Big Ten)
Tom Hansen (Pac-10)
Mike Slive (SEC)
Craig Thompson (MWC)
Michael Tranghese (Big East)
Wright Waters (Sun Belt)
Kevin White (Notre Dame)
Athletic Director Advisory Group
Gene Bleymaier (Boise State - WAC)
Joe Castiglione (Oklahoma - Big 12)
Gene DeFilippo (Boston College - ACC)
Jeremy Foley (Florida - SEC)
Richard Giannini (Southern Miss - C-USA)
Ronald Guenther (Illinois - Big Ten)
Tom Holmoe (Brigham Young - MWC)
Tom Jurich (Louisville - Big East)
Dean Lee (Arkansas State - Sun Belt)
Jim Livengood (Arizona - Pac 10)
Mike O'Brien (Toledo - MAC)
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