Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a process of college football bowl games that are used to determine the two opponents that will play in the Division I national championship. It's based upon a combination point system featuring the rankings from the USA Today Coaches Poll and the Harris Interactive College Football Poll, as well as a series of computer rankings. The six major college football conferences make-up the teams involved in the BCS. Four different New Year's Day bowl games (Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl) rotate as host of the title game. The system also helps determine the opponents of the other major college football bowl games each year.
Fast Facts
- 2007 BCS National Champions: LSU
- Four BCS bowl games: Fiesta, Orange, Rose, and Sugar
- Each of the four bowls rotate as host site for national championship game
- FOX Sports is the current television home of all the BCS games
- The major conferences involved in the BCS Bowls are: ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC
- Notre Dame also eligible for BCS games as an independent
- 2008 Title Game: January 8, 2009 - Miami
Before Creation of the Series
The NCAA actually doesn't award a Division I-A national championship in football. Therefore the national championship has always been more of a mythical notion. For many years, the national championship was decided by two national polls: the writers poll and the coaches poll. In most years, the selection in both polls matched each other. But in the 1980s and early 1990s, there were more and more 'split national champions', where one poll had one team and the other poll had another. This is how the idea for the BCS came about.
Alliances and Coalitions
In 1992, five major conferences and Notre Dame created the "Bowl Coalition", the first step towards determining the champion on the field. After a three-year run, this was followed by the "Bowl Alliance" from 1995-1997. The big problem with these systems was the lack of inclusion of the Big Ten and Pac-10 Conferences. Both of those conferences joined the others in 1998 to form the BCS.
"Playoff? Playoff?"
Unlike the other levels of college football, this is the only one that does not include a playoff system to help determine the national champion. This has led to an annual controversy about the validity of the BCS system. Unlike the NCAA Tournament in college basketball, which is wildly popular, the BCS league commissioners and the university presidents have, to this point, refused to add in any type of playoff system.
List of Champions
- 2007: LSU
- 2006: Florida
- 2005: Texas
- 2004: USC
- 2003: LSU
- 2002: Ohio State
- 2001: Miami FL
- 2000: Oklahoma
- 1999: Florida State
- 1998: Tennessee
The Latest in NCAA Football
Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden fired, Dabo Swinney to fill in
Texas and Alabama top this week's AP College Football Poll
Top ranked Sooners upset by the fifth ranked Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry
Check out Mahalo's College Football Scores for a recap of this week's games!
Bowl season is just around the corner, see the experts' predictions
Related Pages on Mahalo
College Football Scores | NCAA Football | BCS Standings | BCS Championship Game | College Bowl Games | Fiesta Bowl | Orange Bowl | Rose Bowl | Sugar Bowl | Cotton Bowl | Harris Interactive College Football Poll | AP College Football Poll | USA Today Coaches Poll
Categories
