The Bowl Championship Series standings are determined by averaging the USA Today Coaches Poll, the Harris Interactive College Football Poll and six computer rankings. The total rankings determine which college football teams will play in bowl games and in the BCS Championship Game. BCS standings are released weekly during the final eight weeks of the college football season.http://www.bcsfootball.org/news/story?id=4765845
In the 2010-11 season, the first BCS rankings were released on October 17, 2010, and continued to be released each week throughout the 2010 NCAA Football season.http://www.collegefootballpoll.com/bcs_explained.html On December 5, 2010, the Bowl Selection Show aired announcing the teams that will play in each of the BCS bowl games. For the national championship, the Oregon Ducks will meet the Auburn Tigers.http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5889148
At the conclusion of the NCAA Football season, the top two teams in the BCS Standings meet in the BCS Championship Game to determine the national champion of college football. After the 2009 season, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Texas Longhorns met in the BCS title game with Alabama winning the game and the championship.http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/bowls/yearly_results.php?year=2009
Methodology
Each week, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame take the results of the Harris Poll and the USA Today Coaches' Poll, which are each voted on by humans, and averages them with six computer rankings. Each of the polls rank the top 25 teams and, in the case of the computer rankings, the highest and lowest rankings are discarded. Each ranking is converted to a percentage and the team with the highest average percentage is ranked first, with lower percentages following.http://www.bcsfootball.org/news/story?id=4765845
Current BCS Rankings
| BCS Rankings | |||||||
| Rank | School/Team | BCS Average | Harris | USA Today | Computers | Last Week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auburn Tigers | .9866 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Oregon Ducks | .9720 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| 3 | TCU Horned Frogs | .9102 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
| 4 | Stanford Cardinal | .8365 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | |
| 5 | Wisconsin Badgers | .8041 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 5 | |
| 6 | Ohio State Buckeyes | .7660 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 6 | |
| 7 | Oklahoma Sooners | .7297 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 9 | |
| 8 | Arkansas Razorbacks | .7274 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | |
| 9 | Michigan State Spartans | .6922 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 8 | |
| 10 | LSU Tigers | .6167 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 10 | |
| 11 | Boise State Broncos | .6104 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 11 | |
| 12 | Missouri Tigers | .5276 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 12 | |
| 13 | Virginia Tech Hokies | .5032 | 12 | 11 | 18 | 15 | |
| 14 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | .4897 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 14 | |
| 15 | Nevada Wolf Pack | .4336 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | |
| 16 | Alabama Crimson Tide | .4328 | 16 | 18 | 14 | 16 | |
| 17 | Texas A&M Aggies | .4151 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 18 | |
| 18 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | .3934 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 13 | |
| 19 | Utah Utes | .2549 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | |
| 20 | South Carolina Gamecocks | .2418 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | |
| 21 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | .1828 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | |
| 22 | West Virginia Mountaineers | .1330 | 21 | 21 | 24 | 24 | |
| 23 | Florida State Seminoles | .1140 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 | |
| 24 | Hawaii Warriors | .0778 | 24 | 25 | 23 | -- | |
| 25 | UCF Golden Knights | .0545 | 25 | 24 | 28 | -- | |
Current USA Today Coaches Poll
| USA Today Coaches Poll | |||||||
| Rank | School/Team | Total Votes | #1 Votes | Record | Last Week | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon Ducks | 1,450 | 34 | 12-0 | 1 | ||
| 2 | Auburn Tigers | 1,437 | 24 | 13-0 | 2 | ||
| 3 | TCU Horned Frogs | 1,348 | 1 | 12-0 | 3 | ||
| 4 | Wisconsin Badgers | 1,276 | 0 | 11-1 | 4 | ||
| 5 | Stanford Cardinal | 1,239 | 0 | 11-1 | 5 | ||
| 6 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 1,200 | 0 | 11-1 | 6 | ||
| 7 | Michigan State Spartans | 1,104 | 0 | 11-1 | 7 | ||
| 8 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 1,008 | 0 | 10-2 | 8 | ||
| 8 | Oklahoma Sooners | 1,008 | 0 | 11-2 | 9 | ||
| 10 | Boise State Broncos | 914 | 0 | 11-1 | 10 | ||
| 11 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 900 | 0 | 11-2 | 11 | ||
| 12 | LSU Tigers | 826 | 0 | 10-2 | 12 | ||
| 13 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 718 | 0 | 10-2 | 15 | ||
| 14 | Missouri Tigers | 712 | 0 | 10-2 | 14 | ||
| 15 | Nevada Wolf Pack | 640 | 0 | 11-1 | 17 | ||
| 16 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 607 | 0 | 10-3 | 13 | ||
| 17 | Texas A&M | 542 | 0 | 9-3 | 18 | ||
| 18 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 521 | 0 | 9-3 | 19 | ||
| 19 | Utah Utes | 375 | 0 | 10-2 | 21 | ||
| 20 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 345 | 0 | 9-4 | 16 | ||
| 21 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 261 | 0 | 9-3 | 24 | ||
| 21 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 255 | 0 | 8-4 | 22 | ||
| 23 | Florida State Seminoles | 156 | 0 | 9-4 | 20 | ||
| 24 | Central Florida Golden Knights | 143 | 0 | 10-3 | 25 | ||
| 25 | Hawaii Warriors | 98 | 0 | 10-3 | -- | ||
Dropped out: Northern Illinois Huskies
Current Harris Interactive College Football Poll
| Harris Interactive College Football Poll | |||||||
| Rank | School/Team | Total Votes | #1 Votes | Record | Last Week | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon Ducks | 2,804 | 70 | 11-0 | 1 | ||
| 2 | Auburn Tigers | 2,769 | 42 | 12-0 | 2 | ||
| 3 | TCU Horned Frogs | 2,621 | 2 | 12-0 | 4 | ||
| 4 | Wisconsin Badgers | 2,441 | 0 | 11-1 | 5 | ||
| 5 | Stanford Cardinal | 2,417 | 0 | 11-1 | 7 | ||
| 6 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 2,301 | 0 | 11-1 | 8 | ||
| 7 | Michigan State Spartans | 2,080 | 0 | 11-1 | 10 | ||
| 8 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 1,997 | 0 | 10-2 | 12 | ||
| 9 | Oklahoma Sooners | 1,809 | 0 | 10-2 | 13 | ||
| 10 | Boise State Broncos | 1,802 | 0 | 10-1 | 3 | ||
| 11 | LSU Tigers | 1,569 | 0 | 10-2 | 6 | ||
| 12 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 1,503 | 0 | 10-2 | 14 | ||
| 13 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 1,446 | 0 | 10-2 | 15 | ||
| 14 | Missouri Tigers | 1,291 | 0 | 10-2 | 16 | ||
| 15 | Nevada Wolf Pack | 1,231 | 0 | 11-1 | 19 | ||
| 16 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 1,171 | 0 | 10-2 | 9 | ||
| 17 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 1,142 | 0 | 9-3 | 17 | ||
| 18 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 1,113 | 0 | 9-3 | 11 | ||
| 19 | Texas A&M | 1,032 | 0 | 9-3 | 18 | ||
| 20 | Florida State Seminoles | 650 | 0 | 9-3 | 22 | ||
| 21 | Utah Utes | 567 | 0 | 10-2 | 20 | ||
| 22 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 393 | 0 | 8-4 | 25 | ||
| 23 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 251 | 0 | 8-3 | -- | ||
| 24 | Northern Illinois Huskies | 161 | 0 | 10-2 | -- | ||
| 25 | Arizona Wildcats | 120 | 0 | 7-4 | 21 | ||
Dropped out: North Carolina State Wolfpack, Iowa Hawkeyes
Current AP Poll
| AP College Football Poll | |||||||
| Rank | School/Team | Total Votes | #1 Votes | Record | Last Week | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auburn Tigers | 1,473 | 36 | 13-0 | 2 | ||
| 2 | Oregon Ducks | 1,462 | 23 | 12-0 | 1 | ||
| 3 | TCU Horned Frogs | 1,379 | 1 | 12-0 | 3 | ||
| 4 | Wisconsin Badgers | 1,289 | 0 | 11-1 | 4 | ||
| 5 | Stanford Cardinal | 1,283 | 0 | 11-1 | 5 | ||
| 6 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 1,179 | 0 | 11-1 | 6 | ||
| 7 | Michigan State Spartans | 1,101 | 0 | 11-1 | 7 | ||
| 8 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 1,085 | 0 | 10-2 | 8 | ||
| 9 | Oklahoma Sooners | 976 | 0 | 11-2 | 10 | ||
| 10 | Boise State Broncos | 932 | 0 | 11-1 | 9 | ||
| 11 | LSU Tigers | 863 | 0 | 10-2 | 11 | ||
| 12 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 817 | 0 | 11-2 | 12 | ||
| 13 | Nevada Wolf Pack | 759 | 0 | 11-1 | 14 | ||
| 14 | Missouri Tigers | 705 | 0 | 10-2 | 15 | ||
| 15 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 628 | 0 | 9-3 | 17 | ||
| 16 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 622 | 0 | 10-2 | 16 | ||
| 17 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 608 | 0 | 10-3 | 13 | ||
| 18 | Texas A&M | 601 | 0 | 9-3 | 19 | ||
| 19 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 332 | 0 | 9-4 | 18 | ||
| 20 | Utah Utes | 312 | 0 | 10-2 | 21 | ||
| 21 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 288 | 0 | 8-4 | 22 | ||
| 22 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 283 | 0 | 9-3 | 23 | ||
| 23 | Florida State Seminoles | 188 | 0 | 9-4 | 20 | ||
| 25 | Hawaii Warriors | 111 | 0 | 10-3 | 25 | ||
| 24 | Connecticut Huskies | 74 | 0 | 8-4 | -- | ||
Dropped out: Northern Illinois Huskies
BCS Headquarters Spoof
Poking fun at how the BCS standings are determined, a group of chimpanzees are seated in a conference room to determine the weekly rankings. The spoof from Global Sports Fraternity touches on the controversy in NCAA Football with many arguing against the BCS methodology to determine a national champion in favor of an official playoff system. One supporter of the playoff system is President Barack Obama, who stated that he would push for a change to the system in office.
References
Fast Facts
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Fact:
Compiled by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame
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Fact:
Released weekly the last eight weeks of the NCAA football season
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Fact:
Averages the USA Today Coaches Poll, the Harris Interactive College Football Poll and six computer rankings
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Fact:
Determines college football teams for bowl games and the BCS Championship Game
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Fact:
Formerly included the AP College Football Poll, teams' records and strength of schedule
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Fact:
Playoff system has been suggested to replace the BCS, but has been turned down
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Fact:
Barack Obama favors an eight-game playoff system and has suggested he'd like to lobby for a playoff as president
