Colleges

A BCS primer

By Times staff
Published October 15, 2007

The Bowl Championship Series was created to organize matchups in the top bowl games and allow the two highest ranked teams to play for the national title. It has evolved many times since it was implemented for the 1998 season but always has guaranteed spots in prestigious bowl games to the champions of six major conferences: ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC.

Why no playoff?

Major college football is the only division that does not have a playoff. Instead, the BCS system was intended to maintain the traditional bowl games but still create a structure that produces a champion.

How does it work?

Three components make up the BCS standings, each counting for one-third of the total. The components are the USA Today coaches' poll, the Harris Interactive poll and an average of six computer rankings. The Associated Press media poll no longer is part of the formula. The BCS standings debut about midseason and continue weekly until the end of the regular season when the bowl matchups are determined.

How does each component work?

The coaches' poll is a vote of 63 coaches across the country. The Harris Interactive poll is a vote of 114 followers of college football, including media members and administrators. The computer rankings include Jeff Sagarin, Anderson & Hester, Richard Billingsley, Colley Matrix, Kenneth Massey and Dr. Peter Wolfe. A team's highest and lowest computer ranking is discarded in calculating its computer rankings average. The four remaining computer scores are averaged.

What is the NCAA's involvement?

The NCAA, which governs most college athletics, is not involved in running the BCS, which is directed by commissioners of Division I-A conferences, bowl officials and the athletic director at Notre Dame, which is not in a conference.

To learn more, the official site is bcsfootball.org.

[Last modified October 14, 2007, 23:00:15]