BCS: A History

There are college football fans all over the world. People like myself, and probably you if you are reading this, love the game, the excitement, and the tradition of what many believe is the most American of all sports.

Unfortunately, trouble has come to try to drag down the game. It has been called tyrannical, evil, greedy, selfish, and irresponsible. Some think of it as wonderful, maybe the best thing that has happened to American sport. Most, though, simply know it as the BCS.

The Bowl Championship Series was created after the 1997 season, in which yet another national championship was split, this one between Michigan and Nebraska. Many were tired of not having one clearly defined national champion. The creators of the BCS system, which would use a combination of human polls and computer formulas to make a final ranking system, claimed that they could declare a definitive national champion every year without controversy. The system was adopted quickly by the NCAA and would be put into action in time for the 1998 season. After all, if this would really end disputes and shared titles, it would solve o many problems. But when it did exactly the opposite, so many more were created.

The First Debate
2003

A historic season, this is still mentioned by BCS critics trying to show that the system is severely flawed. The LSU Tigers were upset early in the year by Florida but did not lose another game that regular season. Included in that was an extremely important win over Ole Miss, which put the Tigers into the SEC Championship Game, where they soundly beat Georgia. They were near the top of the polls, but a one-loss team would need to have everyone else lose to have a shot at the national championship game. USC, also near the top was the main competition with the Tigers to play in the championship game, had also lost, in a triple-overtime thriller at Cal.

Going into the Big XII Championship Game, Oklahoma was the only undefeated team and a clear #1 in the polls. LSU was ranked second, USC third. It was clear that once Oklahoma beat Kansas State to win the Big XII, they would play against LSU for the championship.

However, the Oklahoma-Kansas State game, played in Kansas City, didn’t exactly go as planned, as K-State beat OU 35-7 in a game that was never close. Most now believed that with Oklahoma’s loss, that USC would move into the national championship game against LSU. However, amid great controversy, the computer formulas kept Oklahoma at #1, and in the championship game. USC was left to play against Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

LSU beat Oklahoma in the title game, claiming the BCS National Championship. However, after USC defeated Michigan, it was the Trojans who claimed the Associated Press National Title. It was another split championship, the very thing this system promised to end.

The Second Debate
2004

The year after that pile-up at the top, chaos ensued, as five teams (USC, Oklahoma, Auburn, Utah, and Boise State) all finished the 2004 season undefeated. Only two could play for the title, so three were left out. USC beat Oklahoma to claim the national title, but Auburn and Utah also finished the season without a loss. The calls for a playoff came, but fell on deaf ears.

Today, college football still operates under the system that has seemingly cheated teams out of championships. Many want a playoff, but none is in the works, leaving fans out in the cold, with no answers. Will there be a new solution? A radial change? Slight adjustments? Or will the system continue to determine our champions? Only time can tell.