Bowl Championship Series
Encyclopedia
The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.
The BCS relies on a combination of polls and computer selection methods to determine relative team rankings, and to narrow the field to two teams to play in the BCS National Championship Game
held after the other college bowl games. The American Football Coaches Association
is contractually bound to vote the winner of this game as the BCS National Champion and the contract signed by each conference requires them to recognize the winner of the BCS National Championship game as the official and only Champion. The BCS was created to end split championships and for the Champion to win the title on the field between the two teams selected by the BCS. In that regard it has failed, as the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season
ended with a split championship.
The system also selects match-ups for the other prestigious BCS bowl game
s. The ten teams selected include the conference champion from each of the six Automatic Qualifying conferences plus four others. The BCS was created by formal agreement by those six conferences (the Atlantic Coast
, Big East
, Big Ten
, Big 12
, Pacific-10 [now Pacific-12], and Southeastern
conferences) and the three FBS independent schools, and has evolved to allow other conferences to participate to a lesser degree.
It has been in place since the 1998 season
. Prior to its formation, the Associated Press’s number one and two teams met in bowl games only eight times in 56 seasons. In contrast, since the creation of the BCS, number one has played number two 12 years in a row by BCS measurements and nine times according to the AP Poll. Prior to the 2006 season eight teams competed in four BCS Bowls. The BCS replaced the Bowl Alliance
, in place from 1995–1997, which followed the Bowl Coalition
, in place from 1992–1994.
in conjunction with the Tournament of Roses, this was an exhibition game between a highly rated team from the west coast and a team east of the Mississippi River
.
In this first game, representing the East, the University of Michigan
Wolverines
, No. 1 and undefeated, having not been so much as scored upon all season, defeated the West's Stanford University
Indians (later renamed Cardinal
) by a score of 49–0. The lopsided score led to Stanford calling for an end to the game during the third quarter, and also led to the post-season football game not being played again until 1916.
This was an ideal time for a post-season game, as fans could take off work or school during this holiday period to travel to the game. The game was renamed the Rose Bowl in the late 1920s due to the shape of the new stadium built in Pasadena. By the 1930s, the Cotton Bowl Classic, Orange Bowl
, and the Sugar Bowl
were also held on January 1 to showcase teams from other regions of the country.
By the 1940s, college football conferences began signing contracts that tied their championship team to a particular bowl. In 1947, the Big Ten Conference
and the Pacific Coast Conference
, a forerunner of today's Pacific-12 Conference, agreed to commit their champions to play in the Rose Bowl every year, an agreement that continued under the BCS. This system raised the possibility that the two top-ranked teams in the final poll would not play each other in a bowl game. Indeed, the two top-ranked teams in the final regular-season AP Poll
had only played each other in a bowl six times since the AP began releasing its final poll after the bowl games in 1968. Under the circumstances, it was also possible to have a split national championship.
In 1991, the University of Miami
Hurricanes
and the University of Washington
Huskies
were considered the strongest teams in the nation. Since the Huskies were locked into the Rose Bowl as the Pacific 10 Conference champion against Big Ten champion Michigan, they could not play Miami, who played in the Orange Bowl. Both teams won their bowl games convincingly and shared the national championship, Miami winning the Associated Press
poll and Washington earning the top spot in the Coaches Poll. A split national championship has happened on many occasions since then, as well. (See: NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
for a compilation of past "national champions" since 1869.)
Other teams have won the national championship despite playing presumably weaker schedules than other championship contenders. The BYU Cougars
ended the 1984 season as the only undefeated and untied team in the nation as a member of the Western Athletic Conference
. The Cougars opened the season with a 20-14 victory over #3 Pittsburgh, and won the Holiday Bowl
against a 6-5 Michigan team that had been ranked as high as #2 that season. As the #4 ranked team at the end of the regular season, the University of Washington
Huskies
were offered a slot against BYU in the Holiday Bowl; Washington declined, preferring instead to play in the more lucrative Orange Bowl
where they beat #2 Oklahoma to complete a Pac-10 sweep of New Year's Day bowls (USC Rose and UCLA Fiesta). Washington (11–1) was voted #2 following the bowl season with their only blemish a late season loss at Pac-10 champ USC. Coupled with the 1983 season of 11 consecutive wins, BYU finished the 1984 season with a 24 game winning streak and was a near-unanimous choice as national champion in final polls.
To address these problems, five conferences, six bowl games, and leading independent Notre Dame
joined forces to create the Bowl Coalition
, which was intended to force a de facto "national championship game" between the top two teams. By entirely excluding all the other conferences, the Bowl Coalition also made it impossible for a non-Bowl Coalition team to win a national championship. This system was in place from the 1992 season through the 1994 season. While traditional tie-ins between conferences and bowls remained, a team would be released to play in another bowl if it was necessary to force a championship game. However, this system did not include the Big Ten
and Pac-10 champions, as both were obligated to play in the Rose Bowl. The Coalition made several unsuccessful attempts to get the Tournament of Roses Association, which operates the Rose Bowl, to release the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions if necessary to force a championship game. In 1994, undefeated Penn State, from the Big Ten, played Oregon in the Rose Bowl while undefeated Nebraska played Miami in the Orange Bowl. In a system that paired top-ranked teams, Penn State would have played Nebraska for the national championship.
The Bowl Coalition was restructured into the Bowl Alliance
for the 1995 season, involving five conferences (reduced to four for the 1996 season) and three bowls (Fiesta, Sugar, and Orange). The championship game rotated among these three bowls. It still did not, however, include the Pac-10 or Big Ten champions, the Rose Bowl, or any non-Bowl Alliance teams.
After a protracted round of negotiations, the Bowl Alliance was reformed into the Bowl Championship Series for the 1998 season; former Southeastern Conference
commissioner Roy Kramer
is considered to be the "father" of the BCS. The Tournament of Roses Association agreed to release the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions if it was necessary to force a national championship game. In return, the Rose Bowl was added to the yearly national championship rotation, and the game was able to keep its coveted exclusive TV time slot on the afternoon of New Year's Day. However, beginning with the 2006 season, the BCS National Championship Game became a separate event played at the same site as a host bowl a week following New Year's Day. The new Bowl Championship Series not only included the Big Ten and the Pac-10 conferences but also teams from mid-major conferences, based on performance. No mid-major however, or team from any conference outside of the 6 aligned conferences, has ever played in the BCS Championship Game, causing increasing controversy. This controversy has become even more intense in light of the 4-1 record that mid-major teams have against teams from the 6 automatic qualifying conferences in the BCS Bowl games they have been allowed to play in. The performances and perfect record of Texas Christian University in the 2010 season, and Boise State University in the season prior to that has also fueled the controversy surrounding the perceived inequalities that the BCS seems to perpetuate (see BCS Controversies below or in this more detailed separate article
) .
in Pasadena, California
, the Sugar Bowl
in New Orleans, the Fiesta Bowl
in Glendale, Arizona
and the Orange Bowl
in Miami Gardens, Florida
. In the first eight seasons of the BCS contract, the championship game was rotated among the four bowls, with each bowl game hosting the national championship once every four years.
Starting with the 2007 BCS, the site of the game that served as the last game on January 1 (or if January 1 fell on a Sunday, January 2) in the BCS then served as the host facility of the new stand-alone BCS National Championship game played on January 8 of that year, one week following the playing of the traditional bowl game which would follow the Rose Bowl with the exception of the games to be played in 2010. There are also thirty non-BCS bowls.
Initial plans were for the additional BCS bowl game to be held at the site of that year's championship game, such that the additional, non-championship bowl be named after the original bowl (e.g. the Sugar Bowl when the championship is in New Orleans), and have the extra game just be called "The National Championship Game". Later, the BCS considered having cities bid to be the permanent site of the new BCS game, and to place the new game in the title rotation. In the end, the BCS opted for its original plan.
The University of Oklahoma
is the only school to appear in all five BCS Bowls, playing in the 2007
, 2008
and 2011 Fiesta Bowl
, the 2004 Sugar Bowl
, the 2001
and 2005 Orange Bowl
, the 2003 Rose Bowl
, and the 2009 BCS National Championship Game
. Oklahoma’s record stands at 3-5 with a 1-3 record in National Title games. The University of Miami
has appeared in every BCS bowl except for the standalone National Championship Game, although Miami did appear in the national championship when that designation was assigned to the original four bowls in rotation. Miami played in the 2001 Sugar Bowl
, 2002 Rose Bowl
(national championship), 2003 Fiesta Bowl
(national championship), and 2004 Orange Bowl
.
held the rights to all four original BCS games, picking up the Fiesta and Orange Bowls from their former homes at CBS
, and continuing their lengthy relationships with the Rose
and Sugar Bowls. This relationship continued through the bowl games of January, 2006.
Beginning with the 2006–07 season through the 2009–10 season, any BCS game (including the National Championship Game) hosted by the Fiesta, Orange or Sugar Bowls aired on the Fox Network while games hosted by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses
were shown on ABC. Starting with the 2010-2011 season, ESPN
will air all BCS games, including the Rose Bowl. The TV deal expires with the January 2014 games.
Certain teams are given automatic berths depending on their BCS ranking and conference, as follows:
After the automatic berths have been granted, the remaining berths, known as "at-large" berths, are filled from a pool of teams who are ranked in the top 14 and have at least nine wins. The actual teams that are chosen for the at-large berths are determined by the individual bowl committees.
If fewer than 10 teams are eligible for selection, then an at-large team will be any Football Bowl Subdivision team that is bowl-eligible, has won at least nine regular-season games, and is among the top 18 teams in the final BCS Standings, though any at-large team ranked in the top 14 will be guaranteed a bid over at-large teams ranked lower than 14th. If fewer than 10 teams are eligible after expanding the at-large pool to 18 teams, then the at-large pool will continue to be expanded by four additional positions in the BCS Standings until 10 or more teams are eligible. No team ranked lower than 14 has used this rule to earn an at-large bid, although several teams ranked lower than 14 have received a bid for winning their conference, as the rule was not in place in the early years of the BCS.
All BCS conferences except the Big East have contracts for their champions to participate in specific BCS bowl games. Unless their champion is involved in the BCS National Championship game, the conference tie-ins are:
The Big East champion takes one of the remaining spots.
If the Pac-12 or Big Ten champion is picked for the BCS National Championship Game, then the Rose Bowl must choose the highest-ranked school from a non-AQ conference instead of the respective conference's #2 team if there is a non-AQ school ranked at least #4 in the final BCS standings. This was the case in 2010, when the Oregon Ducks
made it to the national championship, permitting the #3 TCU Horned Frogs
to attend, and win, the 2011 Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl is permitted to override this provision if it has been taken within the previous four seasons.
All 11 conferences compete for an opportunity to earn AQ status. As agreed by all 11 conferences, the results of the 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 regular seasons were evaluated to determine which conferences earned automatic qualification. Three criteria were used: Rank of the highest-ranked team, rank of all conference teams, and number of teams in the top 25. The six conferences which met that standard are the current BCS conferences.
The 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons will be used to determine if another conference achieves automatic qualification for the BCS games that will conclude the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
s to arrive at its overall rankings. This is an example of using a voting system
to generate a complete ordered list of winners from both human and computer-constructed votes. Obtaining a fair ranking system is a difficult mathematical problem and numerous algorithms have been proposed for ranking college football teams in particular. One example is the "random-walker rankings" studied by applied mathematicians Thomas Callaghan, Peter Mucha, and Mason Porter that employs the science of complex networks.
Margin of victory is a key component in the decision of the computer rankings to determine the BCS standings.
Before the 1999-2000 season, five more computer rankings were added to the system: Richard Billingsley, Richard Dunkel, Kenneth Massey
, Herman Matthews/Scripps Howard, and David Rothman
. The lowest ranking was dropped and the remainder averaged.
Beginning in 2001, The Peter Wolfe and Wes Colley/Atlanta Journal-Constitution computer rankings were used in place of the NYT and Dunkel rankings. The change was made because the BCS wanted computer rankings that did not depend heavily on margin of victory. The highest and lowest rankings were discarded, and the remainder averaged. A team's poll average, computer average, strength of schedule points, and losses were added to create a subtotal.
Also in 2001, a quality win component was added. If a team beat a team which was in the top 15 in the BCS standings, a range of 1.5 to .1 points was subtracted from their total. Beating the #1 ranked team resulted in a subtraction of 1.5 point, beating the #2 team resulted in a deduction of 1.4 points, and so on. Beating the #15 ranked team would have resulted in a deduction of .1 points. A team would only be awarded for a quality win once if it beat a Top 10 team more than once (such as in the regular season and a conference championship game), and quality wins were determined using a team's current subtotal, not the ranking when the game was played. The subtotal ranks were used to determine quality win deductions to create a team's final score.
The BCS continued to purge ranking systems which included margin of victory, causing the removal of the Matthews and David Rothman (statistician)
ratings before the 2002 season. Sagarin provided a BCS-specific formula that did not include margin of victory, and the New York Times index returned in a form without margin of victory considerations. In addition, a new computer ranking, the Wesley Colley Matrix, was added. The lowest ranking was dropped and the remaining six averaged. Also in 2002, the quality win component was modified such that the deduction for beating the #1 team in the BCS would be 1.0, declining by 0.1 increments until beating the 10th ranked team at 0.1. Teams on probation were not included in the BCS standings, but quality win points were given to teams who beat teams on probation as if they were ranked accordingly in the BCS.
All three components -- The Harris Interactive Poll, the USA Today Coaches Poll and the computer rankings -- shall be added together and averaged for a team's ranking in the BCS standings. The team with the highest average shall rank first in the BCS standings.
For USC, dropping their highest and lowest computer rankings would have left them with four third-place finishes, worth 23 points each for a total of 92, while LSU would have had four second-place finishes for a total of 96. The BCS averaged
the three numbers obtained above, divided the result by 100, and converted it to a decimal fraction. This system placed twice as much emphasis on polls than computer rankings (since there were two polls and an average of six computer rankings), and made it highly unlikely that the top team in both polls would be denied a place in the title game, as it happened in 2003–04.
The BCS formula for the 2005-06 season was the same as 2004-05, except that the Harris Interactive College Football Poll
replaced the AP poll. The Harris Interactive College Football Poll's maximum point value was 2,825 and for the Coaches' Poll, it was 1,550. The Harris Interactive College Football Poll was created expressly to replace the AP Poll after the Associated Press refused the use of its poll as a component of the BCS formula. Before the 2006-07 season, the maximum point value of the Harris Poll was increased to 2,850 and the USA Today/Coaches' Poll was increased to 1,575.
In the week of April 20, 2009, Bowl Championship Series commissioners were meeting for its annual spring meetings in Pasadena, California
in conjunction with the Rose Bowl
's staging the 2010 BCS title game
. The commissioners considered a proposal from the Mountain West Conference
, which would establish an eight-team playoff and provide better accesses to the four BCS bowl games for the five conferences that do not have automatic bids. The proposal also included a motion to replace the BCS rankings with a selection and a motion to change the automatic qualifier criteria to better reflect inter-conference performance. The BCS rejected the proposal in June 2009, citing a "lack of overall support" among the member conferences. Additionally, the proposal was scrutinized by the U.S. Congress
, which determined that the BCS was not in violation of any laws or constitutional amendments, although this has since been reconsidered and the BCS is currently under renewed federal anti-trust scrutiny from the Justice Department.
‡ Though winning the BCS National Championship, the LSU Tigers
were not consensus national champions. The USC Trojans
ended the regular season ranked #3 in the final BCS standings, with three Coaches Poll
voting coaches defecting from their agreement with the BCS to vote its designated game winner as champion, instead voting for USC. USC was voted #1 in the Associated Press
poll, and the AP awarded USC their National Championship. So, the 2003 Season ended with split champions which is what the BCS was organized to prevent. Because of this split championship, changes were made to the BCS formula for the 2004-05 season.
‡ Pursuant to NCAA sanctions, running back Reggie Bush
was declared retroactively ineligible for the 2005 Orange Bowl. The 2004 BCS championship held by USC (as well as their participation in the game) was vacated by the BCS committee on June 6, 2011 after the NCAA denied appeal of sanctions.
‡ Pursuant to NCAA sanctions, running back Reggie Bush was declared retroactively ineligible for the 2005 Orange Bowl and the entire 2005-06 season. USC's participation in the 2006 Rose Bowl was vacated by the BCS committee on June 6, 2011 after the NCAA denied appeal of sanctions.
*: On July 14, 2011, the NCAA vacated, for the use of an ineligible player, three games from Georgia Tech's 2009 season, including their win in the ACC Championship Game.
*: In response to the continuing investigation of Ohio State players regarding illegal benefits and the conduct of former coach Jim Tressel
, Ohio State University self-imposed vacation of all 2010 wins, including the 2011 Sugar Bowl, on July 11, 2011.
USC's appearances in the 2005 and 2006 BCS National Championship Games were vacated by the BCS.
* While Nebraska has been a member of both the Big 12 and Big Ten, it has only been to a BCS Bowl as a member of the Big 12.
** While Colorado has been a member of both the Big 12 and Pac-12, it has only been to a BCS Bowl as a member of the Big 12.
*** USC's appearances in the 2005 and 2006 BCS National Championship Games were vacated by the BCS.
**** Ohio State's 2011 Sugar Bowl victory has been self-vacated by Ohio State University due to continuing allegations over the players on that team and Coach Jim Tressel.
†Virginia Tech played for both the ACC and Big East, and played in BCS bowl games for both conferences. Note that while Miami has been a member of both the Big East and ACC, it has only been to a BCS Bowl as a member of the Big East.
††Although the Mountain West and WAC do not automatically qualify for BCS bowls, some of their appearances are not considered at-large bids because of the rule allowing the highest ranked team from a non-automatic-qualifying conference to receive an automatic bid if they are in the top 12. Boise State's bid in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl is the only time a team from a non-automatic-qualifying conference has received an at-large bid as TCU received the automatic bid in 2010.
†††While Utah has been a member of both the Mountain West and Pac-12, it has only been to a BCS Bowl as a member of the Mountain West.
† USC's appearances in the 2005 and 2006 BCS National Championship Games were vacated by the BCS.
A recent survey conducted at the Quinnipiac University
found that 63% of individuals interested in college football preferred a playoff system to the BCS, while only 26% favored the status quo. President Barack Obama
has been vocal about his opposition to the BCS. During an appearance on Monday Night Football
during the 2008 presidential campaign season, ESPN's Chris Berman asked Barack Obama
to name one thing about sports he would like to change. Obama responded that he did not like using computer rankings to determine bowl games, and he supported having a college football playoff for the top eight teams. When Steve Kroft
asked then-President-elect Obama about the subject during an interview on 60 Minutes
, Obama reiterated his support of eight-team playoff; although he has said it is not a legislative priority.
Longtime college football announcer Brent Musburger
also voiced his support for a playoff in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times
. "My dream scenario -- and it's not going to happen -- would be to take eight conference champions, and only conference champions, and play the quarterfinals of a tournament on campuses in mid-December," Musburger said. "The four losers would remain bowl-eligible. The four winners would advance to semifinals on New Year's Day with exclusive TV windows. Then, like now, one week later, there would be the national championship game."
An alternative to an eight-team playoff would be a mini-playoff in the event, and only in the event, that more than two teams finish the regular season undefeated. For example, if three teams finished undefeated, #2 and #3 would play-off for the right to face #1 in the national title game. This system would give all undefeated teams the chance to play for the national championship, while leaving the rest of the bowl game system unaltered.
, Utah Attorney General
Mark Shurtleff
announced an inquiry into whether the BCS system violates federal anti-trust laws
. In 2009, senior Utah senator, Orrin Hatch
, announced that he was exploring the possibility of a lawsuit against the BCS as an anti-competitive trust under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. On November 27, 2009 the Fort Worth Star-Telegram ran a story that said that Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), ranking member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, announced that he would hold anti-trust hearings on the BCS, again based on the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and its provisions outlawing non-competitive trusts, beginning in May 2010. Meanwhile, various organizations, including the BCS, are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to lobby the federal government both in support and in opposition to a college football playoff system.
According to CBSSports.com
wire reports and information obtained by the Associated Press
, Senator Orin Hatch received a letter from the justice department concerning the possibility of a legal review of the BCS. The letter, received on January 29, 2010, states that the Obama administration will explore options to establish a college football playoff including (a) an anti-trust lawsuit against the BCS, (b) legal action under Federal Trade Commission
consumer protection laws, (c) encouragement of the NCAA to take control of the college football postseason, (d) the establishment of an agency to review the costs and benefits of adopting a playoff system, and (e) continued legislation in favor of a playoff system. Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich writes, "The administration shares your belief that the lack of a college football national championship playoff ...raises important questions affecting millions...." BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock responded to the letter that the BCS complies with all laws and is supported by the participating Division I universities.
In April 2011, Utah attorney general Mark Shurtleff
announced he would file an antitrust lawsuit against the BCS for, "serious antitrust violations that are harming taxpayer-funded institutions to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars." The announcement followed the April 12, 2011 delivery of a letter to the US Department of Justice signed by 21 "high-profile" economists and antitrust experts asking for an investigation into the BCS' anticompetitive practices.
, are often paid unusually high salaries for employees of non-profit organizations. To promote support for their bowls and the BCS system, these highly-paid executives allegedly give lavish gifts to politicians, collegiate sports executives, and university athletic directors.
In response, a pro-playoff organization, called Playoff PAC, in September 2010 filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service
. The complaint alleges that the top BCS bowls, with the exception of the Rose Bowl
, routinely abuse favorable tax status by using charitable donations to give gifts and compensation to college athletic officials. In one example detailed in the complaint, the Orange Bowl
treated its executive staff and invited college athletic directors to a four day Royal Caribbean
cruise in which no business meetings were held.
In the summer of 2011 alone, in addition to the allegations noted above with respect to the Fiesta Bowl:
of The Dallas Morning News
cites several advantages that the BCS has over a playoff
system. Under the BCS, a single defeat is extremely detrimental to a team's prospects for a national championship, although critics point out regularly that history shows non-BCS conference teams are hurt far more than BCS teams when they lose a game. Supporters contend that this creates a substantial incentive for teams to do their best to win every game. Under a playoff system, front-running teams could be in a position of safety at the end of the regular season and could pull or greatly reduce their use of top players in order to protect them from injuries or give them recovery time (this happens frequently in the NFL
) . This may be less likely to happen under the BCS system where a team in the running for a #1 or #2 ranking at the end of the year would likely be punished in the polls for a loss, potentially eliminating them from contention.
While the BCS routinely involves controversy about which two teams are the top teams, in rare instances there is a clear-cut top two; the BCS ensures these top two will play each other for the championship. For example, USC and Texas in 2005 were the only undefeated teams; both teams were only tested a couple of times all season and mauled every other opponent they faced by large margins. Had this scenario occurred before the inception of the BCS, the teams would have been unable to play each other due to contractual obligations with the major bowls and there either would have been dual national champions or Texas would have been denied the title despite their record and talent. Under the BCS system however, these two teams got to play for the championship.
The NCAA, the governing organization of most collegiate sports, has no official process for determining its FBS (Div. 1-A) champion. Instead, FBS champions are chosen by what the NCAA calls in its official list of champions "selecting organizations".
According to its website, 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.
"...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 match-ups between eight other highly regarded teams in four other games".
not from a BCS conference that manages to earn a spot in a BCS bowl game. These teams are often referred to as non-BCS when discussed outside of the post-season structure.
With the exception of Notre Dame, it is generally extremely difficult for a non-BCS team to reach a BCS bowl, while it is much easier for a BCS conference team (see rules above) to do so due to the inherent bias built into the rules of the BCS system. This makes becoming a BCS Buster very noteworthy. Despite the fact that there have been a number of eligible non-AQ Conference teams, only seven teams (from only four schools - Utah, TCU, Boise State and Hawaii) have succeeded in becoming BCS Busters. No team outside the 6 BCS Conference have ever been in the BCS Championship, while a team from the SEC has been in the Championship game every year since 2006. This consistent selection of one Conference's teams, and other questionable selections, have been one area of intense criticism of the BCS system and its exclusionary tendencies.
The University of Utah
football program became the first BCS Buster in 2004 after an undefeated season, despite harder limits in place before the addition of a 5th bowl in 2006 made BCS Busters more commonplace. They also became the first team to repeat in 2008. The Utes
played in the 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
, and beat their opponent, the Pittsburgh Panthers
, 35–7. During the 2008 season, the Utes
finished their regular season schedule undefeated (8–0 in the Mountain West Conference and 12–0 overall) and earned a berth in the Sugar Bowl
against Alabama
, winning 31–17. Both the number of Top 25 teams (4) and Top 10 teams (2) Utah defeated that year, equalled the number of such ranked teams defeated by eventual one-loss champion Florida
. That season, no other team besides the Gators or Utes defeated four ranked teams. Ironically, the strength of schedule argument was often cited by those arguing that Utah did not deserve to be crowned National Champions. In the 2011 season, the Utes began competing as members of the Pacific-12 Conference, one of the six conferences with an automatic BCS tie in.
In 2006, Boise State
became the second BCS Buster after a 12–0 regular season and subsequent Fiesta Bowl berth against the Oklahoma Sooners
. The Broncos won 43–42 in overtime
in what many fans, pundits and others consider to be one of the best Bowl games in history.
In 2007, Hawaii
also finished the regular season at 12–0, but were defeated by the Georgia Bulldogs
41-10 in the Sugar Bowl
. This remains the only loss to date by a BCS Buster to an opponent from an automatic qualifying conference.
The 2009 season was the first in which two teams from non–BCS conferences earned BCS bowl berths. TCU
, which finished the regular season 12–0 as champions of the Mountain West, earned the automatic BCS berth with a #4 finish in the final BCS rankings. Two slots behind the Horned Frogs were WAC champions Boise State
, which finished at 13–0 for its second consecutive unbeaten regular season and fourth in six years. The Broncos defeated the Frogs 17–10 in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl
, which marked the first BCS matchup between non-AQ schools, and the first time in BCS history that two unbeaten teams met in a BCS game other than the title match. This pairing created considerable controversy as the BCS Conferences and the selection committees were accused of cowardice, pairing the two BCS Busters against each other so that the risk of BCS Conference teams losing was eliminated. This game remains a controversial saga in the history of the BCS.
In 2010, TCU
was the only non–BCS conference team to get a BCS bowl berth. Boise State
was ranked in the top five for most of the season, but a late-season overtime loss to Nevada
knocked the Broncos out of serious contention for a BCS bowl bid, despite having still been technically eligible for one. TCU would defeat Wisconsin 21-19 in the 2011 Rose Bowl
, once again calling into question the claim of BCS Conference superiority, and doing so with an entirely new level of quality of play. There was a strong movement to lobby those voting in the AP poll, which is not bound to vote for the BCS Championship winner as the Coaches Poll is, to vote TCU first and split the National Championship. While TCU got a few first place votes, this effort did not change the outcome of the AP poll, with TCU ending up the season in the #2 spot in all of the major polls and the BCS rankings. As Utah
did, TCU
will soon join a conference with an automatic BCS tie in when they join the Big 12 Conference
beginning with the 2012 season.
BCS Busters are currently 5–2 in BCS bowls, and 4–1 in BCS bowls against opponents from BCS conferences.
The following table shows all 19 teams that were eligible to become BCS Busters, including the seven that succeeded.
Bowl Championship Series Logo 2010-Current
The BCS relies on a combination of polls and computer selection methods to determine relative team rankings, and to narrow the field to two teams to play in the BCS National Championship Game
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
held after the other college bowl games. The American Football Coaches Association
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
is contractually bound to vote the winner of this game as the BCS National Champion and the contract signed by each conference requires them to recognize the winner of the BCS National Championship game as the official and only Champion. The BCS was created to end split championships and for the Champion to win the title on the field between the two teams selected by the BCS. In that regard it has failed, as the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season
2003 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with an abundance of controversy, resulting in a split national championship. This was the first split title since the inception of the BCS, something the BCS intended to eliminate....
ended with a split championship.
The system also selects match-ups for the other prestigious BCS bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
s. The ten teams selected include the conference champion from each of the six Automatic Qualifying conferences plus four others. The BCS was created by formal agreement by those six conferences (the Atlantic Coast
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
, Big East
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
, Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
, Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
, Pacific-10 [now Pacific-12], and Southeastern
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
conferences) and the three FBS independent schools, and has evolved to allow other conferences to participate to a lesser degree.
It has been in place since the 1998 season
1998 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first of the Bowl Championship Series, which saw Tennessee win the national championship, one year after star quarterback Peyton Manning left for the NFL...
. Prior to its formation, the Associated Press’s number one and two teams met in bowl games only eight times in 56 seasons. In contrast, since the creation of the BCS, number one has played number two 12 years in a row by BCS measurements and nine times according to the AP Poll. Prior to the 2006 season eight teams competed in four BCS Bowls. The BCS replaced the Bowl Alliance
Bowl Alliance
The Bowl Alliance was an agreement among college football bowl games for the purpose of trying to match the top two teams in a national championship bowl game and to provide quality bowl game matchups for the champions of its member conferences...
, in place from 1995–1997, which followed the Bowl Coalition
Bowl Coalition
The Bowl Coalition was a predecessor of the Bowl Championship Series that was formed through an agreement among college football bowl games and conferences for the purpose of forcing a national championship game between the top two teams and to provide quality bowl game matchups for the champions...
, in place from 1992–1994.
History leading to creation of the BCS
The current bowl system began in 1902 with the East-West game in Pasadena, California. Held on New Year's DayNew Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
in conjunction with the Tournament of Roses, this was an exhibition game between a highly rated team from the west coast and a team east of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
In this first game, representing the East, the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
, No. 1 and undefeated, having not been so much as scored upon all season, defeated the West's Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
Indians (later renamed Cardinal
Stanford Cardinal
The Stanford Cardinal is the nickname of the athletic teams at Stanford University.-Nickname and mascot history:Following its win over Cal in the first-ever Big Game in 1892, the color cardinal was picked as the primary color of Stanford's athletic teams...
) by a score of 49–0. The lopsided score led to Stanford calling for an end to the game during the third quarter, and also led to the post-season football game not being played again until 1916.
This was an ideal time for a post-season game, as fans could take off work or school during this holiday period to travel to the game. The game was renamed the Rose Bowl in the late 1920s due to the shape of the new stadium built in Pasadena. By the 1930s, the Cotton Bowl Classic, Orange Bowl
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935 and celebrated its 75th playing on January 1, 2009...
, and the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
were also held on January 1 to showcase teams from other regions of the country.
By the 1940s, college football conferences began signing contracts that tied their championship team to a particular bowl. In 1947, the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
and the Pacific Coast Conference
Pacific Coast Conference
The Pacific Coast Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pacific-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, the older league had a completely different charter and was disbanded in 1959 due to a major crisis...
, a forerunner of today's Pacific-12 Conference, agreed to commit their champions to play in the Rose Bowl every year, an agreement that continued under the BCS. This system raised the possibility that the two top-ranked teams in the final poll would not play each other in a bowl game. Indeed, the two top-ranked teams in the final regular-season AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
had only played each other in a bowl six times since the AP began releasing its final poll after the bowl games in 1968. Under the circumstances, it was also possible to have a split national championship.
In 1991, the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
Hurricanes
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
and the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
Huskies
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
were considered the strongest teams in the nation. Since the Huskies were locked into the Rose Bowl as the Pacific 10 Conference champion against Big Ten champion Michigan, they could not play Miami, who played in the Orange Bowl. Both teams won their bowl games convincingly and shared the national championship, Miami winning the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
poll and Washington earning the top spot in the Coaches Poll. A split national championship has happened on many occasions since then, as well. (See: NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
for a compilation of past "national champions" since 1869.)
Other teams have won the national championship despite playing presumably weaker schedules than other championship contenders. The BYU Cougars
BYU Cougars
BYU Cougars is an American soccer team based in Provo, Utah, United States. The team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference....
ended the 1984 season as the only undefeated and untied team in the nation as a member of the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
. The Cougars opened the season with a 20-14 victory over #3 Pittsburgh, and won the Holiday Bowl
Holiday Bowl
The Holiday Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I-A college football bowl game that has been played annually at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, since 1978. Beginning with the 2010 playing the bowl will officially be known as the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl after...
against a 6-5 Michigan team that had been ranked as high as #2 that season. As the #4 ranked team at the end of the regular season, the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
Huskies
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
were offered a slot against BYU in the Holiday Bowl; Washington declined, preferring instead to play in the more lucrative Orange Bowl
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935 and celebrated its 75th playing on January 1, 2009...
where they beat #2 Oklahoma to complete a Pac-10 sweep of New Year's Day bowls (USC Rose and UCLA Fiesta). Washington (11–1) was voted #2 following the bowl season with their only blemish a late season loss at Pac-10 champ USC. Coupled with the 1983 season of 11 consecutive wins, BYU finished the 1984 season with a 24 game winning streak and was a near-unanimous choice as national champion in final polls.
To address these problems, five conferences, six bowl games, and leading independent Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame's nickname is inherited from Irish immigrant soldiers who fought in the Civil War with the Union's Irish Brigade, , recollected among other places in the poetry of Joyce Kilmer who served with one of the Irish Brigade regiments during World War I...
joined forces to create the Bowl Coalition
Bowl Coalition
The Bowl Coalition was a predecessor of the Bowl Championship Series that was formed through an agreement among college football bowl games and conferences for the purpose of forcing a national championship game between the top two teams and to provide quality bowl game matchups for the champions...
, which was intended to force a de facto "national championship game" between the top two teams. By entirely excluding all the other conferences, the Bowl Coalition also made it impossible for a non-Bowl Coalition team to win a national championship. This system was in place from the 1992 season through the 1994 season. While traditional tie-ins between conferences and bowls remained, a team would be released to play in another bowl if it was necessary to force a championship game. However, this system did not include the Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
and Pac-10 champions, as both were obligated to play in the Rose Bowl. The Coalition made several unsuccessful attempts to get the Tournament of Roses Association, which operates the Rose Bowl, to release the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions if necessary to force a championship game. In 1994, undefeated Penn State, from the Big Ten, played Oregon in the Rose Bowl while undefeated Nebraska played Miami in the Orange Bowl. In a system that paired top-ranked teams, Penn State would have played Nebraska for the national championship.
The Bowl Coalition was restructured into the Bowl Alliance
Bowl Alliance
The Bowl Alliance was an agreement among college football bowl games for the purpose of trying to match the top two teams in a national championship bowl game and to provide quality bowl game matchups for the champions of its member conferences...
for the 1995 season, involving five conferences (reduced to four for the 1996 season) and three bowls (Fiesta, Sugar, and Orange). The championship game rotated among these three bowls. It still did not, however, include the Pac-10 or Big Ten champions, the Rose Bowl, or any non-Bowl Alliance teams.
After a protracted round of negotiations, the Bowl Alliance was reformed into the Bowl Championship Series for the 1998 season; former Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
commissioner Roy Kramer
Roy Kramer
-External links:*...
is considered to be the "father" of the BCS. The Tournament of Roses Association agreed to release the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions if it was necessary to force a national championship game. In return, the Rose Bowl was added to the yearly national championship rotation, and the game was able to keep its coveted exclusive TV time slot on the afternoon of New Year's Day. However, beginning with the 2006 season, the BCS National Championship Game became a separate event played at the same site as a host bowl a week following New Year's Day. The new Bowl Championship Series not only included the Big Ten and the Pac-10 conferences but also teams from mid-major conferences, based on performance. No mid-major however, or team from any conference outside of the 6 aligned conferences, has ever played in the BCS Championship Game, causing increasing controversy. This controversy has become even more intense in light of the 4-1 record that mid-major teams have against teams from the 6 automatic qualifying conferences in the BCS Bowl games they have been allowed to play in. The performances and perfect record of Texas Christian University in the 2010 season, and Boise State University in the season prior to that has also fueled the controversy surrounding the perceived inequalities that the BCS seems to perpetuate (see BCS Controversies below or in this more detailed separate article
BCS controversies
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system designed to force a "national championship game" between the top-ranking teams in American college football's top division, the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
) .
Bowl games
In the current BCS format, four bowl games and the National Championship Game are considered "BCS bowl games." The four bowl games are the Rose Bowl GameRose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
in New Orleans, the Fiesta Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
in Glendale, Arizona
Glendale, Arizona
Glendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city is 226,721....
and the Orange Bowl
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935 and celebrated its 75th playing on January 1, 2009...
in Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens is a Miami suburban city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name comes from one of the major roadways through the area, Miami Gardens Drive. According to the 2010 U.S...
. In the first eight seasons of the BCS contract, the championship game was rotated among the four bowls, with each bowl game hosting the national championship once every four years.
Starting with the 2007 BCS, the site of the game that served as the last game on January 1 (or if January 1 fell on a Sunday, January 2) in the BCS then served as the host facility of the new stand-alone BCS National Championship game played on January 8 of that year, one week following the playing of the traditional bowl game which would follow the Rose Bowl with the exception of the games to be played in 2010. There are also thirty non-BCS bowls.
Initial plans were for the additional BCS bowl game to be held at the site of that year's championship game, such that the additional, non-championship bowl be named after the original bowl (e.g. the Sugar Bowl when the championship is in New Orleans), and have the extra game just be called "The National Championship Game". Later, the BCS considered having cities bid to be the permanent site of the new BCS game, and to place the new game in the title rotation. In the end, the BCS opted for its original plan.
The University of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
is the only school to appear in all five BCS Bowls, playing in the 2007
2007 Fiesta Bowl
The 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game played as part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
, 2008
2008 Fiesta Bowl
The 2008 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game sponsored by Tostitos. It was part of the 2007–2008 Bowl Championship Series of the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Played annually since 1971, first at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe,...
and 2011 Fiesta Bowl
2011 Fiesta Bowl
The 2011 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game played as part of the 2011 Bowl Championship Series of the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
, the 2004 Sugar Bowl
2004 Sugar Bowl
The 2004 Sugar Bowl, the BCS title game for the 2003 college football season, was played on January 4, 2004 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The teams were LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners...
, the 2001
2001 Orange Bowl
The 2001 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game and BCS National Championship match between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles on January 3, 2001, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...
and 2005 Orange Bowl
2005 Orange Bowl
The 2005 Orange Bowl represented the BCS National Championship Game of the 2004 season and was played on January 4, 2005 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida....
, the 2003 Rose Bowl
2003 Rose Bowl
The 2003 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2003. It was the 89th Rose Bowl game. It was a match-up between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Washington State Cougars. The game was won by Oklahoma 34-14. Nate Hybl who played quarterback for the Sooners, was named the Rose...
, and the 2009 BCS National Championship Game
2009 BCS National Championship Game
The 2009 BCS National Championship Game, sponsored by FedEx, was an American football game played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on January 8, 2009. It was the national championship game for the 2008 college football season, and featured the second-ranked Florida Gators against the...
. Oklahoma’s record stands at 3-5 with a 1-3 record in National Title games. The University of Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
has appeared in every BCS bowl except for the standalone National Championship Game, although Miami did appear in the national championship when that designation was assigned to the original four bowls in rotation. Miami played in the 2001 Sugar Bowl
2001 Sugar Bowl
The 2001 Sugar Bowl a 2000–2001 BCS game was played on January 2, 2001. This 67th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Florida Gators, and the , in an in-state rivalry game...
, 2002 Rose Bowl
2002 Rose Bowl
The 2002 Rose Bowl, played on January 3, 2002, was a college football bowl game. It was the 88th Rose Bowl game and was the BCS National Championship Game of the 2001 college football season...
(national championship), 2003 Fiesta Bowl
2003 Fiesta Bowl
The 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl took place on January 3,2003 in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Miami Hurricanes by a score of 31–24 in double overtime. It also served as the BCS National Championship Game for the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season...
(national championship), and 2004 Orange Bowl
2004 Orange Bowl
The 2004 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the and the Florida State Seminoles on January 1, 2004, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Miami defeated FSU 16-14 in a stout defensive battle...
.
Television
Initially, ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
held the rights to all four original BCS games, picking up the Fiesta and Orange Bowls from their former homes at CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, and continuing their lengthy relationships with the Rose
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
and Sugar Bowls. This relationship continued through the bowl games of January, 2006.
Beginning with the 2006–07 season through the 2009–10 season, any BCS game (including the National Championship Game) hosted by the Fiesta, Orange or Sugar Bowls aired on the Fox Network while games hosted by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses
Pasadena Tournament of Roses
Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, created by the efforts of Charles Frederick Holder and Francis F. Rowland, is the non-profit organization that has annually produced the New Year's Day Tournament of Roses Parade since 1895 and the Rose Bowl Game, since 1902...
were shown on ABC. Starting with the 2010-2011 season, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
will air all BCS games, including the Rose Bowl. The TV deal expires with the January 2014 games.
Selection of teams
A set of rules is used to determine which teams compete in the BCS bowl games.Certain teams are given automatic berths depending on their BCS ranking and conference, as follows:
- The top two teams are given automatic berths in the BCS National Championship Game.
- The champion of a BCS conferenceBCS conferenceAn Automatic Qualifying conference is an athletic conference in NCAA Division I FBS whose champion receives an automatic berth in one of the five Bowl Championship Series bowl games...
(ACCAtlantic Coast ConferenceThe Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
, Big 12Big 12 ConferenceThe Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
, Big EastBig East ConferenceThe Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
, Big TenBig Ten ConferenceThe Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
, Pac-12, and SECSoutheastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
) is guaranteed an automatic BCS bowl bid. - Due to the "Notre Dame rule", independent Notre DameNotre Dame Fighting Irish footballNotre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
receives an automatic berth if it finishes in the top eight. - The highest-ranked champion of a non-BCS conference will receive an automatic berth if:
- It is ranked in the top 12, or
- Ranked in the top 16 and higher than at least one BCS conference champion.
- No more than one such team from Conference USAConference USAConference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
, the Mid-American ConferenceMid-American ConferenceThe Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
, the Mountain West ConferenceMountain West ConferenceThe Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
, the Sun Belt ConferenceSun Belt ConferenceThe Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
, and the Western Athletic ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceThe Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
shall earn an automatic berth in any year. However, a second team from one of these conferences may qualify as a BCS at-large. - No more than two teams from any one conference may receive berths in BCS games unless two non-champions from a BCS conference finish as the top two teams in the final BCS standings, in which case they will meet in the National Title Game while their conference champion will play in their conference's BCS bowl game.
- The third-ranked team will receive an automatic berth if it has not already received one, if it is a member of a BCS conference, and provided that its conference has not already earned two automatic berths, if there is room.
- If the third-ranked team did not require a berth using the previous provision, then the fourth-ranked team will receive an automatic berth if it has not already received one, if it is a member of a BCS conference, and provided that its conference has not already earned two automatic berths, if there is room.
After the automatic berths have been granted, the remaining berths, known as "at-large" berths, are filled from a pool of teams who are ranked in the top 14 and have at least nine wins. The actual teams that are chosen for the at-large berths are determined by the individual bowl committees.
If fewer than 10 teams are eligible for selection, then an at-large team will be any Football Bowl Subdivision team that is bowl-eligible, has won at least nine regular-season games, and is among the top 18 teams in the final BCS Standings, though any at-large team ranked in the top 14 will be guaranteed a bid over at-large teams ranked lower than 14th. If fewer than 10 teams are eligible after expanding the at-large pool to 18 teams, then the at-large pool will continue to be expanded by four additional positions in the BCS Standings until 10 or more teams are eligible. No team ranked lower than 14 has used this rule to earn an at-large bid, although several teams ranked lower than 14 have received a bid for winning their conference, as the rule was not in place in the early years of the BCS.
All BCS conferences except the Big East have contracts for their champions to participate in specific BCS bowl games. Unless their champion is involved in the BCS National Championship game, the conference tie-ins are:
- Rose Bowl - Big Ten champion vs. Pac-12 champion
- Fiesta Bowl - Big 12 champion vs. at large
- Orange Bowl - ACC champion vs. at large
- Sugar Bowl - SEC champion vs. at large
The Big East champion takes one of the remaining spots.
If the Pac-12 or Big Ten champion is picked for the BCS National Championship Game, then the Rose Bowl must choose the highest-ranked school from a non-AQ conference instead of the respective conference's #2 team if there is a non-AQ school ranked at least #4 in the final BCS standings. This was the case in 2010, when the Oregon Ducks
Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks refers to the sports teams of the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are part of the Pacific-12 Conference in the Division 1 of the NCAA. With seventeen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and Track and Field...
made it to the national championship, permitting the #3 TCU Horned Frogs
TCU Horned Frogs
The TCU Horned Frogs are the athletic teams that represent Texas Christian University, consisting of 18 varsity teams. The "horned frog" nickname and mascot refer to the Texas horned lizard, as known as the "horned frog". The women's athletics teams are often referred to often as the Lady Frogs...
to attend, and win, the 2011 Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl is permitted to override this provision if it has been taken within the previous four seasons.
All 11 conferences compete for an opportunity to earn AQ status. As agreed by all 11 conferences, the results of the 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 regular seasons were evaluated to determine which conferences earned automatic qualification. Three criteria were used: Rank of the highest-ranked team, rank of all conference teams, and number of teams in the top 25. The six conferences which met that standard are the current BCS conferences.
The 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons will be used to determine if another conference achieves automatic qualification for the BCS games that will conclude the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
Rankings
For the portions of the ranking that are determined by polls and computer-generated rankings, the BCS uses a series of Borda countBorda count
The Borda count is a single-winner election method in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. The Borda count determines the winner of an election by giving each candidate a certain number of points corresponding to the position in which he or she is ranked by each voter. Once all...
s to arrive at its overall rankings. This is an example of using a voting system
Voting system
A voting system or electoral system is a method by which voters make a choice between options, often in an election or on a policy referendum....
to generate a complete ordered list of winners from both human and computer-constructed votes. Obtaining a fair ranking system is a difficult mathematical problem and numerous algorithms have been proposed for ranking college football teams in particular. One example is the "random-walker rankings" studied by applied mathematicians Thomas Callaghan, Peter Mucha, and Mason Porter that employs the science of complex networks.
1998–2003
The BCS formula calculated the top 25 teams in poll format. After combining a number of factors, a final point total was created and the teams that received the 25 lowest scores were ranked in descending order. The factors were:- Poll average: Both the APAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and ESPN-USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
coaches polls were averaged to make a number which is the poll average. - Computer average: An average of the rankings of a team in three different computer pollsSports rating systemA sports rating system is a system that analyzes the results of sports competitions to provide objective ratings for each team or player. Rankings are then derived by sorting each team's ratings and assigning an ordinal rank to each team starting with the highest rated team earning the #1 rank...
were gathered (Jeff SagarinJeff SagarinJeff Sagarin is an American sports statistician well-known for his development of a methodology for ranking and rating sports teams in a variety of sports...
/USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, Anderson-Hester/Seattle Times, and New York Times), with a 50% adjusted maximum deviation factor. (For instance, if the computers had ranked a team third, fifth, and twelfth, the poll which ranked the team twelfth would be adjusted to rank the team sixth.) - Strength of Schedule: This was the team's NCAA rank in strength of schedule divided by 25. A team's strength of schedule was calculated by win/loss record of opponents (66.6%) and cumulative win/loss record of team's opponents' opponents (33.3%). The team who played the toughest schedule was given .04 points, second toughest .08 points, and so on.
Margin of victory is a key component in the decision of the computer rankings to determine the BCS standings.
- Losses: One point was added for every loss the team has suffered during the season. All games are counted, including Kickoff Classics and conference title games.
Before the 1999-2000 season, five more computer rankings were added to the system: Richard Billingsley, Richard Dunkel, Kenneth Massey
Kenneth Massey
Kenneth Massey is an American sports statistician known for his development of a methodology for ranking and rating sports teams in a variety of sports...
, Herman Matthews/Scripps Howard, and David Rothman
David Rothman (statistician)
David Rothman was an American statistician, public policy advisor, and Bowl Championship Series computer rankings author.-Early Life and Childhood:...
. The lowest ranking was dropped and the remainder averaged.
Beginning in 2001, The Peter Wolfe and Wes Colley/Atlanta Journal-Constitution computer rankings were used in place of the NYT and Dunkel rankings. The change was made because the BCS wanted computer rankings that did not depend heavily on margin of victory. The highest and lowest rankings were discarded, and the remainder averaged. A team's poll average, computer average, strength of schedule points, and losses were added to create a subtotal.
Also in 2001, a quality win component was added. If a team beat a team which was in the top 15 in the BCS standings, a range of 1.5 to .1 points was subtracted from their total. Beating the #1 ranked team resulted in a subtraction of 1.5 point, beating the #2 team resulted in a deduction of 1.4 points, and so on. Beating the #15 ranked team would have resulted in a deduction of .1 points. A team would only be awarded for a quality win once if it beat a Top 10 team more than once (such as in the regular season and a conference championship game), and quality wins were determined using a team's current subtotal, not the ranking when the game was played. The subtotal ranks were used to determine quality win deductions to create a team's final score.
The BCS continued to purge ranking systems which included margin of victory, causing the removal of the Matthews and David Rothman (statistician)
David Rothman (statistician)
David Rothman was an American statistician, public policy advisor, and Bowl Championship Series computer rankings author.-Early Life and Childhood:...
ratings before the 2002 season. Sagarin provided a BCS-specific formula that did not include margin of victory, and the New York Times index returned in a form without margin of victory considerations. In addition, a new computer ranking, the Wesley Colley Matrix, was added. The lowest ranking was dropped and the remaining six averaged. Also in 2002, the quality win component was modified such that the deduction for beating the #1 team in the BCS would be 1.0, declining by 0.1 increments until beating the 10th ranked team at 0.1. Teams on probation were not included in the BCS standings, but quality win points were given to teams who beat teams on probation as if they were ranked accordingly in the BCS.
2004–present
In response to the controversy created by the voters in the AP poll naming USC as the No. 1 ranked team at the end of the year, the formula was rewritten. Supporters of USC and the media in general criticized the fact that polls were not weighted more heavily than computer rankings and this criticism led to the new algorithm.- AP Poll: A team's AP Poll number is the percentage of the possible points it could receive in the poll. As an example, in the final regular-season poll of 2003, LSU received a total of 1,580 out of a possible 1,625 points from the voters, giving them an AP Poll percentage of 97.2.
- Coaches' Poll: This is calculated in the same manner as the AP Poll number. For LSU, their final regular-season number in this poll would have been 99.4 (1,516 out of 1,525 possible points).
- Computer Average: The BCS used six ranking systems: Jeff SagarinJeff SagarinJeff Sagarin is an American sports statistician well-known for his development of a methodology for ranking and rating sports teams in a variety of sports...
, Anderson/Hester, Richard Billingsley, Colley Matrix, Kenneth Massey, and Dr. Peter Wolfe. A team's highest and lowest computer ranking will be discarded from figuring a team's computer poll average. Points will be assigned in inverse order of ranking from 1-25. The four remaining computer scores will be averaged and the total will be calculated as a percentage of 100.
All three components -- The Harris Interactive Poll, the USA Today Coaches Poll and the computer rankings -- shall be added together and averaged for a team's ranking in the BCS standings. The team with the highest average shall rank first in the BCS standings.
For USC, dropping their highest and lowest computer rankings would have left them with four third-place finishes, worth 23 points each for a total of 92, while LSU would have had four second-place finishes for a total of 96. The BCS averaged
Arithmetic mean
In mathematics and statistics, the arithmetic mean, often referred to as simply the mean or average when the context is clear, is a method to derive the central tendency of a sample space...
the three numbers obtained above, divided the result by 100, and converted it to a decimal fraction. This system placed twice as much emphasis on polls than computer rankings (since there were two polls and an average of six computer rankings), and made it highly unlikely that the top team in both polls would be denied a place in the title game, as it happened in 2003–04.
The BCS formula for the 2005-06 season was the same as 2004-05, except that the Harris Interactive College Football Poll
Harris Interactive College Football Poll
The Harris Interactive College Football Poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football teams. The rankings are compiled by Harris Interactive, a market research company that specializes in Internet research....
replaced the AP poll. The Harris Interactive College Football Poll's maximum point value was 2,825 and for the Coaches' Poll, it was 1,550. The Harris Interactive College Football Poll was created expressly to replace the AP Poll after the Associated Press refused the use of its poll as a component of the BCS formula. Before the 2006-07 season, the maximum point value of the Harris Poll was increased to 2,850 and the USA Today/Coaches' Poll was increased to 1,575.
In the week of April 20, 2009, Bowl Championship Series commissioners were meeting for its annual spring meetings in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
in conjunction with the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
's staging the 2010 BCS title game
2010 BCS National Championship Game
The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game was the finale of the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was played between the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide. It was hosted by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California,...
. The commissioners considered a proposal from the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
, which would establish an eight-team playoff and provide better accesses to the four BCS bowl games for the five conferences that do not have automatic bids. The proposal also included a motion to replace the BCS rankings with a selection and a motion to change the automatic qualifier criteria to better reflect inter-conference performance. The BCS rejected the proposal in June 2009, citing a "lack of overall support" among the member conferences. Additionally, the proposal was scrutinized by the U.S. Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, which determined that the BCS was not in violation of any laws or constitutional amendments, although this has since been reconsidered and the BCS is currently under renewed federal anti-trust scrutiny from the Justice Department.
History and schedule
The games are listed in chronological order, the rankings reflect the final BCS standings, and the win-loss data is prior to the BCS Bowls.1998–99 season
These BCS bowl games were played following the 1998 regular season:- Friday, January 1, 1999 - Rose Bowl Game presented by AT&T1999 Rose BowlThe 1999 Rose Bowl was the 85th Rose Bowl game and was played on Friday January 1, 1999 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. It was a college football bowl game at the end of the 1998 college football season. Wisconsin defeated by a score of 38-31. Ron Dayne of Wisconsin was named...
: #9 WisconsinWisconsin Badgers footballThe Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...
(10-1, Big Ten champion) 38, #5 UCLAUCLA Bruins FootballThe UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
(10-1, Pac-10 champion) 31 - Friday, January 1, 1999 - Nokia Sugar Bowl1999 Sugar BowlThe 1999 Sugar Bowl a 1998-1999 BCS game was played on January 1, 1999. This 65th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the Texas A&M Aggies...
: #4 Ohio State1998 Ohio State Buckeyes football teamThe 1998 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1998-1999. The team's head football coach was John Cooper. The Buckeyes played their home games in Ohio Stadium. The team finished the season with a win-loss record of 11 and 1, and...
(10-1, At-large) 24, #6 Texas A&MTexas A&M Aggies footballThe Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
(11-2, Big 12 champion) 14 - Saturday, January 2, 1999 - FedEx Orange Bowl1999 Orange BowlThe 1999 Orange Bowl a 1998-1999 BCS game was played on January 2, 1999. This 65th edition of the Orange Bowl featured the , and the Florida Gators. Florida came into the game with a 9-2 record, whereas Syracuse was 8-3...
: #8 Florida (9-2, At-large) 31, #15 Syracuse (8-3, Big East champion) 10 - Monday, January 4, 1999 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl1999 Fiesta BowlThe 1999 Fiesta Bowl, the designated BCS National Championship Game for the 1998 season, was played on January 4, 1999, in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The teams were the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida State Seminoles...
, (National Championship): #1 Tennessee1998 Tennessee Volunteers football teamThe 1998 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Tennessee entered the 1998 season coming off an 11–2 record in 1997...
(12-0, BCS #1, SEC champion) 23, #2 Florida StateFlorida State Seminoles footballThe Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
(11-1, BCS #2, ACC champion) 16
1999–2000 season
These BCS bowl games were played following the 1999 regular season:- Saturday, January 1, 2000 - Rose Bowl Game presented by AT&T2000 Rose BowlThe 2000 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2000. It was the 86th Rose Bowl game and was played on January 1, 2000 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. The game featured the Wisconsin Badgers defeating the Stanford Cardinal by a score of 17-9...
: #7 WisconsinWisconsin Badgers footballThe Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...
(9-2, Big Ten champion) 17, #22 StanfordStanford Cardinal footballThe Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
(8–3, Pac-10 champion) 9 - Saturday, January 1, 2000 - FedEx Orange Bowl2000 Orange BowlThe 2000 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan Wolverines on January 1, 2000, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Michigan defeated Alabama 35-34 in an overtime battle...
: #8 MichiganMichigan Wolverines footballThe Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
(9-2, At-large) 35, #4 Alabama1999 Alabama Crimson Tide football teamThe 1999 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1999 college football season. The team was led by head coach Mike DuBose, who was in his third season with the program...
(10-2, SEC champion) 34 (OT) - Sunday, January 2, 2000 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl2000 Fiesta BowlThe 2000 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 2000, was the 29th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Nebraska Cornhuskers . The matchup featured the two most current National Championship teams...
: #3 NebraskaNebraska Cornhuskers footballThe Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
(11-1, Big 12 champion) 31, #5 TennesseeTennessee Volunteers footballThe Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
(9–2, At-large) 21 - Tuesday, January 4, 2000 - Nokia Sugar Bowl2000 Sugar BowlThe 2000 Sugar Bowl was the designated Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game for the United States 1999 college football season and was played on January 4, 2000, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana...
(National Championship): #1 Florida State1999 Florida State Seminoles football teamThe 1999 Florida State Seminoles football team was the national champion of the 1999 college football season. The team finished with a perfect 12-0 record, and was the first in NCAA history to go "wire-to-wire," being ranked continuously as the nation's #1 team from the preseason through the bowl...
(11-0, BCS #1, ACC champion) 46, #2 Virginia TechVirginia Tech Hokies footballThe Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over...
(11-0, BCS #2, Big East champion) 29
2000–01 season
These BCS bowl games were played following the 2000 regular season:- Monday, January 1, 2001 - Rose Bowl Game presented by AT&T2001 Rose BowlThe 2001 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2001. It was the 87th Rose Bowl game. The University of Washington Huskies football team defeated the Purdue University Boilermakers football team 34-24...
: #4 Washington (10-1, Pac-10 champion) 34, #17 Purdue2000 Purdue Boilermakers football teamThe 2000 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University in the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season. Purdue finished as tri-champions of the Big Ten Conference and earned a berth in the Rose Bowl, the Boilermakers' first appearance in Pasadena since 1967.-Season:The season was...
(8-3, Big Ten champion) 24 - Monday, January 1, 2001 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl2001 Fiesta BowlThe 2001 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2001, was the 30th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona between the Oregon State Beavers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish .In the game, Oregon State quarterback Jonathan Smith threw for 305 yards...
: #6 Oregon State2000 Oregon State Beavers football team-Schedule:...
(10-1, At-large) 41, #11 Notre Dame (9-2, At-large) 9 - Tuesday, January 2, 2001 - Nokia Sugar Bowl2001 Sugar BowlThe 2001 Sugar Bowl a 2000–2001 BCS game was played on January 2, 2001. This 67th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Florida Gators, and the , in an in-state rivalry game...
: #3 Miami (FL) (10-1, Big East champion) 37, #7 Florida2000 Florida Gators football teamSeptember 30, 2000The Florida Gators came into Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi ranked third in the nation. The unranked Mississippi State Bulldogs ran for 351 yards, 172 yards and a touchdown for Dicenzo Miller, and 156 yards and a touchdown for Dontae Walker. Bulldogs quarterback...
(10-2, SEC champion) 20 - Wednesday, January 3, 2001 - FedEx Orange Bowl2001 Orange BowlThe 2001 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game and BCS National Championship match between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles on January 3, 2001, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...
(National Championship): #1 Oklahoma2000 Oklahoma Sooners football teamThe 2000 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2000-2001. This season was Bob Stoops's second as head coach. The Sooners finished with a 13-0 record winning the Big 12 Conference and the national championship, the seventh national...
(11-0, BCS #1, Big 12 champion) 13, #2 Florida StateFlorida State Seminoles footballThe Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
(10-1, BCS #2, ACC champion) 2
2001–02 season
These BCS bowl games were played following the 2001 regular season:- Tuesday, January 1, 2002 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl2002 Fiesta BowlThe 2002 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2002, was the 31st edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona between the and the Oregon Ducks...
: #4 Oregon2001 Oregon Ducks football team-Schedule:...
(10-1, Pac-10 champion) 38, #3 ColoradoColorado Buffaloes footballThe Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,...
(10-2, Big 12 champion) 16 - Tuesday, January 1, 2002 - Nokia Sugar Bowl2002 Sugar BowlThe 2002 Sugar Bowl a 2001–2002 BCS game was played on January 1, 2002. This 68th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Illinois Fighting Illini, and the LSU Tigers...
: #13 LSU2001 LSU Tigers football teamThe 2001 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2001–2002. Coached by Nick Saban, the Tigers played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU went 10–3 and won the SEC West and represented the division in the 2001...
(9-3, SEC champion) 47, #8 Illinois2001 Illinois Fighting Illini football teamThe 2001 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented the University of Illinois in the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season season. Led by senior quarterback Kurt Kittner, the team won the Big Ten Conference title and earned a Sugar Bowl berth, but lost to LSU, 47–34.-Schedule:...
(10-1, Big Ten champion) 34 - Wednesday, January 2, 2002 - FedEx Orange Bowl2002 Orange BowlThe 2002 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Florida Gators and the ACC champion Maryland Terrapins on January 2, 2002. Florida routed Maryland 56-23. The game was part of the 2001-2002 Bowl Championship Series of the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football...
: #5 Florida2001 Florida Gators football teamThe 2001 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2001 college football season...
(9-2, At-large) 56, #10 Maryland2001 Maryland Terrapins football teamThe 2001 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in its 49th season in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Terps closed the regular season with a record of 10–1, with its only loss coming to Florida State. The Terps won the ACC Championship and were granted a Bowl...
(10-1, ACC champion) 23 - Thursday, January 3, 2002 - Rose Bowl Game presented by AT&T2002 Rose BowlThe 2002 Rose Bowl, played on January 3, 2002, was a college football bowl game. It was the 88th Rose Bowl game and was the BCS National Championship Game of the 2001 college football season...
(National Championship): #1 Miami2001 Miami Hurricanes football teamThe 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team was the national champion of the 2001 college football season and is considered by many to be the greatest team in college football history.-Pre-season motivation:...
(11-0, BCS #1, Big East champion) 37, #2 NebraskaNebraska Cornhuskers footballThe Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
(11-1, BCS #2) 14
2002–03 season
These BCS bowl games were played following the 2002 regular season:- Wednesday, January 1, 2003 - Rose Bowl Game presented by PlayStation 22003 Rose BowlThe 2003 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2003. It was the 89th Rose Bowl game. It was a match-up between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Washington State Cougars. The game was won by Oklahoma 34-14. Nate Hybl who played quarterback for the Sooners, was named the Rose...
: #7 Oklahoma (11-2, Big 12 champion) 34, #6 Washington State2002 Washington State Cougars football teamThe 2002 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University in the college football season of 2002-2003. The team was led by fourteenth-year head coach Mike Price, and played its home games at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington....
(10-2, Pac-10 champion) 14 - Wednesday, January 1, 2003 - Nokia Sugar Bowl2003 Sugar BowlThe 2003 Sugar Bowl a 2002–2003 BCS game was played on January 1, 2003. This 69th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Florida State Seminoles, and the Georgia Bulldogs...
: #3 Georgia (12-1, SEC champion) 26, #14 Florida StateFlorida State Seminoles footballThe Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
(9-4, ACC champion) 13 - Thursday, January 2, 2003 - FedEx Orange Bowl2003 Orange BowlThe 2003 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the USC Trojans on January 2, 2003, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. USC won the game, 38–17...
: #4 Southern California2002 USC Trojans football teamThe 2002 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2002-2003 NCAA Division I-A college football season....
(10-2, Automatic "3-4 Rule") 38, #5 Iowa2002 Iowa Hawkeyes football teamThe 2002 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa during the 2002 college football season. The Hawkeyes played their home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa and were coached by Kirk Ferentz....
(11-1, At-large) 17 - Friday, January 3, 2003 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl2003 Fiesta BowlThe 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl took place on January 3,2003 in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Miami Hurricanes by a score of 31–24 in double overtime. It also served as the BCS National Championship Game for the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season...
(National Championship): #2 Ohio State2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football teamThe 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was the national champion of the 2002 college football season. The team was the first in Division I-A history to finish its season at 14–0, and the second to win 14 games, following BYU's 14–1 season in 1996...
(13-0, BCS #2, Big Ten champion) 31, #1 Miami2002 Miami Hurricanes football teamThe 2002 Miami Hurricanes football team sought to defend the school's 1-A national championship. They were coached by second year head coach Larry Coker, and competed in the Big East Conference- Pre Season :...
(FL) (12-0, BCS #1, Big East champion) 24 (2 OT)
2003–04 season
These BCS bowl games were played following the 2003 regular season:- Thursday, January 1, 2004 - Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi2004 Rose BowlThe 2004 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game held on January 1, 2004 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It was the 90th Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans, champions of the Pacific-10 Conference, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, champions of the Big Ten Conference, 28-14...
: #3 Southern California2003 USC Trojans football teamThe 2003 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2003-2004 NCAA Division I-A college football season...
(11-1, Pac-10 champion) 28, #4 Michigan2003 Michigan Wolverines football teamThe 2003 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2003 college football season. The team's head coach was Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium. The team won the first of its back to back Big Ten Championships...
(10-2, Big Ten champion) 14 - Thursday, January 1, 2004 - FedEx Orange Bowl2004 Orange BowlThe 2004 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the and the Florida State Seminoles on January 1, 2004, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Miami defeated FSU 16-14 in a stout defensive battle...
: #9 Miami (10-2, Big East champion) 16, #7 Florida StateFlorida State Seminoles footballThe Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
(10-2, ACC champion) 14 - Friday, January 2, 2004 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl2004 Fiesta BowlThe 2004 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 2004, was the 33rd edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game pitted #7 Ohio State against #8 Kansas State. It was a match-up between a perennial powerhouse in Ohio State, and a school that was only recently accustomed to winning in Kansas State...
: #5 Ohio State2003 Ohio State Buckeyes football teamThe 2003 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 2003-2004. The team's head coach was Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes played their home games in Ohio Stadium. Ohio State finished the season with a record of 11-2 and placed second in the...
(10-2, At-large) 35, #10 Kansas State2003 Kansas State Wildcats football teamThe 2003 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 2003-2004. The team's head football coach was Bill Snyder. The Wildcats played their home games in KSU Stadium. The team finished the season with a win-loss record of 11 and 4, and a...
(11-3, Big 12 champion) 28 - Sunday, January 4, 2004 - Nokia Sugar Bowl2004 Sugar BowlThe 2004 Sugar Bowl, the BCS title game for the 2003 college football season, was played on January 4, 2004 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The teams were LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners...
(National Championship) #2 LSU2003 LSU Tigers football teamThe 2003 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2003–2004. Coached by Nick Saban, the Tigers played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After a bit of controversy, LSU won the BCS National Championship, the first...
(12-1, BCS #2, SEC champion) 21, #1 Oklahoma (12-1, BCS #1) 14‡
‡ Though winning the BCS National Championship, the LSU Tigers
LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers are the athletic teams of Louisiana State University. They participate in the NCAA's Division I, in the Southeastern Conference. It fields teams in 14 varsity sports . Its official team nickname is the Fighting Tigers and the school mascot is Mike the Tiger...
were not consensus national champions. The USC Trojans
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the athletic teams representing the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy...
ended the regular season ranked #3 in the final BCS standings, with three Coaches Poll
Coaches Poll
The USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and Division I college basketball teams....
voting coaches defecting from their agreement with the BCS to vote its designated game winner as champion, instead voting for USC. USC was voted #1 in the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
poll, and the AP awarded USC their National Championship. So, the 2003 Season ended with split champions which is what the BCS was organized to prevent. Because of this split championship, changes were made to the BCS formula for the 2004-05 season.
2004–05 season
These BCS bowl games were played following the 2004 regular season:- Saturday, January 1, 2005 - Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi2005 Rose BowlThe 2005 Rose Bowl Game was the 91st edition of the college football bowl game, held on January 1, 2005 at the self-named stadium in Pasadena, California. The Texas Longhorns, second place finishers of the Big 12 Conference's South Division, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, co-champions of the...
: #4 Texas (10-1, Automatic "3-4 Rule") 38, #13 Michigan2004 Michigan Wolverines football teamThe 2004 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2004 college football season. The team's head football coach was Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium...
(9-2, Big Ten champion) 37 - Saturday, January 1, 2005 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl2005 Fiesta BowlThe 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2005, was the 34th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played between Utah and Pittsburgh, in front of 73,519 fans. It is notable for being the first BCS game to feature a team from a non-BCS conference, and the only BCS bowl to feature a...
: #6 Utah2004 Utah Utes football teamThe 2004 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2004–2005. This team was the original 'BCS Buster', meaning, this was the first time that a team from a non-BCS conference was invited to play in one of the BCS bowl games. The team, coached by 2nd...
(11-0, MWC champion, Automatic non-AQ) 35, #21 Pittsburgh2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football teamThe 2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2004 college football season in which they won a share of The Big East Conference Championship and were awarded with a BCS berth to the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.- Schedule :...
(8-3, Big East champion) 7 - Monday, January 3, 2005 - Nokia Sugar Bowl2005 Sugar BowlThe 2005 Sugar Bowl was a postseason American college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Auburn Tigers at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 3, 2005. It was the 71st edition of the annual Sugar Bowl football contest...
: #3 Auburn2004 Auburn Tigers football teamThe 2004 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. Auburn compiled a record of 13–0, winning the Southeastern Conference championship and finishing the season ranked #2 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll...
(12-0, SEC champion) 16, #8 Virginia Tech2004 Virginia Tech Hokies football teamThe 2004 Virginia Tech Hokies football team won the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship in its inaugural year in the conference, running off a streak of eight straight wins to end the regular season after a 2-2 start. Tech finished 10th in the final Associated Press poll with a 10-3 record...
(10-2, ACC champion) 13 - Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - FedEx Orange Bowl2005 Orange BowlThe 2005 Orange Bowl represented the BCS National Championship Game of the 2004 season and was played on January 4, 2005 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida....
(National Championship): #1 Southern California2004 USC Trojans football teamThe 2004 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2004-2005 NCAA Division I-A college football season. Although now vacated for breaking NCAA rules, the team won the 2004 BCS National Championship by winning the 2005 Orange Bowl, that year's BCS National...
(11-0, BCS #1, Pac-10 champion) 55, #2 Oklahoma (12-0, BCS #2, Big 12 champion) 19‡
‡ Pursuant to NCAA sanctions, running back Reggie Bush
Reggie Bush
Reginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
was declared retroactively ineligible for the 2005 Orange Bowl. The 2004 BCS championship held by USC (as well as their participation in the game) was vacated by the BCS committee on June 6, 2011 after the NCAA denied appeal of sanctions.
2005–06 season
These BCS bowl games were played following the 2005 regular season:- Monday, January 2, 2006 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl2006 Fiesta BowlThe 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 2006, was the 35th edition of the Fiesta Bowl, featuring Notre Dame and Ohio State. Ohio State won the game 34–20....
: #4 Ohio State2005 Ohio State Buckeyes football teamThe 2005 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented The Ohio State University in the college football season of 2005-2006. The team's head football coach was Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes played their home games in Ohio Stadium. The team finished the season with a win-loss record of 10 and 2, and...
(9-2, Automatic "3-4 Rule") 34, #6 Notre Dame2005 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football teamThe 2005 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was a college football team who represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Charlie Weis in his first year as head coach, and played their home games at Notre Dame Stadium...
(9-2, Automatic) 20 - Monday, January 2, 2006 - Nokia Sugar Bowl2006 Sugar BowlThe 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl game was played on January 2, 2006, as part of the Bowl Championship Series. This 72nd edition of the Sugar Bowl featured the West Virginia Mountaineers, champions of the Big East, and the Southeastern Conference Champion Georgia Bulldogs...
: #11 West Virginia2005 West Virginia Mountaineers football teamThe 2005 West Virginia Mountaineers football team completed the season with an 11–1 record. The Mountaineers won their third consecutive Big East Title with a conference record of 7–0...
(10-1, Big East champion) 38, #7 Georgia2005 Georgia Bulldogs football teamThe 2005 Georgia Bulldogs football team completed the season with a 10-3 record. Winning 10 games for the fourth year in a row, Georgia tied its own record for consecutive 10 win seasons. The Bulldogs, with a regular season SEC record of 6-2, won the SEC East and advanced to the 2005 SEC...
(10-2, SEC champion) 35 - Tuesday, January 3, 2006 - FedEx Orange Bowl2006 Orange BowlThe 2006 Orange Bowl, a 2005-2006 BCS game, was played on January 3, 2006. This 72nd edition to the Orange Bowl featured the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Florida State Seminoles....
: #3 Penn State2005 Penn State Nittany Lions football teamThe 2005 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2005–2006 college football season. The team's head coach was Joe Paterno...
(10-1, Big Ten champion) 26, #22 Florida State2005 Florida State Seminoles football teamThe 2005 Florida State Seminoles football team won the 2005 ACC Championship Game over the Virginia Tech Hokies by a score of 27-22. With the victory, they were a selection to go to the 2006 Orange Bowl as the ACC representative in the BCS.-Schedule:...
(8-4, ACC champion) 23 (3 OT) - Wednesday, January 4, 2006 - Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi2006 Rose BowlThe 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series...
(National Championship): #2 Texas (12-0, BCS #2, Big 12 champion) 41, #1 Southern California2005 USC Trojans football teamThe 2005 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the college football season of 2005–2006, winning the Pacific-10 Conference , and playing for the NCAA Division I-A national championship...
(0-0, BCS #1, Pac-10 champion now vacated) 38‡
‡ Pursuant to NCAA sanctions, running back Reggie Bush was declared retroactively ineligible for the 2005 Orange Bowl and the entire 2005-06 season. USC's participation in the 2006 Rose Bowl was vacated by the BCS committee on June 6, 2011 after the NCAA denied appeal of sanctions.
2006–07 season
These BCS bowl games were played following the 2006 regular season:- Monday, January 1, 2007 - Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi2007 Rose BowlThe 2007 Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2007 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It was the 93rd Rose Bowl Game and part of the 2006-2007 Bowl Championship Series at the conclusion of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
: #5 Southern California2006 USC Trojans football teamThe 2006 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in college football season of 2006-2007, winning the Pacific-10 Conference and playing in the Rose Bowl...
(10-2, Pac-10 champion) 32, #3 Michigan2006 Michigan Wolverines football teamThe 2006 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2006 college football season. The team's head football coach was Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines came into the season with lower expectations than many Michigan teams of the previous few seasons, ranked #14...
(11-1, Automatic "3-4 Rule") 18 - Monday, January 1, 2007 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl2007 Fiesta BowlThe 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game played as part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
: #8 Boise State2006 Boise State Broncos football teamThe 2006 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2006 college football season. The Broncos won the Western Athletic Conference championship with an undefeated 12–0 regular-season record , their second unbeaten regular season in the past three years...
(12-0, WAC Champion, Automatic non-AQ) 43, #10 Oklahoma2006 Oklahoma Sooners football teamThe 2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2006-2007, winning the Big 12 Conference Championship...
(11-2, Big 12 champion) 42 (OT) - Tuesday, January 2, 2007 - FedEx Orange Bowl2007 Orange BowlThe 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl game is a college football bowl game. It is part of the 2006-2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Orange Bowl was first played in 1935. The 2007 game was played on January 2, 2007, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens,...
: #6 Louisville2006 Louisville Cardinals football teamThe 2006 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the 2006 college football season. The team, led by Bobby Petrino in his fourth year at the school, played their home games in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium...
(11-1, Big East champion) 24, #14 Wake Forest2006 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football teamThe 2006 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team represented Wake Forest University during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Jim Grobe, in his fifth season at the school, and played its home games at Groves Stadium...
(11-2, ACC champion) 13 - Wednesday, January 3, 2007 - Allstate Sugar Bowl2007 Sugar BowlThe 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl Game was a college football bowl game, which formed part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 NCAA Division I-BS football season. Played on January 3, 2007, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, it was the 73rd Sugar Bowl...
: #4 LSU2006 LSU Tigers football teamThe 2006 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2006–2007. The team's coach was former Oklahoma State coach Les Miles. They played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
(10-2, At-large) 41, #11 Notre Dame2006 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football teamThe 2006 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was a college football team which represented the University of Notre Dame during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Charlie Weis in his second year as head coach and played their home football games at Notre Dame...
(10-2, At-large) 14 - Monday, January 8, 2007 - Tostitos BCS National Championship2007 BCS National Championship GameThe 2007 BCS National Championship Game, sponsored by Tostitos, was an American football game played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on January 8, 2007. The BCS No. 2 Florida Gators defeated the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, 41–14. The Buckeyes secured a spot by finishing...
: #2 Florida2006 Florida Gators football teamThe 2006 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2006 college football season...
(11-1, BCS #2, SEC champion) 41, #1 Ohio State2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football teamThe 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team representing the Ohio State University in the college football season of 2006-2007. The team's head coach was Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes played their home games in Ohio Stadium...
(12-0, BCS #1, Big Ten champion) 14
2007–08 season
These BCS bowl games were played following the 2007 regular season:- Tuesday, January 1, 2008 - Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi2008 Rose BowlThe 2008 Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi, the 94th Rose Bowl Game, played on January 1, 2008 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, was a college football bowl game. The contest was televised on ABC, the 20th straight year the network aired the Rose Bowl, starting at 4:30pm EST...
: #7 Southern California2007 USC Trojans football teamThe 2007 University of Southern California Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the college football season of 2007–2008, winning a share of the Pacific-10 Conference Championship and winning the 2008 Rose Bowl...
(10-2, Pac-10 champion) 49, #13 Illinois2007 Illinois Fighting Illini football teamThe 2007 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented the University of Illinois in the 2007–2008 college football season. The team's head coach was Ron Zook. The Illini played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois...
(9-3, At-large) 17 - Tuesday, January 1, 2008 - Allstate Sugar Bowl2008 Sugar BowlThe 2008 Allstate Sugar Bowl Game was an American college football bowl game. It was part of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was the 74th Sugar Bowl...
: #5 Georgia2007 Georgia Bulldogs football teamThe 2007 Georgia Bulldogs football team competed on behalf of the University of Georgia in American football against teams from other colleges and universities. The Bulldogs tied for first place in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference but lost a tie-breaker with the University of...
(10-2, At-large) 41, #10 Hawaii2007 Hawaii Warriors football teamThe 2007 Hawaii Warriors football team represented the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in the 2007 NCAA Division I-Bowl Subdivision college football season....
(12-0, WAC Champion, Automatic non-AQ) 10 - Wednesday, January 2, 2008 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl2008 Fiesta BowlThe 2008 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game sponsored by Tostitos. It was part of the 2007–2008 Bowl Championship Series of the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Played annually since 1971, first at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe,...
: #9 West Virginia2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football teamThe 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football team began play on September 1, 2007. The team was coached by Rich Rodriguez until he announced on December 16, 2007 that he was leaving West Virginia to coach the Michigan Wolverines. The head coaching position remained vacant after his announcement,...
(10-2, Big East champion) 48, #4 Oklahoma2007 Oklahoma Sooners football teamThe 2007 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2007-2008, winning the Big 12 Conference Championship for the fifth time in eight years. The team was led by head coach Bob Stoops...
(11-2, Big 12 champion) 28 - Thursday, January 3, 2008 - FedEx Orange Bowl2008 Orange BowlThe 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Kansas Jayhawks on January 3, 2008, at Dolphins Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Spread bettors favored Virginia Tech by three points, but in a game dominated by defensive and...
: #8 Kansas2007 Kansas Jayhawks football teamThe 2007 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas for the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision intercollegiate football season of 2007-2008...
(11-1, At-large) 24, #3 Virginia Tech2007 Virginia Tech Hokies football teamThe 2007 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
(11-2, ACC champion) 21 - Monday, January 7, 2008 - Allstate BCS National Championship2008 BCS National Championship GameThe 2008 Allstate BCS National Championship Game was played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Monday, January 7, 2008, and featured the #1 and #2 college football teams in the United States as determined by the BCS Poll to decide the BCS National Championship for the 2007...
: #2 LSU2007 LSU Tigers football teamThe 2007 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University during the college football season of 2007–2008, winning the Southeastern Conference championship and the national championship. The team's Head Coach was Les Miles who entered his third year at the helm of LSU Football...
(11-2, BCS #2, SEC champion), 38, #1 Ohio State2007 Ohio State Buckeyes football teamThe 2007 Ohio State Buckeyes football team competed in football on behalf of the Ohio State University during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Buckeyes were coached by Jim Tressel and played their home games in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio...
(11-1, BCS #1, Big Ten champion) 24
2008–09 season
These BCS bowl games were played following the 2008 regular season:- Thursday, January 1, 2009 - Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi2009 Rose BowlThe 2009 Rose Bowl, the 95th edition of the annual game, was a college football bowl game played on Thursday, January 1, 2009 at the same-named stadium in Pasadena, California. Because of sponsorship by Citi, the first game in the 2009 edition of the Bowl Championship Series was officially titled...
: #5 Southern California2008 USC Trojans football teamThe 2008 University of Southern California Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the college football season of 2008–2009...
(11-1, Pac-10 champion) 38, #8 Penn State2008 Penn State Nittany Lions football teamThe 2008 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the 2008 college football season. The team is coached by Joe Paterno and plays its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.-Previous season:...
(11-1, Big Ten champion) 24 - Thursday, January 1, 2009 - FedEx Orange Bowl2009 Orange BowlThe 2009 FedEx Orange Bowl game was the 75th edition of the annual college football bowl game known as the Orange Bowl. It pitted the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference champion Virginia Tech Hokies against the Big East Conference champion Cincinnati Bearcats on January 1, 2009 at Dolphin Stadium in...
: #19 Virginia Tech2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football teamThe 2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represents Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach is Frank Beamer. Prior to the season, the Hokies were expected to be in a rebuilding mode, recovering after the...
(9-4, ACC champion) 20, #12 Cincinnati2008 Cincinnati Bearcats football teamThe 2008 Cincinnati Bearcats football team represents the University of Cincinnati in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team, coached by Brian Kelly, plays its homes game in Nippert Stadium. Kelly is in his second full season with the Bearcats after coaching them to a 31–21 win...
(11-2, Big East champion) 7 - Friday, January 2, 2009 - Allstate Sugar Bowl2009 Sugar BowlThe 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 75th annual edition of the annual college football bowl game that is part of the 2008–09 bowl season of the Bowl Championship Series 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
: #6 Utah2008 Utah Utes football teamThe 2008 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team, coached by 4th year head football coach Kyle Whittingham, plays its home games in Rice–Eccles Stadium...
(12-0, MWC champion, Automatic non-AQ) 31, #4 Alabama2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football teamThe 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 76th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 17th within the SEC Western Division...
(12-1, At-large) 17 - Monday, January 5, 2009 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl2009 Fiesta BowlThe 2009 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns on Monday, January 5, 2009, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona...
: #3 Texas2008 Texas Longhorn football teamThe 2008 Texas Longhorn football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Mack Brown, who has a contract lasting through the 2016 season...
(11-1, Automatic "3-4 Rule") 24, #10 Ohio State2008 Ohio State Buckeyes football teamThe 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes football team competed in football on behalf of the Ohio State University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Buckeyes were coached by Jim Tressel and played their home games in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio...
(10-2, At-large) 21 - Thursday, January 8, 2009 - FedEx BCS National Championship2009 BCS National Championship GameThe 2009 BCS National Championship Game, sponsored by FedEx, was an American football game played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on January 8, 2009. It was the national championship game for the 2008 college football season, and featured the second-ranked Florida Gators against the...
: #2 Florida2008 Florida Gators football teamThe 2008 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2008 college football season...
(12-1, BCS #2, SEC champion) 24, vs. #1 Oklahoma2008 Oklahoma Sooners football teamThe 2008 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2008-2009. It was the 114th year of season play for the Sooners. The team was led by head coach Bob Stoops, a two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year award winner, who has a contract...
(12-1, BCS #1, Big 12 champion) 14
2009–10 season
These BCS games were played following the 2009 regular season:- Friday, January 1, 2010 - Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi2010 Rose BowlThe 2010 Rose Bowl, the 96th edition of the annual game, was a college football bowl game played on Friday, January 1, 2010 at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. It featured the Ohio State Buckeyes against the Oregon Ducks...
: #8 Ohio State2009 Ohio State Buckeyes football teamThe 2009 Ohio State Buckeyes football team competed in football on behalf of The Ohio State University for the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Buckeyes were coached by Jim Tressel and played their home games in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. They finished with a record of 11–2 and...
(10-2, Big Ten Champion) 26, #7 Oregon2009 Oregon Ducks football teamThe 2009 Oregon Ducks football team represented the University of Oregon in the college football season of 2009. The team was led by head coach Chip Kelly in his first season as a head coach at the Division I FBS level. Kelly was only the third Ducks head coach since 1977 and led the Ducks to a...
(10-2, Pac-10 Champion) 17 - Friday January 1, 2010 - Allstate Sugar Bowl2010 Sugar BowlThe 2010 Sugar Bowl Game was an American college football bowl game that was part of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the 76th Sugar Bowl...
: #5 Florida2009 Florida Gators football teamThe 2009 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2009 college football season...
(12-1, At-large) 51, #3 Cincinnati2009 Cincinnati Bearcats football teamThe 2009 Cincinnati Bearcats football team represented the University of Cincinnati in the college football season of 2009–2010. The team, coached by Brian Kelly, played its home games in Nippert Stadium....
(12-0, Big East Champion) 24 - Monday, January 4, 2010 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl2010 Fiesta BowlThe 2010 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the #4 TCU Horned Frogs, champions of the Mountain West Conference, and the #6 Boise State Broncos, champions of the Western Athletic Conference. The game was played Monday, January 4, 2010, at University of...
: #6 Boise State2009 Boise State Broncos football teamThe 2009 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2009 college football season. The Broncos played their home games at Bronco Stadium, most famous for its blue artificial turf surface, often referred to as the "smurf-turf"...
(13-0, WAC Champion, At-large) 17, #4 TCU2009 TCU Horned Frogs football teamThe 2009 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2009 college football season. The team was coached by Gary Patterson. The Frogs played their home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located on campus in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs finished the season...
(12-0, MWC Champion, Automatic non-AQ) 10 - Tuesday, January 5, 2010 - FedEx Orange Bowl2010 Orange BowlThe 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl game featured the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, January 5, 2010, at Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...
: #10 Iowa2009 Iowa Hawkeyes football teamThe 2009 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa and the Iowa Hawkeyes athletic program during the 2009 college football season. The team played its home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. 2009 marked Kirk Ferentz's 11th year as head coach of Iowa...
(10-2, At-large) 24 vs #9 Georgia Tech2009 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football teamThe 2009 Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 2009–2010 Football Season. The team was coached by second year head coach Paul Johnson...
(10-2, ACC Champion now vacated *) 14 - Thursday, January 7, 2010 - Citi BCS National Championship2010 BCS National Championship GameThe 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game was the finale of the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was played between the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide. It was hosted by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California,...
: #1 Alabama2009 Alabama Crimson Tide football teamThe 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 77th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 18th within the SEC Western Division...
(13-0, BCS #1, SEC Champion) 37 vs #2 Texas (13-0, BCS #2, Big 12 Champion) 21
*: On July 14, 2011, the NCAA vacated, for the use of an ineligible player, three games from Georgia Tech's 2009 season, including their win in the ACC Championship Game.
2010-11 season
The following BCS games were played following the 2010 regular season:- Saturday, January 1, 2011 - Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio2011 Rose BowlThe 2011 Rose Bowl was the 97th edition of the annual bowl game played on January 1, 2011, as part of the 2010 college football season. Played in Pasadena, California, the TCU Horned Frogs of the Mountain West Conference defeated the Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten Conference. The Pasadena...
(Pasadena): #3 TCU2010 TCU Horned Frogs football teamThe 2010 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by tenth year head coach Gary Patterson and played its home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas...
(12-0, MWC Champion, Automatic non-AQ) 21 vs. #5 Wisconsin2010 Wisconsin Badgers football teamThe 2010 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers, led by fifth-year head coach Bret Bielema, were members of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium...
(11-1, Big Ten Champion **) 19 - Saturday, January 1, 2011 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl2011 Fiesta BowlThe 2011 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game played as part of the 2011 Bowl Championship Series of the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
(Glendale, Ariz.): #7 Oklahoma2010 Oklahoma Sooners football teamThe 2010 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2010–2011. It was the 116th year of season play for the Sooners. The team was led by head coach Bob Stoops, a two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year award winner, who has a contract...
(11-2, Big 12 Champion) 48 vs. Connecticut2010 Connecticut Huskies football teamThe 2010 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the Big East Conference. The team was coached by Randy Edsall and played its home games at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut...
(8-4, Big East Champion) 20 - Monday, January 3, 2011 - Discover Orange Bowl2011 Orange BowlThe 2011 Discover Orange Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Stanford Cardinal on Monday, January 3, 2011, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Stanford defeated Virginia Tech 40–12...
(Miami): #4 Stanford2010 Stanford Cardinal football teamThe 2010 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Cardinal were led by head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was in his 4th and final season before leaving to become head coach of the San Francisco 49ers...
(11-1, Automatic "3-4 Rule") 40 vs. #13 Virginia Tech2010 Virginia Tech Hokies football teamThe 2010 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Hokies were led by 24th-year head coach Frank Beamer and played their home games at Lane Stadium...
(11-2, ACC Champion) 12 - Tuesday, January 4, 2011 - Allstate Sugar Bowl2011 Sugar BowlThe 2011 Sugar Bowl Game was an American college football bowl game that was part of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the 77th Sugar Bowl. The contest took place on January 4, 2011, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The...
(New Orleans): #6 Ohio State2010 Ohio State Buckeyes football teamThe 2010 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented The Ohio State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Buckeyes were coached by Jim Tressel and played their home games in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. They were members of the Big Ten Conference...
(11-1, At-Large) 31 * vs. #8 Arkansas2010 Arkansas Razorbacks football teamThe 2010 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas in the 2010 football season. The team played five home games at Razorback Stadium and two home games at War Memorial Stadium. Coach Bobby Petrino was in his third year with the Razorbacks. They were members of the...
(10-2, At-Large) 26 - Monday, January 10, 2011 - Tostitos BCS National Championship2011 BCS National Championship GameThe 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was the final college football game to determine the national champion of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision season. The finale of the 2010-2011 Bowl Championship Series was played at the University of Phoenix Stadium, the host...
(Glendale, Ariz.): #1 Auburn2010 Auburn Tigers football teamThe 2010 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2010–2011 college football season. The Tigers, led by second year head coach Gene Chizik were members of the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference and played their home games at Jordan-Hare Stadium...
(13-0, BCS #1, SEC Champion) 22 vs. #2 Oregon2010 Oregon Ducks football teamThe 2010 Oregon Ducks football team represented the University of Oregon in the 2010 college football season. The team was led by Chip Kelly in his second season as a head coach. The Ducks played their home games at Autzen Stadium for the 44th straight year....
(12-0, BCS #2, Pac-10 Champion) 19
*: In response to the continuing investigation of Ohio State players regarding illegal benefits and the conduct of former coach Jim Tressel
Jim Tressel
James Patrick Tressel is a gameday consultant for the Indianapolis Colts, and former collegiate football head coach at both The Ohio State University from 2001 to 2011 and at Youngstown State University from 1986 to 2000. Tressel is most notable for his time at Ohio State. He was hired by the...
, Ohio State University self-imposed vacation of all 2010 wins, including the 2011 Sugar Bowl, on July 11, 2011.
Future BCS Schedules
The games are listed in chronological order. Some games dates are pending, so a range is given. Also games dates and times are subject to change and to final agreement with TV partners.2011–2012
The following BCS games are scheduled following the 2011 season:- Monday, January 2, 2012 - Rose BowlRose Bowl GameThe Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
(Pasadena, CA) - Monday, January 2, 2012 - Fiesta BowlFiesta BowlThe Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
(Glendale, AZ) - Tuesday, January 3, 2012 - Sugar BowlSugar BowlThe Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
(New Orleans, LA) - Wednesday, January 4, 2012 - Orange BowlOrange BowlThe Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935 and celebrated its 75th playing on January 1, 2009...
(Miami, FL) - Monday, January 9, 2012 - 2012 BCS National Championship Game2012 BCS National Championship GameThe 2012 Allstate BCS National Championship Game is scheduled to be the final college football game to determine the national champion of the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
(New Orleans, LA)
2012–2013
The following BCS games are scheduled following the 2012 season:- Tuesday, January 1, 2013 - Rose BowlRose Bowl GameThe Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
(Pasadena, CA) - Tuesday, January 1, 2013 - Orange BowlOrange BowlThe Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935 and celebrated its 75th playing on January 1, 2009...
(Miami, FL) - Wednesday, January 2, 2013 - Sugar BowlSugar BowlThe Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
(New Orleans, LA) - Thursday, January 3, 2013 - Fiesta BowlFiesta BowlThe Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
(Glendale, AZ) - Monday, January 7, 2013 - BCS National Championship GameBCS National Championship GameThe BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
(Miami, FL)
2013–2014
The following BCS games are scheduled following the 2013 season:- Wednesday, January 1, 2014 - Rose BowlRose Bowl GameThe Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
(Pasadena, CA) - Wednesday, January 1, 2014 - Fiesta BowlFiesta BowlThe Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
(Glendale, AZ) - Thursday, January 2, 2014 - Sugar BowlSugar BowlThe Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
(New Orleans, LA) - Friday or Saturday, January 3 or 4, 2014 - Orange BowlOrange BowlThe Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935 and celebrated its 75th playing on January 1, 2009...
(Miami, FL) - Tuesday, January 7, 2014 - BCS National Championship GameBCS National Championship GameThe BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
(Pasadena, CA)
BCS bowl wins and appearances by team
| Appearances | School | W | L | Pct | | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Ohio State | 5 | 3 | .625 | Won 1999 Sugar Bowl 1999 Sugar Bowl The 1999 Sugar Bowl a 1998-1999 BCS game was played on January 1, 1999. This 65th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the Texas A&M Aggies... Won 2003 Fiesta Bowl 2003 Fiesta Bowl The 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl took place on January 3,2003 in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Miami Hurricanes by a score of 31–24 in double overtime. It also served as the BCS National Championship Game for the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season... * Won 2004 Fiesta Bowl 2004 Fiesta Bowl The 2004 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 2004, was the 33rd edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game pitted #7 Ohio State against #8 Kansas State. It was a match-up between a perennial powerhouse in Ohio State, and a school that was only recently accustomed to winning in Kansas State... Won 2006 Fiesta Bowl 2006 Fiesta Bowl The 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 2006, was the 35th edition of the Fiesta Bowl, featuring Notre Dame and Ohio State. Ohio State won the game 34–20.... Lost 2007 BCS National Championship Game 2007 BCS National Championship Game The 2007 BCS National Championship Game, sponsored by Tostitos, was an American football game played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on January 8, 2007. The BCS No. 2 Florida Gators defeated the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, 41–14. The Buckeyes secured a spot by finishing... Lost 2008 BCS National Championship Game 2008 BCS National Championship Game The 2008 Allstate BCS National Championship Game was played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Monday, January 7, 2008, and featured the #1 and #2 college football teams in the United States as determined by the BCS Poll to decide the BCS National Championship for the 2007... Lost 2009 Fiesta Bowl 2009 Fiesta Bowl The 2009 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns on Monday, January 5, 2009, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona... Won 2010 Rose Bowl 2010 Rose Bowl The 2010 Rose Bowl, the 96th edition of the annual game, was a college football bowl game played on Friday, January 1, 2010 at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. It featured the Ohio State Buckeyes against the Oregon Ducks... Vacated2011 Sugar Bowl 2011 Sugar Bowl The 2011 Sugar Bowl Game was an American college football bowl game that was part of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the 77th Sugar Bowl. The contest took place on January 4, 2011, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The... |
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| 8 | Oklahoma | 3 | 5 | .375 | Won 2001 Orange Bowl 2001 Orange Bowl The 2001 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game and BCS National Championship match between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles on January 3, 2001, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida... * Won 2003 Rose Bowl 2003 Rose Bowl The 2003 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2003. It was the 89th Rose Bowl game. It was a match-up between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Washington State Cougars. The game was won by Oklahoma 34-14. Nate Hybl who played quarterback for the Sooners, was named the Rose... Lost 2004 Sugar Bowl 2004 Sugar Bowl The 2004 Sugar Bowl, the BCS title game for the 2003 college football season, was played on January 4, 2004 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The teams were LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners... * Lost 2005 Orange Bowl 2005 Orange Bowl The 2005 Orange Bowl represented the BCS National Championship Game of the 2004 season and was played on January 4, 2005 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.... * Lost 2007 Fiesta Bowl 2007 Fiesta Bowl The 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game played as part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season... Lost 2008 Fiesta Bowl 2008 Fiesta Bowl The 2008 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game sponsored by Tostitos. It was part of the 2007–2008 Bowl Championship Series of the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Played annually since 1971, first at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe,... Lost 2009 BCS National Championship Game 2009 BCS National Championship Game The 2009 BCS National Championship Game, sponsored by FedEx, was an American football game played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on January 8, 2009. It was the national championship game for the 2008 college football season, and featured the second-ranked Florida Gators against the... Won 2011 Fiesta Bowl 2011 Fiesta Bowl The 2011 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game played as part of the 2011 Bowl Championship Series of the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season... |
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| 7 | USC | 5 | 1 | .833 | Won 2003 Orange Bowl 2003 Orange Bowl The 2003 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the USC Trojans on January 2, 2003, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. USC won the game, 38–17... Won 2004 Rose Bowl 2004 Rose Bowl The 2004 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game held on January 1, 2004 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It was the 90th Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans, champions of the Pacific-10 Conference, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, champions of the Big Ten Conference, 28-14... Vacated 2005 Orange Bowl 2005 Orange Bowl The 2005 Orange Bowl represented the BCS National Championship Game of the 2004 season and was played on January 4, 2005 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.... * Lost 2006 Rose Bowl 2006 Rose Bowl The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series... * Won 2007 Rose Bowl 2007 Rose Bowl The 2007 Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2007 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It was the 93rd Rose Bowl Game and part of the 2006-2007 Bowl Championship Series at the conclusion of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season... Won 2008 Rose Bowl 2008 Rose Bowl The 2008 Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi, the 94th Rose Bowl Game, played on January 1, 2008 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, was a college football bowl game. The contest was televised on ABC, the 20th straight year the network aired the Rose Bowl, starting at 4:30pm EST... Won 2009 Rose Bowl 2009 Rose Bowl The 2009 Rose Bowl, the 95th edition of the annual game, was a college football bowl game played on Thursday, January 1, 2009 at the same-named stadium in Pasadena, California. Because of sponsorship by Citi, the first game in the 2009 edition of the Bowl Championship Series was officially titled... |
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| 6 | Florida | 5 | 1 | .833 | Won 1999 Orange Bowl 1999 Orange Bowl The 1999 Orange Bowl a 1998-1999 BCS game was played on January 2, 1999. This 65th edition of the Orange Bowl featured the , and the Florida Gators. Florida came into the game with a 9-2 record, whereas Syracuse was 8-3... Lost 2001 Sugar Bowl 2001 Sugar Bowl The 2001 Sugar Bowl a 2000–2001 BCS game was played on January 2, 2001. This 67th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Florida Gators, and the , in an in-state rivalry game... Won 2002 Orange Bowl 2002 Orange Bowl The 2002 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Florida Gators and the ACC champion Maryland Terrapins on January 2, 2002. Florida routed Maryland 56-23. The game was part of the 2001-2002 Bowl Championship Series of the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football... Won 2007 BCS National Championship Game 2007 BCS National Championship Game The 2007 BCS National Championship Game, sponsored by Tostitos, was an American football game played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on January 8, 2007. The BCS No. 2 Florida Gators defeated the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, 41–14. The Buckeyes secured a spot by finishing... Won 2009 BCS National Championship Game 2009 BCS National Championship Game The 2009 BCS National Championship Game, sponsored by FedEx, was an American football game played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on January 8, 2009. It was the national championship game for the 2008 college football season, and featured the second-ranked Florida Gators against the... Won 2010 Sugar Bowl 2010 Sugar Bowl The 2010 Sugar Bowl Game was an American college football bowl game that was part of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the 76th Sugar Bowl... |
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| 6 | Florida State | 1 | 5 | .167 | Lost 1999 Fiesta Bowl 1999 Fiesta Bowl The 1999 Fiesta Bowl, the designated BCS National Championship Game for the 1998 season, was played on January 4, 1999, in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The teams were the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida State Seminoles... * Won 2000 Sugar Bowl 2000 Sugar Bowl The 2000 Sugar Bowl was the designated Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game for the United States 1999 college football season and was played on January 4, 2000, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana... * Lost 2001 Orange Bowl 2001 Orange Bowl The 2001 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game and BCS National Championship match between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles on January 3, 2001, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida... * Lost 2003 Sugar Bowl 2003 Sugar Bowl The 2003 Sugar Bowl a 2002–2003 BCS game was played on January 1, 2003. This 69th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Florida State Seminoles, and the Georgia Bulldogs... Lost 2004 Orange Bowl 2004 Orange Bowl The 2004 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the and the Florida State Seminoles on January 1, 2004, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Miami defeated FSU 16-14 in a stout defensive battle... Lost 2006 Orange Bowl 2006 Orange Bowl The 2006 Orange Bowl, a 2005-2006 BCS game, was played on January 3, 2006. This 72nd edition to the Orange Bowl featured the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Florida State Seminoles.... |
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| 5 | Virginia Tech | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost 2000 Sugar Bowl 2000 Sugar Bowl The 2000 Sugar Bowl was the designated Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game for the United States 1999 college football season and was played on January 4, 2000, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana... * Lost 2005 Sugar Bowl 2005 Sugar Bowl The 2005 Sugar Bowl was a postseason American college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Auburn Tigers at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 3, 2005. It was the 71st edition of the annual Sugar Bowl football contest... Lost 2008 Orange Bowl 2008 Orange Bowl The 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Kansas Jayhawks on January 3, 2008, at Dolphins Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Spread bettors favored Virginia Tech by three points, but in a game dominated by defensive and... Won 2009 Orange Bowl 2009 Orange Bowl The 2009 FedEx Orange Bowl game was the 75th edition of the annual college football bowl game known as the Orange Bowl. It pitted the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference champion Virginia Tech Hokies against the Big East Conference champion Cincinnati Bearcats on January 1, 2009 at Dolphin Stadium in... Lost 2011 Orange Bowl 2011 Orange Bowl The 2011 Discover Orange Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Stanford Cardinal on Monday, January 3, 2011, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Stanford defeated Virginia Tech 40–12... |
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| 4 | LSU | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | Won 2002 Sugar Bowl 2002 Sugar Bowl The 2002 Sugar Bowl a 2001–2002 BCS game was played on January 1, 2002. This 68th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Illinois Fighting Illini, and the LSU Tigers... Won 2004 Sugar Bowl 2004 Sugar Bowl The 2004 Sugar Bowl, the BCS title game for the 2003 college football season, was played on January 4, 2004 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The teams were LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners... * Won 2007 Sugar Bowl 2007 Sugar Bowl The 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl Game was a college football bowl game, which formed part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 NCAA Division I-BS football season. Played on January 3, 2007, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, it was the 73rd Sugar Bowl... Won 2008 BCS National Championship Game 2008 BCS National Championship Game The 2008 Allstate BCS National Championship Game was played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Monday, January 7, 2008, and featured the #1 and #2 college football teams in the United States as determined by the BCS Poll to decide the BCS National Championship for the 2007... |
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| 4 | Miami (FL) | 3 | 1 | .750 | Won 2001 Sugar Bowl 2001 Sugar Bowl The 2001 Sugar Bowl a 2000–2001 BCS game was played on January 2, 2001. This 67th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Florida Gators, and the , in an in-state rivalry game... Won 2002 Rose Bowl 2002 Rose Bowl The 2002 Rose Bowl, played on January 3, 2002, was a college football bowl game. It was the 88th Rose Bowl game and was the BCS National Championship Game of the 2001 college football season... * Lost 2003 Fiesta Bowl 2003 Fiesta Bowl The 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl took place on January 3,2003 in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Miami Hurricanes by a score of 31–24 in double overtime. It also served as the BCS National Championship Game for the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season... * Won 2004 Orange Bowl 2004 Orange Bowl The 2004 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the and the Florida State Seminoles on January 1, 2004, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Miami defeated FSU 16-14 in a stout defensive battle... |
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| 4 | Texas | 3 | 1 | .750 | Won 2005 Rose Bowl 2005 Rose Bowl The 2005 Rose Bowl Game was the 91st edition of the college football bowl game, held on January 1, 2005 at the self-named stadium in Pasadena, California. The Texas Longhorns, second place finishers of the Big 12 Conference's South Division, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, co-champions of the... Won 2006 Rose Bowl 2006 Rose Bowl The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series... * Won 2009 Fiesta Bowl 2009 Fiesta Bowl The 2009 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns on Monday, January 5, 2009, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona... Lost 2010 BCS National Championship Game 2010 BCS National Championship Game The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game was the finale of the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was played between the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide. It was hosted by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California,... |
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| 4 | Michigan | 1 | 3 | .250 | Won 2000 Orange Bowl 2000 Orange Bowl The 2000 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan Wolverines on January 1, 2000, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Michigan defeated Alabama 35-34 in an overtime battle... Lost 2004 Rose Bowl 2004 Rose Bowl The 2004 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game held on January 1, 2004 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It was the 90th Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans, champions of the Pacific-10 Conference, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, champions of the Big Ten Conference, 28-14... Lost 2005 Rose Bowl 2005 Rose Bowl The 2005 Rose Bowl Game was the 91st edition of the college football bowl game, held on January 1, 2005 at the self-named stadium in Pasadena, California. The Texas Longhorns, second place finishers of the Big 12 Conference's South Division, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, co-champions of the... Lost 2007 Rose Bowl 2007 Rose Bowl The 2007 Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2007 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It was the 93rd Rose Bowl Game and part of the 2006-2007 Bowl Championship Series at the conclusion of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season... |
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| 3 | Georgia | 2 | 1 | .667 | Won 2003 Sugar Bowl 2003 Sugar Bowl The 2003 Sugar Bowl a 2002–2003 BCS game was played on January 1, 2003. This 69th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Florida State Seminoles, and the Georgia Bulldogs... Lost 2006 Sugar Bowl 2006 Sugar Bowl The 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl game was played on January 2, 2006, as part of the Bowl Championship Series. This 72nd edition of the Sugar Bowl featured the West Virginia Mountaineers, champions of the Big East, and the Southeastern Conference Champion Georgia Bulldogs... Won 2008 Sugar Bowl 2008 Sugar Bowl The 2008 Allstate Sugar Bowl Game was an American college football bowl game. It was part of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was the 74th Sugar Bowl... |
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| 3 | Wisconsin | 2 | 1 | .667 | Won 1999 Rose Bowl 1999 Rose Bowl The 1999 Rose Bowl was the 85th Rose Bowl game and was played on Friday January 1, 1999 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. It was a college football bowl game at the end of the 1998 college football season. Wisconsin defeated by a score of 38-31. Ron Dayne of Wisconsin was named... Won 2000 Rose Bowl 2000 Rose Bowl The 2000 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2000. It was the 86th Rose Bowl game and was played on January 1, 2000 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. The game featured the Wisconsin Badgers defeating the Stanford Cardinal by a score of 17-9... Lost 2011 Rose Bowl 2011 Rose Bowl The 2011 Rose Bowl was the 97th edition of the annual bowl game played on January 1, 2011, as part of the 2010 college football season. Played in Pasadena, California, the TCU Horned Frogs of the Mountain West Conference defeated the Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten Conference. The Pasadena... |
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| 3 | Alabama | 1 | 2 | .333 | Lost 2000 Orange Bowl 2000 Orange Bowl The 2000 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan Wolverines on January 1, 2000, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Michigan defeated Alabama 35-34 in an overtime battle... Lost 2009 Sugar Bowl 2009 Sugar Bowl The 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 75th annual edition of the annual college football bowl game that is part of the 2008–09 bowl season of the Bowl Championship Series 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season... Won 2010 BCS National Championship Game 2010 BCS National Championship Game The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game was the finale of the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was played between the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide. It was hosted by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California,... |
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| 3 | Oregon | 1 | 2 | .333 | Won 2002 Fiesta Bowl 2002 Fiesta Bowl The 2002 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2002, was the 31st edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona between the and the Oregon Ducks... Lost 2010 Rose Bowl 2010 Rose Bowl The 2010 Rose Bowl, the 96th edition of the annual game, was a college football bowl game played on Friday, January 1, 2010 at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. It featured the Ohio State Buckeyes against the Oregon Ducks... Lost 2011 BCS National Championship Game 2011 BCS National Championship Game The 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was the final college football game to determine the national champion of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision season. The finale of the 2010-2011 Bowl Championship Series was played at the University of Phoenix Stadium, the host... |
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| 3 | Notre Dame | 0 | 3 | .000 | Lost 2001 Fiesta Bowl 2001 Fiesta Bowl The 2001 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2001, was the 30th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona between the Oregon State Beavers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish .In the game, Oregon State quarterback Jonathan Smith threw for 305 yards... Lost 2006 Fiesta Bowl 2006 Fiesta Bowl The 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 2006, was the 35th edition of the Fiesta Bowl, featuring Notre Dame and Ohio State. Ohio State won the game 34–20.... Lost 2007 Sugar Bowl 2007 Sugar Bowl The 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl Game was a college football bowl game, which formed part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 NCAA Division I-BS football season. Played on January 3, 2007, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, it was the 73rd Sugar Bowl... |
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| 2 | Auburn | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | Won 2005 Sugar Bowl 2005 Sugar Bowl The 2005 Sugar Bowl was a postseason American college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Auburn Tigers at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 3, 2005. It was the 71st edition of the annual Sugar Bowl football contest... Won 2011 BCS National Championship Game 2011 BCS National Championship Game The 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was the final college football game to determine the national champion of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision season. The finale of the 2010-2011 Bowl Championship Series was played at the University of Phoenix Stadium, the host... |
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| 2 | Boise State | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | Won 2007 Fiesta Bowl 2007 Fiesta Bowl The 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game played as part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season... Won 2010 Fiesta Bowl 2010 Fiesta Bowl The 2010 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the #4 TCU Horned Frogs, champions of the Mountain West Conference, and the #6 Boise State Broncos, champions of the Western Athletic Conference. The game was played Monday, January 4, 2010, at University of... |
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| 2 | Utah | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | Won 2005 Fiesta Bowl 2005 Fiesta Bowl The 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2005, was the 34th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played between Utah and Pittsburgh, in front of 73,519 fans. It is notable for being the first BCS game to feature a team from a non-BCS conference, and the only BCS bowl to feature a... Won 2009 Sugar Bowl 2009 Sugar Bowl The 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 75th annual edition of the annual college football bowl game that is part of the 2008–09 bowl season of the Bowl Championship Series 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season... |
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| 2 | West Virginia | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | Won 2006 Sugar Bowl 2006 Sugar Bowl The 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl game was played on January 2, 2006, as part of the Bowl Championship Series. This 72nd edition of the Sugar Bowl featured the West Virginia Mountaineers, champions of the Big East, and the Southeastern Conference Champion Georgia Bulldogs... Won 2008 Fiesta Bowl 2008 Fiesta Bowl The 2008 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game sponsored by Tostitos. It was part of the 2007–2008 Bowl Championship Series of the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Played annually since 1971, first at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe,... |
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| 2 | Iowa | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost 2003 Orange Bowl 2003 Orange Bowl The 2003 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the USC Trojans on January 2, 2003, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. USC won the game, 38–17... Won 2010 Orange Bowl 2010 Orange Bowl The 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl game featured the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, January 5, 2010, at Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida... |
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| 2 | Nebraska | 1 | 1 | .500 | Won 2000 Fiesta Bowl 2000 Fiesta Bowl The 2000 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 2000, was the 29th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Nebraska Cornhuskers . The matchup featured the two most current National Championship teams... Lost 2002 Rose Bowl 2002 Rose Bowl The 2002 Rose Bowl, played on January 3, 2002, was a college football bowl game. It was the 88th Rose Bowl game and was the BCS National Championship Game of the 2001 college football season... * |
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| 2 | Penn State | 1 | 1 | .500 | Won 2006 Orange Bowl 2006 Orange Bowl The 2006 Orange Bowl, a 2005-2006 BCS game, was played on January 3, 2006. This 72nd edition to the Orange Bowl featured the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Florida State Seminoles.... Lost 2009 Rose Bowl 2009 Rose Bowl The 2009 Rose Bowl, the 95th edition of the annual game, was a college football bowl game played on Thursday, January 1, 2009 at the same-named stadium in Pasadena, California. Because of sponsorship by Citi, the first game in the 2009 edition of the Bowl Championship Series was officially titled... |
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| 2 | Stanford | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost 2000 Rose Bowl 2000 Rose Bowl The 2000 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2000. It was the 86th Rose Bowl game and was played on January 1, 2000 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. The game featured the Wisconsin Badgers defeating the Stanford Cardinal by a score of 17-9... Won 2011 Orange Bowl 2011 Orange Bowl The 2011 Discover Orange Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Stanford Cardinal on Monday, January 3, 2011, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Stanford defeated Virginia Tech 40–12... |
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| 2 | Tennessee | 1 | 1 | .500 | Won 1999 Fiesta Bowl 1999 Fiesta Bowl The 1999 Fiesta Bowl, the designated BCS National Championship Game for the 1998 season, was played on January 4, 1999, in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The teams were the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida State Seminoles... * Lost 2000 Fiesta Bowl 2000 Fiesta Bowl The 2000 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 2000, was the 29th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Nebraska Cornhuskers . The matchup featured the two most current National Championship teams... |
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| 2 | TCU | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost 2010 Fiesta Bowl 2010 Fiesta Bowl The 2010 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the #4 TCU Horned Frogs, champions of the Mountain West Conference, and the #6 Boise State Broncos, champions of the Western Athletic Conference. The game was played Monday, January 4, 2010, at University of... Won 2011 Rose Bowl 2011 Rose Bowl The 2011 Rose Bowl was the 97th edition of the annual bowl game played on January 1, 2011, as part of the 2010 college football season. Played in Pasadena, California, the TCU Horned Frogs of the Mountain West Conference defeated the Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten Conference. The Pasadena... |
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| 2 | Cincinnati | 0 | 2 | .000 | Lost 2009 Orange Bowl 2009 Orange Bowl The 2009 FedEx Orange Bowl game was the 75th edition of the annual college football bowl game known as the Orange Bowl. It pitted the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference champion Virginia Tech Hokies against the Big East Conference champion Cincinnati Bearcats on January 1, 2009 at Dolphin Stadium in... Lost 2010 Sugar Bowl 2010 Sugar Bowl The 2010 Sugar Bowl Game was an American college football bowl game that was part of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the 76th Sugar Bowl... |
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| 2 | Illinois | 0 | 2 | .000 | Lost 2002 Sugar Bowl 2002 Sugar Bowl The 2002 Sugar Bowl a 2001–2002 BCS game was played on January 1, 2002. This 68th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Illinois Fighting Illini, and the LSU Tigers... Lost 2008 Rose Bowl 2008 Rose Bowl The 2008 Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi, the 94th Rose Bowl Game, played on January 1, 2008 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, was a college football bowl game. The contest was televised on ABC, the 20th straight year the network aired the Rose Bowl, starting at 4:30pm EST... |
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| 1 | Kansas | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Won 2008 Orange Bowl 2008 Orange Bowl The 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Kansas Jayhawks on January 3, 2008, at Dolphins Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Spread bettors favored Virginia Tech by three points, but in a game dominated by defensive and... |
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| 1 | Louisville | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Won 2007 Orange Bowl 2007 Orange Bowl The 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl game is a college football bowl game. It is part of the 2006-2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Orange Bowl was first played in 1935. The 2007 game was played on January 2, 2007, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens,... |
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| 1 | Oregon State | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Won 2001 Fiesta Bowl 2001 Fiesta Bowl The 2001 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2001, was the 30th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona between the Oregon State Beavers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish .In the game, Oregon State quarterback Jonathan Smith threw for 305 yards... |
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| 1 | Washington | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Won 2001 Rose Bowl 2001 Rose Bowl The 2001 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2001. It was the 87th Rose Bowl game. The University of Washington Huskies football team defeated the Purdue University Boilermakers football team 34-24... |
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| 1 | Arkansas | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 2011 Sugar Bowl 2011 Sugar Bowl The 2011 Sugar Bowl Game was an American college football bowl game that was part of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the 77th Sugar Bowl. The contest took place on January 4, 2011, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The... |
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| 1 | Colorado | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 2002 Fiesta Bowl 2002 Fiesta Bowl The 2002 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2002, was the 31st edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona between the and the Oregon Ducks... |
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| 1 | Connecticut | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 2011 Fiesta Bowl 2011 Fiesta Bowl The 2011 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game played as part of the 2011 Bowl Championship Series of the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season... |
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| 1 | Georgia Tech | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 2010 Orange Bowl 2010 Orange Bowl The 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl game featured the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, January 5, 2010, at Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida... |
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| 1 | Hawaii | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 2008 Sugar Bowl 2008 Sugar Bowl The 2008 Allstate Sugar Bowl Game was an American college football bowl game. It was part of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was the 74th Sugar Bowl... |
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| 1 | Kansas State | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 2004 Fiesta Bowl 2004 Fiesta Bowl The 2004 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 2004, was the 33rd edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game pitted #7 Ohio State against #8 Kansas State. It was a match-up between a perennial powerhouse in Ohio State, and a school that was only recently accustomed to winning in Kansas State... |
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| 1 | Maryland | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 2002 Orange Bowl 2002 Orange Bowl The 2002 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Florida Gators and the ACC champion Maryland Terrapins on January 2, 2002. Florida routed Maryland 56-23. The game was part of the 2001-2002 Bowl Championship Series of the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football... |
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| 1 | Pittsburgh | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 2005 Fiesta Bowl 2005 Fiesta Bowl The 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2005, was the 34th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played between Utah and Pittsburgh, in front of 73,519 fans. It is notable for being the first BCS game to feature a team from a non-BCS conference, and the only BCS bowl to feature a... |
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| 1 | Purdue | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 2001 Rose Bowl 2001 Rose Bowl The 2001 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2001. It was the 87th Rose Bowl game. The University of Washington Huskies football team defeated the Purdue University Boilermakers football team 34-24... |
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| 1 | Syracuse | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 1999 Orange Bowl 1999 Orange Bowl The 1999 Orange Bowl a 1998-1999 BCS game was played on January 2, 1999. This 65th edition of the Orange Bowl featured the , and the Florida Gators. Florida came into the game with a 9-2 record, whereas Syracuse was 8-3... |
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| 1 | Texas A&M | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 1999 Sugar Bowl 1999 Sugar Bowl The 1999 Sugar Bowl a 1998-1999 BCS game was played on January 1, 1999. This 65th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the Texas A&M Aggies... |
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| 1 | UCLA | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 1999 Rose Bowl 1999 Rose Bowl The 1999 Rose Bowl was the 85th Rose Bowl game and was played on Friday January 1, 1999 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. It was a college football bowl game at the end of the 1998 college football season. Wisconsin defeated by a score of 38-31. Ron Dayne of Wisconsin was named... |
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| 1 | Wake Forest | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 2007 Orange Bowl 2007 Orange Bowl The 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl game is a college football bowl game. It is part of the 2006-2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Orange Bowl was first played in 1935. The 2007 game was played on January 2, 2007, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens,... |
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| 1 | Washington State | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 2003 Rose Bowl 2003 Rose Bowl The 2003 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2003. It was the 89th Rose Bowl game. It was a match-up between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Washington State Cougars. The game was won by Oklahoma 34-14. Nate Hybl who played quarterback for the Sooners, was named the Rose... |
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| BCS National Championship Game The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision... prior to 2007 |
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BCS National Championship Game wins and appearances by team
| Appearances | School | W | L | Pct | | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | LSU | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | Won 2004 Sugar Bowl 2004 Sugar Bowl The 2004 Sugar Bowl, the BCS title game for the 2003 college football season, was played on January 4, 2004 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The teams were LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners... Won 2008 BCS National Championship Game 2008 BCS National Championship Game The 2008 Allstate BCS National Championship Game was played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Monday, January 7, 2008, and featured the #1 and #2 college football teams in the United States as determined by the BCS Poll to decide the BCS National Championship for the 2007... |
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| 2 | Florida | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | Won 2007 BCS National Championship Game 2007 BCS National Championship Game The 2007 BCS National Championship Game, sponsored by Tostitos, was an American football game played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on January 8, 2007. The BCS No. 2 Florida Gators defeated the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, 41–14. The Buckeyes secured a spot by finishing... Won 2009 BCS National Championship Game 2009 BCS National Championship Game The 2009 BCS National Championship Game, sponsored by FedEx, was an American football game played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on January 8, 2009. It was the national championship game for the 2008 college football season, and featured the second-ranked Florida Gators against the... |
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| 1 | Tennessee | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Won 1999 Fiesta Bowl 1999 Fiesta Bowl The 1999 Fiesta Bowl, the designated BCS National Championship Game for the 1998 season, was played on January 4, 1999, in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The teams were the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida State Seminoles... |
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| 1 | Alabama | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Won 2010 BCS National Championship Game 2010 BCS National Championship Game The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game was the finale of the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was played between the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide. It was hosted by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California,... |
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| 1 | Auburn | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Won 2011 BCS National Championship Game 2011 BCS National Championship Game The 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was the final college football game to determine the national champion of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision season. The finale of the 2010-2011 Bowl Championship Series was played at the University of Phoenix Stadium, the host... |
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| 2 | Miami (FL) | 1 | 1 | .500 | Won 2002 Rose Bowl 2002 Rose Bowl The 2002 Rose Bowl, played on January 3, 2002, was a college football bowl game. It was the 88th Rose Bowl game and was the BCS National Championship Game of the 2001 college football season... Lost 2003 Fiesta Bowl 2003 Fiesta Bowl The 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl took place on January 3,2003 in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Miami Hurricanes by a score of 31–24 in double overtime. It also served as the BCS National Championship Game for the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season... |
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| 2 | Texas | 1 | 1 | .500 | Won 2006 Rose Bowl 2006 Rose Bowl The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series... Lost 2010 BCS National Championship Game 2010 BCS National Championship Game The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game was the finale of the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was played between the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide. It was hosted by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California,... |
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| 3 | Florida State | 1 | 2 | .333 | Lost 1999 Fiesta Bowl 1999 Fiesta Bowl The 1999 Fiesta Bowl, the designated BCS National Championship Game for the 1998 season, was played on January 4, 1999, in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The teams were the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida State Seminoles... Won 2000 Sugar Bowl 2000 Sugar Bowl The 2000 Sugar Bowl was the designated Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game for the United States 1999 college football season and was played on January 4, 2000, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana... Lost 2001 Orange Bowl 2001 Orange Bowl The 2001 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game and BCS National Championship match between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles on January 3, 2001, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida... |
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| 3 | Ohio State | 1 | 2 | .333 | Won 2003 Fiesta Bowl 2003 Fiesta Bowl The 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl took place on January 3,2003 in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Miami Hurricanes by a score of 31–24 in double overtime. It also served as the BCS National Championship Game for the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season... Lost 2007 BCS National Championship Game 2007 BCS National Championship Game The 2007 BCS National Championship Game, sponsored by Tostitos, was an American football game played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on January 8, 2007. The BCS No. 2 Florida Gators defeated the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, 41–14. The Buckeyes secured a spot by finishing... Lost 2008 BCS National Championship Game 2008 BCS National Championship Game The 2008 Allstate BCS National Championship Game was played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Monday, January 7, 2008, and featured the #1 and #2 college football teams in the United States as determined by the BCS Poll to decide the BCS National Championship for the 2007... |
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| 4 | Oklahoma | 1 | 3 | .250 | Won 2001 Orange Bowl 2001 Orange Bowl The 2001 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game and BCS National Championship match between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles on January 3, 2001, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida... Lost 2004 Sugar Bowl 2004 Sugar Bowl The 2004 Sugar Bowl, the BCS title game for the 2003 college football season, was played on January 4, 2004 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The teams were LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners... Lost 2005 Orange Bowl 2005 Orange Bowl The 2005 Orange Bowl represented the BCS National Championship Game of the 2004 season and was played on January 4, 2005 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.... Lost 2009 BCS National Championship Game 2009 BCS National Championship Game The 2009 BCS National Championship Game, sponsored by FedEx, was an American football game played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on January 8, 2009. It was the national championship game for the 2008 college football season, and featured the second-ranked Florida Gators against the... |
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| 1 | Nebraska | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 2002 Rose Bowl 2002 Rose Bowl The 2002 Rose Bowl, played on January 3, 2002, was a college football bowl game. It was the 88th Rose Bowl game and was the BCS National Championship Game of the 2001 college football season... |
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| 1 | Virginia Tech | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 2000 Sugar Bowl 2000 Sugar Bowl The 2000 Sugar Bowl was the designated Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game for the United States 1999 college football season and was played on January 4, 2000, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana... |
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| 1 | Oregon | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost 2011 BCS National Championship Game 2011 BCS National Championship Game The 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was the final college football game to determine the national champion of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision season. The finale of the 2010-2011 Bowl Championship Series was played at the University of Phoenix Stadium, the host... |
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| 2 | USC | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost 2006 Rose Bowl 2006 Rose Bowl The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series... Won 2005 Orange Bowl 2005 Orange Bowl The 2005 Orange Bowl represented the BCS National Championship Game of the 2004 season and was played on January 4, 2005 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.... |
USC's appearances in the 2005 and 2006 BCS National Championship Games were vacated by the BCS.
BCS Bowl wins and appearances by conference
| Conference | Appearances | At-large bids | W | L | Pct | # Schools | School(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEC Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama... |
21 | 7 | 15 | 6 | .714 | 7 | Florida (5-1) LSU (4-0) Georgia (2-1) Alabama (1-2) Tennessee (1-1) Auburn (2-0) Arkansas (0-1) |
| Big Ten Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east... |
23 | 10 | 11**** | 12 | .455**** | 7 | Ohio State (6****-3) Michigan (1-3) Wisconsin (2-1) Penn State (1-1) Illinois (0-2) Iowa (1-1) Purdue (0-1) |
| Big 12 Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving... |
18 | 5 | 7 | 11 | .388 | 7 | Oklahoma (3-5) Texas (3-1) Nebraska* (1-1) Kansas (1-0) Colorado** (0-1) Kansas State (0-1) Texas A&M (0-1) |
| Pac-12 | 14*** | 3 | 9*** | 5 | .643*** | 7 | USC (5***-1) Oregon (1-1) Oregon State (1-0) Washington (1-0) Stanford (1-1) UCLA (0-1) Washington State (0-1) |
| Big East Big East Conference The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports... |
13 | 0 | 6 | 7 | .462 | 8 | Miami (FL)† (3-1) West Virginia (2-0) Louisville (1-0) Cincinnati (0-2) Connecticut (0-1) Pittsburgh (0-1) Syracuse (0-1) Virginia Tech† (0-1) |
| ACC Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities... |
13 | 0 | 2 | 11 | .154 | 5 | Florida State (1-5) Virginia Tech† (1-3) Maryland (0-1) Wake Forest (0-1) Georgia Tech (0-1) |
| MWC Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999... |
4 | 0 |
3 | 1 | .750 | 2 | Utah (2-0)††† TCU (1-1) |
| WAC Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS... |
3 | 1 |
2 | 1 | .667 | 2 | Boise State (2-0) Hawaii (0-1) |
| Independent NCAA Division I-A independent schools NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision independent schools are four-year institutions whose football programs are not part of an NCAA-affiliated conference. This means that FBS independents are not required to schedule each other for competition like conference schools do... |
3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 1 | Notre Dame (0-3) |
| C-USA Conference USA Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | |
| MAC Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | |
| Sun Belt Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
†Virginia Tech played for both the ACC and Big East, and played in BCS bowl games for both conferences. Note that while Miami has been a member of both the Big East and ACC, it has only been to a BCS Bowl as a member of the Big East.
††Although the Mountain West and WAC do not automatically qualify for BCS bowls, some of their appearances are not considered at-large bids because of the rule allowing the highest ranked team from a non-automatic-qualifying conference to receive an automatic bid if they are in the top 12. Boise State's bid in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl is the only time a team from a non-automatic-qualifying conference has received an at-large bid as TCU received the automatic bid in 2010.
†††While Utah has been a member of both the Mountain West and Pac-12, it has only been to a BCS Bowl as a member of the Mountain West.
BCS National Championship Game appearances by conference
| Conference | Appearances | W | L | Pct | # Schools | School(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEC Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama... |
7 | 7 | 0 | 1.000 | 5 | Florida (2-0) LSU (2-0) Alabama (1-0) Tennessee (1-0) Auburn (1-0) |
| Big 12 Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving... |
7 | 2 | 5 | .286 | 3 | Oklahoma (1-3) Texas (1-1) Nebraska (0-1) |
| ACC Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities... |
3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1 | Florida State (1-2) |
| Big East Big East Conference The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports... |
3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2 | Miami, FL (1-1) Virginia Tech (0-1) |
| Big Ten Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east... |
3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1 | Ohio State (1-2) |
| Pac-12† | 1 (2 vacated) | 0 (1 vacated) | 1 (1 vacated) | .000 | 1 | Oregon (0-1) |
† USC's appearances in the 2005 and 2006 BCS National Championship Games were vacated by the BCS.
Criticism
The primary criticism of the BCS centers around the validity of the annual BCS national championship pairings and its designated National Champions. Many critics focus on the BCS methodology itself, which employs subjective voting assessments, while others note the ability for undefeated teams to finish seasons without an opportunity to play in the national championship game. In fact, in the last 6 seasons of Division I FBS football, there have been more undefeated non-BCS champions than undefeated BCS champions. Other criticisms involve discrepancies in the allocation of monetary resources from BCS games, as well as the determination of non-championship BCS game participants, which need not comply with the BCS rankings themselves. In the 2010-2011 bowl season, for example, the six automatic-qualifier (AQ) conferences were given $145.2 million in revenue from the BCS while the five non-AQ conferences received only $24.7 million.A recent survey conducted at the Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in Hamden, Connecticut, United States at the foot of Sleeping Giant State Park...
found that 63% of individuals interested in college football preferred a playoff system to the BCS, while only 26% favored the status quo. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
has been vocal about his opposition to the BCS. During an appearance on Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
during the 2008 presidential campaign season, ESPN's Chris Berman asked Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
to name one thing about sports he would like to change. Obama responded that he did not like using computer rankings to determine bowl games, and he supported having a college football playoff for the top eight teams. When Steve Kroft
Steve Kroft
Steve Kroft is an American journalist and a longtime correspondent for 60 Minutes. His investigative reporting has garnered him much acclaim, including three Peabody Awards and nine Emmy awards, one of which was an Emmy for Lifetime Achievement.-Early life:Born on August 22, 1945 in Kokomo,...
asked then-President-elect Obama about the subject during an interview on 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
, Obama reiterated his support of eight-team playoff; although he has said it is not a legislative priority.
Longtime college football announcer Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
also voiced his support for a playoff in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
. "My dream scenario -- and it's not going to happen -- would be to take eight conference champions, and only conference champions, and play the quarterfinals of a tournament on campuses in mid-December," Musburger said. "The four losers would remain bowl-eligible. The four winners would advance to semifinals on New Year's Day with exclusive TV windows. Then, like now, one week later, there would be the national championship game."
An alternative to an eight-team playoff would be a mini-playoff in the event, and only in the event, that more than two teams finish the regular season undefeated. For example, if three teams finished undefeated, #2 and #3 would play-off for the right to face #1 in the national title game. This system would give all undefeated teams the chance to play for the national championship, while leaving the rest of the bowl game system unaltered.
Antitrust lawsuits
In 2008, a lawsuit was threatened due to the exclusion of teams from the non-automatic qualifying conferences in the BCS system. Following Utah's win over Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl2009 Sugar Bowl
The 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 75th annual edition of the annual college football bowl game that is part of the 2008–09 bowl season of the Bowl Championship Series 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
, Utah Attorney General
State Attorney General
The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states and territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney general serves as the head of a state department of justice, with responsibilities similar to those...
Mark Shurtleff
Mark Shurtleff
Mark Shurtleff is the current attorney general of the state of Utah, United States, a position he has held since January 2001...
announced an inquiry into whether the BCS system violates federal anti-trust laws
Sherman Antitrust Act
The Sherman Antitrust Act requires the United States federal government to investigate and pursue trusts, companies, and organizations suspected of violating the Act. It was the first Federal statute to limit cartels and monopolies, and today still forms the basis for most antitrust litigation by...
. In 2009, senior Utah senator, Orrin Hatch
Orrin Hatch
Orrin Grant Hatch is the senior United States Senator for Utah and is a member of the Republican Party. Hatch served as the chairman or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1993 to 2005...
, announced that he was exploring the possibility of a lawsuit against the BCS as an anti-competitive trust under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. On November 27, 2009 the Fort Worth Star-Telegram ran a story that said that Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), ranking member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, announced that he would hold anti-trust hearings on the BCS, again based on the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and its provisions outlawing non-competitive trusts, beginning in May 2010. Meanwhile, various organizations, including the BCS, are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to lobby the federal government both in support and in opposition to a college football playoff system.
According to CBSSports.com
CBSSports.com
CBSSports.com was founded in 1994 as SportsLine USA, and today is a CBS-owned website that provides sports scores, news, statistics, live and on-demand video, mobile apps, e-commerce, fantasy sports products, services, and information..Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, CBSSports.com it is...
wire reports and information obtained by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, Senator Orin Hatch received a letter from the justice department concerning the possibility of a legal review of the BCS. The letter, received on January 29, 2010, states that the Obama administration will explore options to establish a college football playoff including (a) an anti-trust lawsuit against the BCS, (b) legal action under Federal Trade Commission
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
consumer protection laws, (c) encouragement of the NCAA to take control of the college football postseason, (d) the establishment of an agency to review the costs and benefits of adopting a playoff system, and (e) continued legislation in favor of a playoff system. Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich writes, "The administration shares your belief that the lack of a college football national championship playoff ...raises important questions affecting millions...." BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock responded to the letter that the BCS complies with all laws and is supported by the participating Division I universities.
In April 2011, Utah attorney general Mark Shurtleff
Mark Shurtleff
Mark Shurtleff is the current attorney general of the state of Utah, United States, a position he has held since January 2001...
announced he would file an antitrust lawsuit against the BCS for, "serious antitrust violations that are harming taxpayer-funded institutions to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars." The announcement followed the April 12, 2011 delivery of a letter to the US Department of Justice signed by 21 "high-profile" economists and antitrust experts asking for an investigation into the BCS' anticompetitive practices.
Allegations of corruption and financial impropriety
The BCS bowls have been accused of promoting the BCS system because they and their executive officers greatly benefit financially from the system. Bowl executives, such as John Junker of the Fiesta BowlFiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
, are often paid unusually high salaries for employees of non-profit organizations. To promote support for their bowls and the BCS system, these highly-paid executives allegedly give lavish gifts to politicians, collegiate sports executives, and university athletic directors.
In response, a pro-playoff organization, called Playoff PAC, in September 2010 filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
. The complaint alleges that the top BCS bowls, with the exception of the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
, routinely abuse favorable tax status by using charitable donations to give gifts and compensation to college athletic officials. In one example detailed in the complaint, the Orange Bowl
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935 and celebrated its 75th playing on January 1, 2009...
treated its executive staff and invited college athletic directors to a four day Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 42 ships in service under 5 different brands and one more under construction, it controls a 25.6% share of the world cruise market...
cruise in which no business meetings were held.
Illegal teams and vacation of wins/participation
Over the last two years, an increasing eye has been getting turned toward programs which have earned BCS bowl bids by illegal conduct under the rules and regulations of the NCAA.In the summer of 2011 alone, in addition to the allegations noted above with respect to the Fiesta Bowl:
- USC's final appeals were exhausted in the Reggie BushReggie BushReginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
situation, with all penalties standing, including a two-year bowl ban and vacation of 14 wins, including a national championship and the entire following season. As a result, the BCS, in a first-time action, vacated the participation of USC's participation in their 2004–2005 National Championship Game win and the 2005-2006 National Championship Game loss to Texas. The 2004–2005 BCS National Championship will remain permanently vacant.
- In December 2010, five Ohio State University players were implicated in an illegal-benefits scandal preceding the 2011 Sugar Bowl. Though the five players were suspended for five games apiece, not only was Ohio State still allowed to play in the 2011 Sugar Bowl, but so were the five players. After defeating Arkansas, the scandal grew, including open deception by Ohio State coach Jim Tressel. As a result, Tressel has been forced out and, on July 11, 2011, Ohio State University vacated all of its wins in an effort to reduce their penalties in an upcoming August, 2011 NCAA meeting. The BCS has taken no action at this time, awaiting the NCAA's penalties before it does.
- On July 14, 2011, after the completion of a long investigation into athletics at Georgia Tech, the NCAA found that, while there was no conclusive evidence that Georgia Tech had used an ineligible player for the last two regular-season games of the 2009 year and their ACC Championship GameACC Championship GameThe Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game is an American college football game held on the first Saturday in December by the Atlantic Coast Conference each year to determine its football champion. The game pits the champion of the Coastal Division against the champion of the Atlantic Division in a game...
victory, the administration had been less cooperative than the NCAA had wished. As a result, those three games have been vacated by the NCAA. The BCS has taken no action at this time, awaiting the results of Georgia Tech's NCAA appeal.
Support
While there is substantial criticism aimed at the BCS system from coaches, media, and fans alike, there is also support for the system. Tim CowlishawTim Cowlishaw
William Timothy Cowlishaw is an American sportswriter for The Dallas Morning News, a regular panelist on the ESPN sports talk show Around the Horn and formerly the lead reporter for the ESPN2 racing show NASCAR Now.Cowlishaw joined the Dallas Morning News in 1989...
of The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...
cites several advantages that the BCS has over a playoff
Playoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
system. Under the BCS, a single defeat is extremely detrimental to a team's prospects for a national championship, although critics point out regularly that history shows non-BCS conference teams are hurt far more than BCS teams when they lose a game. Supporters contend that this creates a substantial incentive for teams to do their best to win every game. Under a playoff system, front-running teams could be in a position of safety at the end of the regular season and could pull or greatly reduce their use of top players in order to protect them from injuries or give them recovery time (this happens frequently in the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
) . This may be less likely to happen under the BCS system where a team in the running for a #1 or #2 ranking at the end of the year would likely be punished in the polls for a loss, potentially eliminating them from contention.
While the BCS routinely involves controversy about which two teams are the top teams, in rare instances there is a clear-cut top two; the BCS ensures these top two will play each other for the championship. For example, USC and Texas in 2005 were the only undefeated teams; both teams were only tested a couple of times all season and mauled every other opponent they faced by large margins. Had this scenario occurred before the inception of the BCS, the teams would have been unable to play each other due to contractual obligations with the major bowls and there either would have been dual national champions or Texas would have been denied the title despite their record and talent. Under the BCS system however, these two teams got to play for the championship.
The NCAA, the governing organization of most collegiate sports, has no official process for determining its FBS (Div. 1-A) champion. Instead, FBS champions are chosen by what the NCAA calls in its official list of champions "selecting organizations".
According to its website, 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.
"...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 match-ups between eight other highly regarded teams in four other games".
BCS Buster
The term "BCS Buster" refers to any team other than Notre DameNotre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
not from a BCS conference that manages to earn a spot in a BCS bowl game. These teams are often referred to as non-BCS when discussed outside of the post-season structure.
With the exception of Notre Dame, it is generally extremely difficult for a non-BCS team to reach a BCS bowl, while it is much easier for a BCS conference team (see rules above) to do so due to the inherent bias built into the rules of the BCS system. This makes becoming a BCS Buster very noteworthy. Despite the fact that there have been a number of eligible non-AQ Conference teams, only seven teams (from only four schools - Utah, TCU, Boise State and Hawaii) have succeeded in becoming BCS Busters. No team outside the 6 BCS Conference have ever been in the BCS Championship, while a team from the SEC has been in the Championship game every year since 2006. This consistent selection of one Conference's teams, and other questionable selections, have been one area of intense criticism of the BCS system and its exclusionary tendencies.
The University of Utah
Utah Utes football
The Utah Utes football program is a college football team that currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I and represents the University of Utah. The Utah college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Rice–Eccles...
football program became the first BCS Buster in 2004 after an undefeated season, despite harder limits in place before the addition of a 5th bowl in 2006 made BCS Busters more commonplace. They also became the first team to repeat in 2008. The Utes
2004 Utah Utes football team
The 2004 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2004–2005. This team was the original 'BCS Buster', meaning, this was the first time that a team from a non-BCS conference was invited to play in one of the BCS bowl games. The team, coached by 2nd...
played in the 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
, and beat their opponent, the Pittsburgh Panthers
2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2004 college football season in which they won a share of The Big East Conference Championship and were awarded with a BCS berth to the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.- Schedule :...
, 35–7. During the 2008 season, the Utes
2008 Utah Utes football team
The 2008 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team, coached by 4th year head football coach Kyle Whittingham, plays its home games in Rice–Eccles Stadium...
finished their regular season schedule undefeated (8–0 in the Mountain West Conference and 12–0 overall) and earned a berth in the Sugar Bowl
2009 Sugar Bowl
The 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 75th annual edition of the annual college football bowl game that is part of the 2008–09 bowl season of the Bowl Championship Series 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
against Alabama
2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 76th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 17th within the SEC Western Division...
, winning 31–17. Both the number of Top 25 teams (4) and Top 10 teams (2) Utah defeated that year, equalled the number of such ranked teams defeated by eventual one-loss champion Florida
2008 Florida Gators football team
The 2008 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2008 college football season...
. That season, no other team besides the Gators or Utes defeated four ranked teams. Ironically, the strength of schedule argument was often cited by those arguing that Utah did not deserve to be crowned National Champions. In the 2011 season, the Utes began competing as members of the Pacific-12 Conference, one of the six conferences with an automatic BCS tie in.
In 2006, Boise State
2006 Boise State Broncos football team
The 2006 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2006 college football season. The Broncos won the Western Athletic Conference championship with an undefeated 12–0 regular-season record , their second unbeaten regular season in the past three years...
became the second BCS Buster after a 12–0 regular season and subsequent Fiesta Bowl berth against the Oklahoma Sooners
2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2006-2007, winning the Big 12 Conference Championship...
. The Broncos won 43–42 in overtime
2007 Fiesta Bowl
The 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game played as part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
in what many fans, pundits and others consider to be one of the best Bowl games in history.
In 2007, Hawaii
2007 Hawaii Warriors football team
The 2007 Hawaii Warriors football team represented the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in the 2007 NCAA Division I-Bowl Subdivision college football season....
also finished the regular season at 12–0, but were defeated by the Georgia Bulldogs
2007 Georgia Bulldogs football team
The 2007 Georgia Bulldogs football team competed on behalf of the University of Georgia in American football against teams from other colleges and universities. The Bulldogs tied for first place in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference but lost a tie-breaker with the University of...
41-10 in the Sugar Bowl
2008 Sugar Bowl
The 2008 Allstate Sugar Bowl Game was an American college football bowl game. It was part of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was the 74th Sugar Bowl...
. This remains the only loss to date by a BCS Buster to an opponent from an automatic qualifying conference.
The 2009 season was the first in which two teams from non–BCS conferences earned BCS bowl berths. TCU
2009 TCU Horned Frogs football team
The 2009 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2009 college football season. The team was coached by Gary Patterson. The Frogs played their home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located on campus in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs finished the season...
, which finished the regular season 12–0 as champions of the Mountain West, earned the automatic BCS berth with a #4 finish in the final BCS rankings. Two slots behind the Horned Frogs were WAC champions Boise State
2009 Boise State Broncos football team
The 2009 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2009 college football season. The Broncos played their home games at Bronco Stadium, most famous for its blue artificial turf surface, often referred to as the "smurf-turf"...
, which finished at 13–0 for its second consecutive unbeaten regular season and fourth in six years. The Broncos defeated the Frogs 17–10 in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl
2010 Fiesta Bowl
The 2010 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the #4 TCU Horned Frogs, champions of the Mountain West Conference, and the #6 Boise State Broncos, champions of the Western Athletic Conference. The game was played Monday, January 4, 2010, at University of...
, which marked the first BCS matchup between non-AQ schools, and the first time in BCS history that two unbeaten teams met in a BCS game other than the title match. This pairing created considerable controversy as the BCS Conferences and the selection committees were accused of cowardice, pairing the two BCS Busters against each other so that the risk of BCS Conference teams losing was eliminated. This game remains a controversial saga in the history of the BCS.
In 2010, TCU
2010 TCU Horned Frogs football team
The 2010 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by tenth year head coach Gary Patterson and played its home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas...
was the only non–BCS conference team to get a BCS bowl berth. Boise State
2010 Boise State Broncos football team
The 2010 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos were led by fifth-year head coach Chris Petersen and played their home games at Bronco Stadium. They entered the 2010 season with winning streaks of 14 games...
was ranked in the top five for most of the season, but a late-season overtime loss to Nevada
2010 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
The 2010 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wolf Pack were led by head coach Chris Ault in his 26th season overall and 7th since taking over the head coaching job for the third time in 2004. They played...
knocked the Broncos out of serious contention for a BCS bowl bid, despite having still been technically eligible for one. TCU would defeat Wisconsin 21-19 in the 2011 Rose Bowl
2011 Rose Bowl
The 2011 Rose Bowl was the 97th edition of the annual bowl game played on January 1, 2011, as part of the 2010 college football season. Played in Pasadena, California, the TCU Horned Frogs of the Mountain West Conference defeated the Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten Conference. The Pasadena...
, once again calling into question the claim of BCS Conference superiority, and doing so with an entirely new level of quality of play. There was a strong movement to lobby those voting in the AP poll, which is not bound to vote for the BCS Championship winner as the Coaches Poll is, to vote TCU first and split the National Championship. While TCU got a few first place votes, this effort did not change the outcome of the AP poll, with TCU ending up the season in the #2 spot in all of the major polls and the BCS rankings. As Utah
Utah Utes football
The Utah Utes football program is a college football team that currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I and represents the University of Utah. The Utah college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Rice–Eccles...
did, TCU
TCU Horned Frogs football
The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football...
will soon join a conference with an automatic BCS tie in when they join the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
beginning with the 2012 season.
BCS Busters are currently 5–2 in BCS bowls, and 4–1 in BCS bowls against opponents from BCS conferences.
The following table shows all 19 teams that were eligible to become BCS Busters, including the seven that succeeded.
| Season | Team | Conference | Regular Season Record |
BCS Rank | BCS Bowl | Result | Final Ranking | ||||
| AP | Coaches | ||||||||||
| 1998 | Tulane 1998 Tulane Green Wave football team The 1998 Tulane Green Wave football team represented Tulane University in the 1998 college football season. The Green Wave finished with a record of 12 wins and no losses, one of only two NCAA Division 1-A teams to complete the season undefeated, the other being the BCS champion Tennessee... * |
CUSA Conference USA Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports... |
11-0 | #10 | #7 | #7 | |||||
| 1999 | Marshall 1999 Marshall Thundering Herd football team The 1999 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University in 1999 season in NCAA Division I-A. Marshall became the second non-BCS team in the BCS era to finish the year ranked in the AP top 10.-Schedule:-Clemson:... * |
MAC Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members... |
12-0 | #12 | #10 | #10 | |||||
| 2000 | TCU 2000 TCU Horned Frogs football team The 2000 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2000 college football season. The team was coached by Dennis Franchione and Gary Patterson, who took over the program in December 2000. The Frogs played their home games in Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located... * |
WAC | 10-1 | #14 | #21 | #18 | |||||
| 2003 | Miami (OH) 2003 Miami RedHawks football team The 2003 Miami RedHawks football team represented Miami University in the college football season of 2003. They competed in the Mid-American Conference East Division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the football season... * |
MAC | 11-1 | #11 | #10 | #12 | |||||
| 2004 | Utah 2004 Utah Utes football team The 2004 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2004–2005. This team was the original 'BCS Buster', meaning, this was the first time that a team from a non-BCS conference was invited to play in one of the BCS bowl games. The team, coached by 2nd... |
MWC Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999... |
11-0 | #6 | Fiesta Bowl 2005 Fiesta Bowl The 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2005, was the 34th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played between Utah and Pittsburgh, in front of 73,519 fans. It is notable for being the first BCS game to feature a team from a non-BCS conference, and the only BCS bowl to feature a... |
Utah | 35 | Pittsburgh 2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2004 college football season in which they won a share of The Big East Conference Championship and were awarded with a BCS berth to the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.- Schedule :... |
7 | #4 | #5 |
| 2004 | Boise State 2004 Boise State Broncos football team The 2004 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2004 college football season. Boise State competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference , and played their home games at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho... ** |
WAC | 11-0 | #9 | #12 | #13 | |||||
| 2004 | Louisville 2004 Louisville Cardinals football team The 2004 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the 2004 college football season. The team, led by Bobby Petrino in his second year at the school, played their home games in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium... ** |
C-USA | 10-1 | #10 | #6 | #7 | |||||
| 2005 | TCU TCU Horned Frogs football The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football... * |
MWC | 11-1 | #14 | #11 | #9 | |||||
| 2006 | Boise State 2006 Boise State Broncos football team The 2006 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2006 college football season. The Broncos won the Western Athletic Conference championship with an undefeated 12–0 regular-season record , their second unbeaten regular season in the past three years... |
WAC Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS... |
12-0 | #8 | Fiesta Bowl 2007 Fiesta Bowl The 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game played as part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season... |
Boise State | 43 | Oklahoma 2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team The 2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2006-2007, winning the Big 12 Conference Championship... |
42 | #5 | #6 |
| 2007 | Hawai'i 2007 Hawaii Warriors football team The 2007 Hawaii Warriors football team represented the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in the 2007 NCAA Division I-Bowl Subdivision college football season.... |
WAC | 12-0 | #10 | Sugar Bowl 2008 Sugar Bowl The 2008 Allstate Sugar Bowl Game was an American college football bowl game. It was part of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was the 74th Sugar Bowl... |
Georgia 2007 Georgia Bulldogs football team The 2007 Georgia Bulldogs football team competed on behalf of the University of Georgia in American football against teams from other colleges and universities. The Bulldogs tied for first place in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference but lost a tie-breaker with the University of... |
41 | Hawai'i | 10 | #19 | #17 |
| 2008 | Utah 2008 Utah Utes football team The 2008 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team, coached by 4th year head football coach Kyle Whittingham, plays its home games in Rice–Eccles Stadium... |
MWC | 12-0 | #6 | Sugar Bowl 2009 Sugar Bowl The 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 75th annual edition of the annual college football bowl game that is part of the 2008–09 bowl season of the Bowl Championship Series 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season... |
Utah | 31 | Alabama 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team The 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 76th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 17th within the SEC Western Division... |
17 | #2 | #4 |
| 2008 | Boise State 2008 Boise State Broncos football team The 2008 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2008 college football season. The Broncos played their home games at Bronco Stadium, most famous for its blue artificial turf surface, often referred to as the "smurf-turf". The blue turf was new for the 2008... ** |
WAC | 12-0 | #9 | #11 | #13 | |||||
| 2008 | TCU 2008 TCU Horned Frogs football team The 2008 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2008 college football season. The team was coached by Gary Patterson. The Frogs played their home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located on campus in Fort Worth... ** |
MWC | 10-2 | #11 | #7 | #7 | |||||
| 2009 | Boise State 2009 Boise State Broncos football team The 2009 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2009 college football season. The Broncos played their home games at Bronco Stadium, most famous for its blue artificial turf surface, often referred to as the "smurf-turf"... *** |
WAC | 13-0 | #6 | Fiesta Bowl 2010 Fiesta Bowl The 2010 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the #4 TCU Horned Frogs, champions of the Mountain West Conference, and the #6 Boise State Broncos, champions of the Western Athletic Conference. The game was played Monday, January 4, 2010, at University of... |
Boise State | 17 | TCU | 10 | #4 | #4 |
| 2009 | BYU 2009 BYU Cougars football team The 2009 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University in the 2009 football season. The Cougars were led by head coach Bronco Mendenhall and played their home games at LaVell Edwards Stadium.... ** |
MWC | 10-2 | #14 | #12 | #12 | |||||
| 2009 | TCU 2009 TCU Horned Frogs football team The 2009 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2009 college football season. The team was coached by Gary Patterson. The Frogs played their home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located on campus in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs finished the season... |
MWC | 12-0 | #4 | Fiesta Bowl 2010 Fiesta Bowl The 2010 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the #4 TCU Horned Frogs, champions of the Mountain West Conference, and the #6 Boise State Broncos, champions of the Western Athletic Conference. The game was played Monday, January 4, 2010, at University of... |
Boise State | 17 | TCU | 10 | #6 | #6 |
| 2010 | TCU 2010 TCU Horned Frogs football team The 2010 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by tenth year head coach Gary Patterson and played its home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas... |
MWC | 12-0 | #3 | Rose Bowl 2011 Rose Bowl The 2011 Rose Bowl was the 97th edition of the annual bowl game played on January 1, 2011, as part of the 2010 college football season. Played in Pasadena, California, the TCU Horned Frogs of the Mountain West Conference defeated the Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten Conference. The Pasadena... |
TCU | 21 | Wisconsin 2010 Wisconsin Badgers football team The 2010 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers, led by fifth-year head coach Bret Bielema, were members of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium... |
19 | #2 | #2 |
| 2010 | Boise State 2010 Boise State Broncos football team The 2010 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos were led by fifth-year head coach Chris Petersen and played their home games at Bronco Stadium. They entered the 2010 season with winning streaks of 14 games... ** |
WAC | 11-1 | #10 | #9 | #7 | |||||
| * Would have qualified for an automatic selection to a BCS bowl under post-2005 criteria, and was at the time eligible for an "at-large" selection, but was not chosen. ** Was eligible for an "at-large" selection but was not chosen. *** Was eligible for an "at-large" selection and chosen. |
|||||||||||
Locations of all BCS conference teams
Note: The University of Colorado and the University of Utah switched from the Big 12 Conference and the Mountain West Conference respectively to the Pacific 12 Conference on July 1, 2011 increasing the number of BCS AQ schools by 1 to 67 schools. The University of Nebraska - Lincoln switched from the Big 12 Conference to the Big Ten Conference on July 1, 2011. Texas Christian University will switch from the Mountain West Conference to the Big 12 Conference on July 1, 2012 increasing the number of BCS AQ schools again by 1 to 68 schools.Logos
Bowl Championship Series Logo 2010-Current
See also
- BCS controversiesBCS controversiesThe Bowl Championship Series is a selection system designed to force a "national championship game" between the top-ranking teams in American college football's top division, the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
- NCAA Division I FBS National Football ChampionshipNCAA Division I FBS National Football ChampionshipA college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
- Mythical national championshipMythical National ChampionshipA mythical national championship is a colloquial term used to question the validity of national championship recognition that is not explicitly competitive...
- AP PollAP PollThe Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
- Coaches PollCoaches PollThe USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and Division I college basketball teams....
- Harris Interactive College Football PollHarris Interactive College Football PollThe Harris Interactive College Football Poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football teams. The rankings are compiled by Harris Interactive, a market research company that specializes in Internet research....
- Grantland Rice AwardGrantland Rice AwardThe Grantland Rice Trophy is an annual award presented in the United States since 1954 to the college football team adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America to be "national champion". Named for the legendary sportswriter, Grantland Rice, the trophy was the first national...
- Dickinson SystemDickinson SystemThe Dickinson System was a mathematical point formula that awarded national championships in college football. Devised by University of Illinois economics professor Frank G...
- Bowl Championship Series on television and radioBowl Championship Series on television and radioWhen the Bowl Championship Series was formed in 1998, television coverage was consolidated on the ABC Television Network. Beginning with the 2006 season, the Fox Broadcasting Company took over television coverage of the Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl games. ABC retained the Rose Bowl game...
- College football playoff debateCollege football playoff debateThe college football playoff debate is a normative discourse among college football fans, journalists, conference representatives, government officials, university administrators, coaches, and players concerning whether or not the current postseason format of the Football Bowl Subdivision should...