When college football kicked off this season, it dawned on me. How could I declare that I’m a huge sports fan without giving college football a chance? How could I dream about becoming an ESPN sideline reporter if I didn’t educate myself on every sport? That was when I decided to give college football a chance. I began to pay more attention to what the sportscasters had to say about the upcoming collegiate season. I studied the ins and outs and familiarized myself with the system. Since then, I’ve learned a few things about the college football world. One nice perk is that most (if not all) NFL rookies start there and showcase their talents in the prestigious BCS. Not to mention; following the transition of a rookie between college football and the NFL as it culminates on NFL Draft day is pretty fun to watch! College football is truly greater than I ever knew. How could I not realize this before?
As I began to keep tabs on college football, I found that I was not at all in tune with the way it worked. It is very different from the NFL in some respects and I think that in order to appreciate it for what it is, you’ve got to understand the basics. So, I decided to share with you my version of the "BCS basics" for any of you blog friends out there who may want to impress someone, learn something new, or be amused by my mini lesson! Ok, here we go. :)
First off, there are a few definitions that you might want to be clear on.
BCS may refer to several different definitions as it relates to American College Football but primarily means “Bowl Champion Series”. This is a system that selects match-ups for college football bowl games.
The term BCS can also be used in the following ways:
“BCS National Championship Game” which is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series AND “BCS Conference” which is the six major NCAA Division I-A football conferences whose champions receive an automatic bid into the Bowl Championship Series.
NCAA is the “National Collegiate Athletic Association” (often pronounced "N-C-Double-A"). It is a voluntary association of about 1,200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the US.
Now that those terms are out of the way, here’s how things come together.
The college football season begins each year on Labor Day weekend (one week before the NFL season begins). The regular season for college football continues through early December and consists of twelve regular-season games per team. During the final weekend of the regular season, there are several conference championship games and rivalry games, including the popular Army-Navy Game.
The postseason for college football consists of a series of bowl games that showcase the top 64 college teams. Each bowl game is generally a match of two teams with similar standing from different conferences. Division I Bowl Subdivision (still widely known by its former designation of Division I-A) football is the only NCAA sport which does not decide its champion with a playoff.
BCS rankings are released weekly (every Sunday during the season). Since 1998, the BCS National Championship Game has been determined by the Bowl Champion Series (aka: BCS). The BCS National Championship Game is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series. This game is played after the completion of the BCS Bowls. The site of the Championship Game rotates every year between the four BCS Bowls: the Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Sugar Bowl. The first BCS Championship game was held on January 8, 2007 at the new University of Phoenix Stadium, the new home of the Fiesta Bowl.
Bowl dates for this season are:
- Jan. 1, 2009 - FedEx Bowl
- Jan. 1, 2009 - Rose Bowl
- Jan. 2, 2009 - Allstate Sugar Bowl
- Jan. 5, 2009 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
- Jan. 8, 2009 - National Championship Game (Miami)
The system for calculating the bowl games is very controversial. Some critics argue that the system unfairly favors teams from large conferences. Critics of the current BCS Championship complain that the national champion is decided by polls and computers, not by competition on the field. The BCS method chooses only the top two ranked teams, according to a combination of the BCS computer rankings and two human polls, to compete for the national championship. This has often led to disagreements and questions as to whether the team who won the BCS National Championship Game is actually the best team. In 2003, for example, USC was not included in the BCS Championship Game, but beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl and ended up No. 1 in the Associated Press final poll.
Interesting side note: In all other NCAA sporting events, the national champions are determined by a playoff system (while college football is not).
So, I’ll pause here. Be a sponge and soak this all in. I know it's a lot. Try watching a game or two (televised every Saturday during the season). You may be pleasantly surprised. Me personally, I enjoy the USC Trojans and Texas Tech Red Raiders!
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