BCS National Championship Game

American football game

The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college football season as one of four designated bowl games, and beginning in the 2006 season as a standalone event rotated among the host sites of the aforementioned bowls. The game was organized by a group known as the Bowl Championship Series, consisting of the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Orange Bowl, which sought to match the two highest ranked teams in a championship game to determine the best team in the country at the end of the season. The participating teams were determined by averaging the results of the final weekly Coaches' Poll, the Harris Poll of media, former players and coaches, and the average of six computer rankings. The Coaches' Poll was contractually required to name the winner of the game as its No. 1 team on the final postseason ranking; hence, the AFCA National Championship Trophy was presented to the winning team during a post game ceremony. The methodologies of the BCS system and its selections proved to be controversial. Although in most years the winner of the BCS National Championship would also be designated as the national champion by other organizations and polls (such as the Associated Press poll), the 2003 season was a major exception, as the BCS rankings chose the AP's No. 3 ranked team, the University of Oklahoma, over the No. 1 ranked team in that poll, the University of Southern California, to participate in the national title game (the Sugar Bowl) despite Oklahoma's loss to Kansas State University in the 2003 Big 12 Championship Game. That was the only season during the BCS era when the national championship was split, with Louisiana State University winning the BCS national championship and the University of Southern California winning the AP national championship, plus the football writers' national championship. The BCS National Championship Game was played for the final time in 2013 after the same organizing group established a new system, the College Football Playoff, a four team single elimination tournament, as the successor to the BCS.

The first BCS Championship was played at the conclusion of the 1998 college football season in accordance with an agreement by the Big Ten Conference, the Pac 10 Conference, and the Rose Bowl Game to join the "Bowl Alliance" system. The expanded format was called the Bowl Championship Series. The Bowl Alliance and its predecessor, the Bowl Coalition, featured championship games in the 1992–1997 seasons. However, these could not always ensure a matchup between the top two ranked teams because of the lack of participation by the Big Ten and Pac 10. The BCS National Championship Game was initially rotated among the four participating bowl games: the Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Rose Bowl. However, beginning with the 2006 season, the BCS National Championship Game was added as a separate contest, played after New Year's Day. The game rotated its location among the Fiesta, Sugar, Orange, and Rose venues.

Team Performance vs. Opponent YearMost Points55, USC vs. Oklahoma2005Most Points Combined79, Texas vs. USC2006Fewest Points Allowed0, Alabama vs. LSU2012Fewest Points Combined15, Oklahoma vs. Florida State2001First downs30, Texas vs. USC2006Rushing yards289, Texas (36 att.) vs. USC2006Passing yards374, Oregon vs. Auburn2011Total yards556, Texas (289 rush, 267 pass) vs. USC2006Total plays 85, Auburn vs. Oregon2011Largest comeback 18, Florida State vs. Auburn2014IndividualPerformance, Team vs. OpponentYearTotal offense467, Vince Young, Texas (267 pass, 200 rush) vs. USC2006Rushing yards200, Vince Young (QB), Texas (19 att.) vs. USC2006Rushing TDs3, Vince Young (QB), Texas vs. USC2006Passing yards363, Darron Thomas, Oregon vs. Auburn (28 41 2, 2 TD)2011Passing TDs 5, Matt Leinart, USC vs. Oklahoma2005Receptions11, Kellen Winslow Jr., Miami vs. Ohio State (122 yards, 1 TD)2003Receiving yards (tie)199, Peerless Price, Tennessee vs. Florida State (4 rec., 1 TD)1999Receiving yards (tie)199, Andre Johnson, Miami vs. Nebraska (7 rec., 2 TD)2002Receiving TDs 3, Steve Smith, USC vs. Oklahoma2005Field goals5, Jeremy Shelley, Alabama vs. LSU2012Tackles18, James Laurinaitis, Ohio State vs. LSU2008Sacks3, Derrick Harvey, Florida vs. Ohio State2007Interceptions2, Sean Taylor, Miami vs. Ohio State2003Long PlaysPerformance, Team vs. OpponentYearTouchdown rush65, Chris "Beanie" Wells, Ohio State vs. LSU2008Touchdown pass79, Tee Martin to Peerless Price, Tennessee vs. Florida State1999Pass81, Darron Thomas to Jeff Maehl, Oregon vs. Auburn2011Kickoff return100, Levante Whitfield, Florida State vs. Auburn (TD)2014Punt return71, DeJuan Groce, Nebraska vs. Miami (TD)2002Interception return54, Dwayne Goodrich, Tennessee vs. Florida State (TD)1999Punt63, A. J. Trapasso, Ohio State vs. LSU2008Field goal46, David Pino, Texas vs. USC2006

+SeasonBowlMVP(s)TeamPosition 19981999 Fiesta BowlPeerless PriceTennesseeWRDwayne GoodrichTennesseeCB19992000 Sugar BowlPeter WarrickFlorida StateWR20002001 Orange BowlTorrance MarshallOklahomaLB20012002 Rose BowlKen DorseyMiami (FL)QBAndre JohnsonMiami (FL)WR20022003 Fiesta BowlCraig KrenzelOhio StateQBMike DossOhio StateS 20032004 Sugar BowlJustin VincentLSURB20042005 Orange BowlMatt LeinartUSCQB20052006 Rose BowlVince YoungTexas QBMichael HuffTexasS20062007 BCS National Championship GameChris LeakFloridaQBDerrick HarveyFloridaDE20072008 BCS National Championship GameMatt FlynnLSUQBRicky Jean FrancoisLSUDT20082009 BCS National Championship GameTim TebowFloridaQBCarlos DunlapFloridaDE20092010 BCS National Championship GameMark Ingram IIAlabamaRBMarcell DareusAlabamaDT20102011 BCS National Championship GameMichael DyerAuburnRBNick FairleyAuburnDT20112012 BCS National Championship GameA. J. McCarronAlabamaQBCourtney UpshawAlabamaDE20122013 BCS National Championship GameEddie LacyAlabamaRBC. J. MosleyAlabamaLB20132014 BCS National Championship GameJameis WinstonFlorida StateQBP. J. WilliamsFlorida StateDB

Critics of the BCS National Championship argued against the internal validity of a so called national championship being awarded to the winner of a single postseason game. Critics lamented that the participants were selected based upon polls, computer rankings, popularity and human biases, and not by on field competition, as in other major sports and all other levels of college football, which employed tournament format championships. Often, the BCS system led to controversies in which multiple teams finished the season with identical records, and voters distinguished the worthiness of their participation in the BCS National Championship with no set of formal criteria or standards. The end of the 2010 season was one of the best examples of this. Without any objective criteria for evaluation of the teams, the BCS forced voters to impose their own standards and tiebreakers. Critics noted that the system inherently fostered selection bias, and therefore lacked both internal validity and external validity. Controversies surrounding teams' inclusion in the BCS National Championship Game were numerous. In 2001, Oregon, ranked second in the AP poll, was bypassed in favor of Nebraska despite Nebraska's 62 36 blowout to Colorado in its final regular season game. In 2003, USC was not included in the championship game, but beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl and ended up No. 1 in the final AP poll. The following season, undefeated Auburn, Boise State, and Utah teams were left out of the national title game (the Orange Bowl). In 2008, Utah was excluded from the BCS championship for a second time despite being the only undefeated FBS team and finished second in the final AP poll behind Florida. In 2009, five schools finished the regular season undefeated: Alabama, Texas, Cincinnati, TCU, and Boise State; however, the BCS formula selected traditional powers Alabama and Texas to participate in the BCS National Championship Game. In 2010, three teams, Oregon, Auburn, and TCU, all finished the year with undefeated records. While TCU statistically led the other two teams in all three major phases of the game (1st in defense, 14th in offense and 13th in special teams ) the teams from the two automatic qualifying conferences, Oregon (Pac 12) and Auburn (SEC), were selected over the Horned Frogs for the 2011 national title game. Many voters cited TCU's membership in the non automatic qualifying Mountain West Conference, perceived as having weaker teams, as one significant reason for their exclusion, despite TCU's undefeated regular season records in both 2010 and the previous year. Adding to the controversy were comments made by the president of Ohio State University, Gordon Gee, who said that teams which played "the little sisters of the poor" instead of the "murderer's row" of teams in the automatic qualifier conferences did not deserve any national title game consideration. Gee retracted his statement and apologized after TCU defeated Wisconsin in the 2011 Rose Bowl (the Badgers had convincingly defeated Ohio State during the regular season). Many critics of the Bowl Championship Series favored a tournament with eight to sixteen teams, similar to those administered by the NCAA for its Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II, and Division III football championships. Others favored adopting the incremental step of adding a single post bowl championship game between the winners of two BCS games among the top four ranked teams in the BCS standings, a so called "plus one" option. On June 24, 2009, the BCS presidential oversight committee rejected the Mountain West Conference's proposed eight team playoff plan.

During 2012, the BCS actively considered changes to the format for the 2014 football season, to either to extend the season by one game by establishing a four school semifinal round or by selecting the participants in the national championship game after the season's bowl games were completed. On June 26, 2012, the BCS presidential oversight committee approved a four school playoff format, in which the participants are determined by a selection committee. The semifinals are played as existing bowl games on or around New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The championship game is played approximately a week later at a neutral site selected through a competitive bidding process. The new format, known as the College Football Playoff began with 2014 college football season and is scheduled through the 2025 season.

From 1999 through 2005, ABC broadcast eight BCS National Championship Games pursuant to broadcasting rights negotiated with the BCS and the Rose Bowl, whose rights were offered separately. Beginning with the 2006 season, FOX obtained the BCS package, consisting of the Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and the BCS National Championship Games hosted by these bowls, with ABC retaining the rights to the Rose Bowl and BCS National Championship Games hosted by the Rose Bowl. On November 18, 2008, the BCS announced that ESPN had won the television rights to the BCS National Championship Game, as well as the other four BCS bowls, for 2011–2014. Year Network(s) Bowl Play by play announcer Color analyst(s) Sideline reporter(s) Studio host(s) Studio analyst(s) TV Rating 1999 ABC Fiesta Bowl Keith Jackson Bob Griese Lynn Swann John Saunders Todd Blackledge 17.2 2000 ABC Sugar Bowl Brent Musburger Gary Danielson Lynn Swann and Jack Arute John Saunders Terry Bowden 17.5 2001 ABC Orange Bowl Brad Nessler Bob Griese Lynn Swann and Jack Arute John Saunders Terry Bowden 17.8 2002 ABC Rose Bowl Keith Jackson Tim Brant Lynn Swann and Todd Harris John Saunders Terry Bowden 13.9 2003 ABC Fiesta Bowl Keith Jackson Dan Fouts Lynn Swann and Todd Harris John Saunders Terry Bowden 17.2 2004 ABC Sugar Bowl Brent Musburger Gary Danielson Lynn Swann and Jack Arute John Saunders Terry Bowden and Craig James 14.5 2005 ABC Orange Bowl Brad Nessler Bob Griese Lynn Swann and Todd Harris John Saunders Craig James and Aaron Taylor 13.7 2006 ABC Rose Bowl Keith Jackson Dan Fouts Todd Harris and Holly Rowe John Saunders Craig James and Aaron Taylor 21.7 2007 Fox 2007 BCS National Championship Game Thom Brennaman Barry Alvarez and Charles Davis Chris Myers Chris Rose Emmitt Smith, Eddie George and Jimmy Johnson 17.4 2008 Fox 2008 BCS National Championship Game Thom Brennaman Charles Davis Chris Myers Chris Rose Eddie George, Urban Meyer and Jimmy Johnson 17.4 2009 Fox 2009 BCS National Championship Game Thom Brennaman Charles Davis Chris Myers Chris Rose Eddie George, Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson 15.8 2010 ABC 2010 BCS National Championship Game Brent Musburger Kirk Herbstreit Lisa Salters and Tom Rinaldi Chris Fowler and Rece Davis Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, Pete Carroll, Lou Holtz and Mark May 17.2 2011 ESPN 2011 BCS National Championship Game Brent Musburger Kirk Herbstreit Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi Chris Fowler Desmond Howard, Urban Meyer and Nick Saban 16.1 2012 ESPN 2012 BCS National Championship Game Brent Musburger Kirk Herbstreit Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi Chris Fowler Lee Corso, Gene Chizik and Chip Kelly 14.0 2013 ESPN 2013 BCS National Championship Game Brent Musburger Kirk Herbstreit Heather Cox and Tom Rinaldi Chris Fowler Urban Meyer and Desmond Howard 17.5 2014 ESPN 2014 BCS National Championship Game Brent Musburger Kirk Herbstreit Heather Cox and Tom Rinaldi Chris Fowler Lee Corso, Nick Saban and Desmond Howard 15.7

As part of ESPN's contract with the BCS, ESPN Deportes provided the first Spanish language U. S. telecast of the BCS National Championship Game in 2012.

During the BCS era, there was no NCAA Division I FBS playoff, and the BCS National Championship Game was just one of several national championship selection processes in existence. The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) participated in a weekly Coaches' Poll published by USA Today; for its final poll of the season, the AFCA was contractually bound to select the BCS National Champion as its No. 1 team. Thus, the winner of the game was awarded the AFCA National Championship Trophy in a postgame ceremony. The BCS National Champion was also automatically awarded the National Football Foundation's MacArthur Bowl. The Associated Press and the Football Writers Association of America were independent of the BCS system; their national championship trophies could have been awarded to a school other than the BCS National Championship Game winner.