Pachyderm_Wave
Hartselle Tigers (15-0) 5-A State Champ
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THE PRECONCEPTION OF THE BCS
The BCS was the result of a series of controversial national championship winners that culminated in an agreement to permit the teams ranked one and two in the final regular season poll to meet on the field in a bowl game to determine the winner. (Well, actually it was the result of a Congressional threat but I digress). After the AP/UPI split titles of 1973 - when Alabama won the title prior to the game and then lost to Notre Dame, who claimed the AP title - there was a 25-year series of controversial champions, split champions, and champions that should have been split but were not. Indeed, in the 25 years between the 1973 Sugar Bowl and the BCS, there was a controversy over the team that ultimately won the championship no less than THIRTEEN times, more than half. And in a number of other instances (1981, 1985, 1988), college football was bailed out by good fortune that prevented controversy. But the real impetus was found in a number of endings to the season that were perpetually unsatisfying.
1990 - Colorado, aided in part by a controversial Fifth Down decision against Missouri, splits the national championship with Georgia Tech
1991 - Miami and Washington, unable to play one another, split the championship. The most relevant controversy was Miami's refusal to play higher-ranked Florida in the New Orleans Sugar Bowl and opting to rout unheralded Nebraska on their own Orange Bowl turf.
1993 - Florida State wins the consensus national championship despite having lost head-to-head to Notre Dame, with a better record.
1994 - Nebraska wins both titles because Penn State is obligated to play unknown Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
1996 - a four-team car crash at the top of the standings winds up settled in favor of the Florida Gators
1997 - Nebraska and Michigan end the year undefeated, the Cornhuskers assisted by an illegal kick play that keeps them alive to beat Missouri.
In 1992, as a response to three consecutive controversial finishes, the Bowl Coalition was born. This was a grouping of Notre Dame and all the major conferences except the two tied to the Rose Bowl, the Big Ten and the Pac Ten. The agreement was to allow the Sugar, Fiesta, and Orange Bowls to bypass conference tie-ins on a rotating basis to set up ultimate 1 vs 2 matchups. The system worked perfectly in 1992 and saw Alabama upset Miami in the Sugar Bowl to the win the championship. It had problems in 1993 with disputes about the rankings; however, Florida State did meet (and beat) Nebraska on the field to win the championship. And just as has happened in every case, the Coalition fell apart in 1994, when there were two unbeatens and one was the Rose Bowl-obligated Penn State. Nebraska won the title and Penn State was left to seethe.
In 1995, the Bowl Alliance replaced the Bowl Coalition. Once again, the Rose Bowl obligated conferences were left out. And once again, disaster struck the determination of a champion. Only Michigan's upset win over Ohio State spared a disaster the very first year. In 1996, the Alliance shattered when Arizona State completed their season unbeaten and left a train wreck at the top of the standings. Combined with the perceived snubbing of 14-1 BYU, the Alliance was on life support before it even began. The call to the coroner came when Michigan and Nebraska split the 1997 national championship, the third split in eight years and seventh controversy in the previous nine. Furthermore, the success of BYU in a mid-major in 1996 opened up a Congressional investigation as to whether or not the Bowl Alliance violated anti-trust laws.
THE BCS BEGINS
To satisfy Congress, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was created. Unlike the previous attempts, this grouping would permit participation by mid-major conferences that met certain criteria and also included the Rose Bowl-obligated conferences. (To be fair - part of the concern on the part of the conferences was that the ABC television contract for the Rose Bowl might necessitate a lawsuit). The Tournament of Roses Association agreed to release their champions from obligation if necessary but in the typical sop thrown to the Rose Bowl, they were set up last in the rotation of the Big Four bowl games to host the championship.
The BCS as originally designed set up a four-point plan: the AP poll results plus coaches poll results (as one block), several computer rankings (including Sagarin and Seattle Times), strength of schedule (quartile), and number of losses. There was one immediate flaw in the BCS plan despite all its assets: what if there were THREE equally deserving teams that had gone unbeaten and won their conference? This was a rarity, of course and so naturally - college football being as insane as it is - it damn near happened the first year.
The very first BCS rankings were issued on October 26, 1998 and were as follows:
1) UCLA
2) Ohio State
3) Tennessee
4) Kansas State
5) Florida State (with a solitary loss)
The BCS was the result of a series of controversial national championship winners that culminated in an agreement to permit the teams ranked one and two in the final regular season poll to meet on the field in a bowl game to determine the winner. (Well, actually it was the result of a Congressional threat but I digress). After the AP/UPI split titles of 1973 - when Alabama won the title prior to the game and then lost to Notre Dame, who claimed the AP title - there was a 25-year series of controversial champions, split champions, and champions that should have been split but were not. Indeed, in the 25 years between the 1973 Sugar Bowl and the BCS, there was a controversy over the team that ultimately won the championship no less than THIRTEEN times, more than half. And in a number of other instances (1981, 1985, 1988), college football was bailed out by good fortune that prevented controversy. But the real impetus was found in a number of endings to the season that were perpetually unsatisfying.
1990 - Colorado, aided in part by a controversial Fifth Down decision against Missouri, splits the national championship with Georgia Tech
1991 - Miami and Washington, unable to play one another, split the championship. The most relevant controversy was Miami's refusal to play higher-ranked Florida in the New Orleans Sugar Bowl and opting to rout unheralded Nebraska on their own Orange Bowl turf.
1993 - Florida State wins the consensus national championship despite having lost head-to-head to Notre Dame, with a better record.
1994 - Nebraska wins both titles because Penn State is obligated to play unknown Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
1996 - a four-team car crash at the top of the standings winds up settled in favor of the Florida Gators
1997 - Nebraska and Michigan end the year undefeated, the Cornhuskers assisted by an illegal kick play that keeps them alive to beat Missouri.
In 1992, as a response to three consecutive controversial finishes, the Bowl Coalition was born. This was a grouping of Notre Dame and all the major conferences except the two tied to the Rose Bowl, the Big Ten and the Pac Ten. The agreement was to allow the Sugar, Fiesta, and Orange Bowls to bypass conference tie-ins on a rotating basis to set up ultimate 1 vs 2 matchups. The system worked perfectly in 1992 and saw Alabama upset Miami in the Sugar Bowl to the win the championship. It had problems in 1993 with disputes about the rankings; however, Florida State did meet (and beat) Nebraska on the field to win the championship. And just as has happened in every case, the Coalition fell apart in 1994, when there were two unbeatens and one was the Rose Bowl-obligated Penn State. Nebraska won the title and Penn State was left to seethe.
In 1995, the Bowl Alliance replaced the Bowl Coalition. Once again, the Rose Bowl obligated conferences were left out. And once again, disaster struck the determination of a champion. Only Michigan's upset win over Ohio State spared a disaster the very first year. In 1996, the Alliance shattered when Arizona State completed their season unbeaten and left a train wreck at the top of the standings. Combined with the perceived snubbing of 14-1 BYU, the Alliance was on life support before it even began. The call to the coroner came when Michigan and Nebraska split the 1997 national championship, the third split in eight years and seventh controversy in the previous nine. Furthermore, the success of BYU in a mid-major in 1996 opened up a Congressional investigation as to whether or not the Bowl Alliance violated anti-trust laws.
THE BCS BEGINS
To satisfy Congress, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was created. Unlike the previous attempts, this grouping would permit participation by mid-major conferences that met certain criteria and also included the Rose Bowl-obligated conferences. (To be fair - part of the concern on the part of the conferences was that the ABC television contract for the Rose Bowl might necessitate a lawsuit). The Tournament of Roses Association agreed to release their champions from obligation if necessary but in the typical sop thrown to the Rose Bowl, they were set up last in the rotation of the Big Four bowl games to host the championship.
The BCS as originally designed set up a four-point plan: the AP poll results plus coaches poll results (as one block), several computer rankings (including Sagarin and Seattle Times), strength of schedule (quartile), and number of losses. There was one immediate flaw in the BCS plan despite all its assets: what if there were THREE equally deserving teams that had gone unbeaten and won their conference? This was a rarity, of course and so naturally - college football being as insane as it is - it damn near happened the first year.
The very first BCS rankings were issued on October 26, 1998 and were as follows:
1) UCLA
2) Ohio State
3) Tennessee
4) Kansas State
5) Florida State (with a solitary loss)
