On the official BCS website, it states: "The BCS was created by the conferences and schools before the 1998 season to assure a matchup between the top two teams..."
Okay, so has that happened? Well first off, it is a lie. The BCS was created by the Big Six conferences and Notre Dame. The Mountain West, WAC, MAC, C-USA, and Sun Belt are not invited to the BCS unless specific qualifications happen and even then they still can't get a fair shake at a title game. On to the second part which is to 'assure a matchup between the top two teams'...
1998: Tennessee vs. Florida State
--Tennessee was undefeated and deserved to be in the National Championship game.
--Florida State:
1 loss: North Carolina State (finished 7-4 regular season)
Key wins: Texas A&M (11-2, Big 12 champ), Florida (9-2, L vs. Tenn/FSU)
--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: Tulane UCLA (10-1), Ohio State (10-1), Wisconsin (10-1), Tulane (11-0). Tulane didn't have any signature wins, so they are out. UCLA is rightfully out because of common opponent (Miami) as Florida State being their only loss. Obviously, the Big Ten should have a championship game to determine the winner, but since they don't...Ohio State lost to Michgan State who didn't make a bowl game, so they are eliminated. But what about Wisconsin? Their only loss came at Michigan (whose three losses were against Syracuse, Notre Dame, and Ohio State). However, they played a weak non-conference schedule and probably didn't deserve a bid.
--4 Team Playoff Look: Tennessee vs. Wisconsin, Florida State vs. UCLA
--8 Team Playoff Look: Tennessee vs. Syracuse, Florida State vs. Tulane, UCLA vs. Texas A&M, Wisconsin vs. Ohio State
--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 Tennessee, #2 Florida State, #3 Kansas State, #4 Ohio State--Games: #5 UCLA vs. #12 Syracuse , #6 Texas A&M vs. #11 Nebraska, #7 Arizona vs. #10 Tulane , #8 Florida vs. #9 Wisconsin
--FINAL SAY: The BCS gets this one right...especially after a Tennessee win. BCS 1 Playoff System 0
1999: Florida State vs. Virginia Tech
--Florida State was undefeated and deserved to be in the National Championship game.
--Virginia Tech: was also undefeated and maybe deserved to be in the National Championship game.
--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: Marshall finished the regular season undefeated and beat two teams that Virginia Tech did (@ Clemson 13-10, vs. Temple 34-0) but probably can't make much of an argument for a NC game. However, what about Nebraska? Nebraska finished the regular season 11-1 with their lone loss coming @Texas. However, they played on a neutral field for the conference championship and Nebraska dominated the game winning 22-6. Other key wins for Nebraska: #7 Kansas State (41-17), #14 Texas A&M (37-0)
--4 Team Playoff Look: Florida State vs. Marshall, Virginia Tech vs. Nebraska
--8 Team Playoff Look: Florida State vs. Stanford, Virginia Tech vs. Marshall, Nebraska vs. Wisconsin , Alabama vs. Tennessee
--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 Florida State, #2Virginia Tech, #3 Nebraska, #4 Alabama--Games: #5 Tennessee vs. #12 Stanford, #6 Kansas State vs. #11 Marshall, #7 Wisconsin vs. #10 Florida, #8 Michigan vs. #9 Michigan State
--FINAL SAY: The BCS gets partial credit for this one. Florida State overmatched Virginia Tech and Nebraska probably could have put up a better fight. BCS 1.5 Playoff System 0.5
2000: Oklahoma vs. Florida State
--Oklahoma was undefeated and deserved to be in the National Championship game.
--Florida State lost one game...and it was to Miami who lost one game, who lost to Washington who lost one game.... DID NOT deserve to be there.
--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: This was the first time that the BCS REALLY screwed things up. Florida State, Miami, Washington, Virginia Tech, and Oregon State all ended the regular season with one loss. FSU lost @Miami. Miami lost @Washington, Washington lost @ Oregon (who finished with 2 losses), Virginia Tech lost @ Miami and Oregon State lost @ Washington. Confused yet? Against the other teams with one loss, FSU, VTech & OSU went 0-1, Miami went 2-1, and Washington went 2-0. Washington had the best record against the top 6 teams and didn't get a sniff of the title game.
--4 Team Playoff Look: Couldn't have even made a 4 team work in this year...
--8 Team Playoff Look: Oklahoma vs. Michigan, Miami vs. Florida, Florida State vs. Oregon State, Washington vs. Virginia Tech
--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 Oklahoma, #2 Miami, #3 Florida State #4 Washington--Games: #5 Virginia Tech vs. #12 Michigan, #6 Oregon State vs. #11 Notre Dame, #7 Florida vs. #10 Oregon, #8 Nebraska vs. #9 Kansas State
--FINAL SAY: Not Even Close. Playoff wins by a landslide. National Championship game was Oklahoma 13, Florida State 2. Boring. BCS 1.5 Playoff System 1.5
2001: Miami vs. Nebraska
--Miami was undefeated and deserved to be in the National Championship game.
--Nebraska lost one game...and didn't even win their conference...but still got in. WHAT A JOKE!!!
--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: Colorado absolutely CRUSHED Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship game, 62-36. However, they still finished the year with two losses. Nebraska had only the loss to Colorado. Oregon finished with only a home loss to Stanford and Big 10 champion Illinois lost a game to Michigan.
--4 Team Playoff Look: A tough call, but probably Miami vs. Illinois, Colorado vs. Oregon
--8 Team Playoff Look: Miami vs. LSU, Nebraska vs. Maryland, Colorado vs Illinois, Oregon vs. Florida
--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 Miami, #2 Nebraska, #3 Colorado #4 Oregon --Games: #5 Florida vs. #12 LSU, #6 Tennesee vs. #11 Washington State, #7 Texas vs. #10 Maryland, #8 Illinois vs. #9 Stanford
--FINAL SAY: Once again, a playoff system would have worked better than the Nebraska/Miami game. Miami cruised 37-14. To be fair, nobody would have beat the 'Canes that year. BCS 1.5 Playoff System 2.5
2002: Miami vs. Ohio State
--Miami was undefeated and deserved to be in the National Championship game.
--Ohio State was undefeated and deserved to be in the National Championship game.
--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: HOORAY!!! One that works!!!
--4 Team Playoff would have looked like: Miami vs. USC, Ohio State vs. Georgia
--8 Team Playoff would have looked like: Miami vs. Florida State, Ohio State vs. Oklahoma, Georgia vs. Washington State, USC vs. Iowa
--12 Team Playoff would have looked like: Byes: #1 Miami, #2 Ohio State #3 Georgia #4 USC --Games: #5 Iowa vs. #12 Florida State, #6 Washington State vs. #11 Michigan, #7 Oklahoma vs. #10 Texas, #8 Kansas State vs. #9 Notre Dame
--FINAL SAY: What can I say? BCS worked (only thanks to two undefeated teams). BCS 2.5 Playoff System 2.5
2003: Oklahoma vs. LSU
--Oklahoma lost one game and didn't even win their conference...
--LSU lost one game.
--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: Guess who else lost one game and was ranked #1 in both polls? USC. They lost to a California team who finished 8-6. Oklahoma beat Texas earlier in the year but you CAN'T play in the championship if you don't win your conference, especially when you get destroyed 35-7!!! Lastly, LSU lost to Florida who went a weak 8-5. Another year where the playoff would have made things so much simpler!
--4 Team Playoff Look: USC vs. Michigan, LSU vs. Oklahoma
--8 Team Playoff Look: USC vs. Kansas State, LSU vs. Miami, Oklahoma vs. Florida State, Michigan vs. Ohio State
--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 USC, #2 LSU, #3 Oklahoma #4 Michigan --Games: #5 Ohio State vs. #12 Georgia, #6 Texas vs. #11 Miami (OH), #7 Florida State vs. #10 Kansas State #8 Tennessee vs. #9 Miami (FL)
--FINAL SAY: Playoff wins again. Three one loss teams and probably the best one didn't get into the championship game. BCS 2.5 Playoff System 3.5
2004: Oklahoma vs. USC
--Oklahoma was undefeated.
--USC was undefeated.
--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: Well, Auburn was also undefeated so was this other team out of the Mountain West called Utah. Four undefeated teams, but only two get to play for the title. Oklahoma's best win came against Texas and outside of that, nothing else was great (except for the defense shutting out weak Big 12 offenses). USC ran through everyone including a season opening win against ACC champion, Virginia Tech. Auburn had a weak non-conference schedule but ran through the SEC, while Utah took out teams from the ACC, Big 12, Pac 10 and a drubbing of Big East champion Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.
--4 Team Playoff Look: USC vs. Utah, Oklahoma vs. Auburn
--8 Team Playoff Look: USC vs. Pittsburgh, Oklahoma vs. Michigan, Auburn vs. Virginia Tech, Utah vs. Texas
--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 USC, #2 Oklahoma, #3 Auburn #4 Utah --Games: #5 Texas vs. #12 Pittsburgh, #6 Georgia vs. #11 Michigan #7 Virginia Tech vs. #10 LSU #8 Boise State vs. #9 Louisville
--FINAL SAY: Ummm...playoffs? Three teams finish the season undefeated. We have two national champions. BCS 2.5 Playoff System 4.5
2005: USC vs. Texas
--USC was undefeated and ready for a repeat
--Texas was undefeated and coming off of a 70-3 blowout conference championship game.
--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: A Year after four teams finish the season undefeated, USC and Texas were it. The battle for it all came down to one game.
--4 Team Playoff would have looked like: I honestly don't know...USC vs ? , Texas vs. Penn State ?
--8 Team Playoff would have looked like: USC vs. Florida State, Texas vs. West Virginia, Penn State vs. Georgia, Ohio State vs. Oregon
--12 Team Playoff would have looked like: Byes: #1 USC, #2 Texas #3 Penn State #4 Ohio State --Games: #5 Oregon vs. #12 Florida State, #6 Notre Dame vs. #11 West Virginia, #7 Georgia vs. #10 Virginia Tech, #8 Miami (FL) vs. #9 Auburn
--FINAL SAY: BCS wins once again...thanks to two undefeated teams...more on this coming soon. BCS 3.5 Playoff System 4.5
2006: Ohio State vs. Florida
--Ohio State was undefeated and deserved to be in the game.
--Florida had one loss and well....turned out they should have been there after the result...however
--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: There was another team who was undefeated. They even won a BCS game over big and powerful Oklahoma. Hello world, here is Boise! Turns out Florida deserved to be in the National Championship game after the fact they beat Ohio State. But, with a playoff system, we would have known for sure. Michigan went to the 'Shoe' and lost by three, felt slighted and laid an egg against USC. Things might have been different in a playoff system.
--4 Team Playoff Look: Ohio State vs. Boise State, Florida vs. Michigan
--8 Team Playoff Look: Ohio State vs. Wake Forest, Florida vs. Oklahoma, Michigan vs. Louisville, Boise State vs. USC
--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 Ohio State, #2 Florida, #3 Michigan #4 Boise State --Games: #5 LSUvs. #12 Wake Forest, #6 USC vs. #11 Notre Dame #7 Louisville vs. #10 Oklahoma #8 Wisconsin vs. #9 Auburn
--FINAL SAY: A Cinderella could have emerged if you would have played the two teams that were undefeated. Boise State is the only team to finish without a loss, yet is not considered a national champ. BCS 3.5 Playoff System 5.5
2007: Ohio State vs. LSU
--Ohio State had one loss.
--LSU came into the game with two losses.
--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: The game nobody wanted to play in. Or that everybody did. Not a single team stood out in this year, all the more reason for a playoff. The lone undefeated team? Hawaii with a 12-0 record. So, let's see. Ohio State tripped up the second to last week against Illinois. LSU beat ACC conference champ V-Tech at home, but didn't get to face the best team from the SEC (Georgia), Oklahoma won the Big 12 but didn't face Kansas who had one loss. USC lost the last week against UCLA...as I said, nobody wanted to play in it!
--4 Team Playoff Look: Ohio State vs. Hawaii, LSU vs. Virginia Tech
--8 Team Playoff Look: Ohio State vs. Hawaii, LSU vs. West Virginia, Virginia Tech vs. USC, Oklahoma vs. Georgia
--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 Ohio State, #2 LSU, #3 Virginia Tech #4 Oklahoma --Games: #5 Georgia vs. #12 Florida, #6 Missouri vs. #11 Arizona State #7 USC vs. #10 Hawaii #8 Kansas vs. #9 West Virginia
--FINAL SAY: The year a playoff would have absolutely made sense. BCS 3.5 Playoff System 6.5
2008: Florida vs. Oklahoma
--Florida had one loss coming at the hands of Ole Miss.
--Oklahoma wasn't even the best team in the Big 12 as evidenced by a loss on a neutral field against Texas.
--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: There were two teams that finished undefeated--Utah & Boise--and once again, they get shut of a title chance! Seven other teams finish with one loss! Texas beat Oklahoma who beat Texas Tech who beat Texas. Alabama's first loss came in the SEC Championship game against Florida. USC lost in Corvallis on a Thursday night, while Penn State fell at Kinnick during a night game. All could have been solved in a slug-it-out playoff!!!
--4 Team Playoff Look: 4 teams would have not justified the play from this year!
--8 Team Playoff Look: 8 TEAMS WOULD HAVE NOT EVEN JUSTIFIED A PLAYOFF SYSTEM! 7 One loss teams and 2 undefeated!!!
--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 Oklahoma, #2 Florida, #3 Texas #4 Alabama --Games: #5 USC vs. #12 Virginia Tech, #6 Utah vs. #11 Cincinnati #7 Texas Tech vs. #10 Ohio State #8 Penn State vs. #9 Boise State
--FINAL SAY: Another year to the playoffs.... BCS 3.5 Playoff System 7.5
2009: Alabama vs. Texas
--Alabama actually deserved this game based on their schedule. But...
--Texas got through an easy Big 12 schedule...and...
--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: There were still THREE other teams that were undefeated! Boise State, TCU, and Cincinnati had no real chance of ever making a National Championship game under this stupid BCS formula. This could have been a great playoff year!
--4 Team Playoff Look: 4 teams would have not justified the play from this year!
--8 Team Playoff Look: Alabama vs. Georgia Tech, Texas vs. Ohio State, Cincinnati vs. Oregon , TCU vs. Boise State
--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 Alabama #2 Texas, #3 Cincinnati #4 TCU --Games: #5 Florida vs. #12 LSU, #6 Boise State vs. #11 Virginia Tech #7 Oregonvs. #10 Iowa #8 Ohio Statevs. #9 Georgia Tech
--FINAL SAY: And there you have it.... BCS 3.5 Playoff System 8.5
FINAL THOUGHTS:
In all reality, the BCS has worked ONE YEAR. YES, ONLY ONE YEAR! The very first year, when Florida State was obviously the second best team behind Tennessee. The other two years that the BCS worked fully were in 2002 and 2005 -- only thanks to ONLY two teams going undefeated! You can make the argument for 1999 as well, but I still think Nebraska was a better team that year than Virginia Tech.
It's time for a change. Time for a playoff system. This system is so simple. It works...ask the NFL, the MLB, the NHL, ask the rest of the NCAA (you know, Division II, III, JUCO) -- all of them have PLAYOFFS. Maybe one day they will figure it out...but who knows. We can crown Alabama or Florida or whover as BCS Champions...but until there is a playoff there is NO TRUE 'NATIONAL CHAMPION'.
