The BCS National Championship Game or BCS title game is the final game of the annual Bowl Championship Series intended by Series organizers to determine the NCAA Division I-A national football championship. The game was first played at the conclusion of the 1998 College Football season after the Big Ten and Pac 10 conferences and the Rose Bowl Game joined the members of the former "Bowl Alliance" to form the Bowl Championship Series. The Bowl Alliance and its predecessor, the Bowl Coalition, featured championship games from 1992 through 1997. For other uses of the abbreviation BCS, please see BCS (disambiguation). ... In American college athletics, Division I-A football is the only NCAA-sponsored sport without an organized tournament to determine its champion. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... A college football game between Colorado State University and the Air Force Academy. ... Big Ten can refer to: Big Ten Conference, a college athletics conference Big Ten (movie studios), the largest movie studios in Hollywood This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Pacific Ten Conference (Pac-10) is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States. ... The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football game, usually played on January 1 (New Years Day) at the stadium of the same name in Pasadena, California. ... 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 other uses of the abbreviation BCS, please see BCS (disambiguation). ... 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. ... The Bowl Coalition 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. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

During the Bowl Coalition and Bowl Alliance era, without the participation of the Big Ten and Pac 10 conferences, scheduling a definitive championship game was somewhat "hit or miss." For instance, 1994 #2 Penn State and 1997 #1 Michigan were obligated to play in the Rose Bowl pursuant to the Big Ten's contractual commitment and were therefore unable to participate in the championship game. The Bowl Coalition 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. ... 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. ... Big Ten can refer to: Big Ten Conference, a college athletics conference Big Ten (movie studios), the largest movie studios in Hollywood This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Pacific Ten Conference (Pac-10) is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States. ... The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (commonly known as Penn State) is a state-related land-grant university in Pennsylvania, with over 80,000 students at 24 campuses throughout the state. ... University of Michigan, Ann Arbor The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (U-M, U of M, or U-Mich) is a public coeducational university in Michigan, United States. ... The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football game, usually played on January 1 at the stadium of the same name in Pasadena, California. ... Big Ten can refer to: Big Ten Conference, a college athletics conference Big Ten (movie studios), the largest movie studios in Hollywood This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Since the formation of the Bowl Championship Series, there have also been several controversies regarding the formula used for selecting the participating teams. Most notably, following the 2003 season, the BCS ranking system excluded consensus No. 1 University of Southern California from the BCS Championship Game. See Bowl Championship Series#BCS controversies for a further discussion of these controversies. For other uses of the abbreviation BCS, please see BCS (disambiguation). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses of the abbreviation BCS, please see BCS (disambiguation). ... The University of Southern California (also known as USC, SC, and Southern California), Californias oldest private research university, is located in the urban center of Los Angeles, California. ... For other uses of the abbreviation BCS, please see BCS (disambiguation). ...

Despite their respective problems, the Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, and Bowl Championship Series championship games have succeeded in producing winners that have captured or shared the National Championship in every season since 1992. The Bowl Coalition 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. ... 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 other uses of the abbreviation BCS, please see BCS (disambiguation). ... In American college athletics, Division I-A football is the only NCAA-sponsored sport without an organized tournament to determine its champion. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

Results

Bowl Championship Series results

January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Texas System comprises fifteen educational institutions in Texas, of which nine are general academic universities, and six are health institutions. ... The University of Southern California (also known as USC, SC, and Southern California), Californias oldest private research university, is located in the urban center of Los Angeles, California. ... The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football game, usually played on January 1 (New Years Day) at the stadium of the same name in Pasadena, California. ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Southern California (also known as USC, SC, and Southern California), Californias oldest private research university, is located in the urban center of Los Angeles, California. ... The University of Oklahoma (OU) is an institution of higher learning located in Oklahoma. ... The Orange Bowl is an annual college football game that is usually played on January 1 in Miami, Florida. ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College at Baton Rouge, or simply Louisiana State University (LSU) is a public, coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the main campus of the Louisiana State University System. ... The University of Oklahoma (OU) is an institution of higher learning located in Oklahoma. ... The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football game traditionally played in New Orleans, Louisiana on New Years Day. ... January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Worst place ever. ... This is an article about the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. ... The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Tostitos tortilla chips (a Frito-Lay product), is a United States college football game played annually since 1971 in Tempe, Arizona, hosted by Arizona State Universitys Sun Devil Stadium. ... January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This is an article about the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. ... Seal of the University of Nebraska The University of Nebraska is one of two public university systems in the state of Nebraska, USA. The system has four universities and a technical college: University of Nebraska-Lincoln University of Nebraska at Omaha University of Nebraska at Kearney University of Nebraska Medical... The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football game, usually played on January 1 (New Years Day) at the stadium of the same name in Pasadena, California. ... January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The University of Oklahoma (OU) is an institution of higher learning located in Oklahoma. ... Florida State University State University System of Florida FAMU FAU FGCU FIU FSU NCF UCF UF UNF USF UWF Florida State University, also commonly referred to as FSU or Florida State, is a comprehensive, graduate-national research university founded and located in Tallahassee, Florida in 1851. ... The Orange Bowl is an annual college football game that is usually played on January 1 in Miami, Florida. ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Florida State University State University System of Florida FAMU FAU FGCU FIU FSU NCF UCF UF UNF USF UWF Florida State University, also commonly referred to as FSU or Florida State, is a comprehensive, graduate-national research university founded and located in Tallahassee, Florida in 1851. ... This article or section should include material from Virginia Bioinformatics Institute. ... The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football game traditionally played in New Orleans, Louisiana on New Years Day. ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The University of Tennessee (UT), sometimes called the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT Knoxville or UTK), is the primary institution of the statewide land-grant University of Tennessee system, Tennessees flagship public university. ... Florida State University State University System of Florida FAMU FAU FGCU FIU FSU NCF UCF UF UNF USF UWF Florida State University, also commonly referred to as FSU or Florida State, is a comprehensive, graduate-national research university founded and located in Tallahassee, Florida in 1851. ... The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Tostitos tortilla chips (a Frito-Lay product), is a United States college football game played annually since 1971 in Tempe, Arizona, hosted by Arizona State Universitys Sun Devil Stadium. ...

Bowl Coalition/Bowl Alliance results

Notes: January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a state-supported institution of higher learning located in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. Often referred to as simply Nebraska or UNL, it is the flagship and largest campus of the University of Nebraska system. ... The University of Tennessee (UT), sometimes called the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT Knoxville or UTK), is the primary institution of the statewide land-grant University of Tennessee system, Tennessees flagship public university. ... The Orange Bowl is an annual college football game that is usually played on January 1 in Miami, Florida. ... January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... University of Florida State University System of Florida FAMU FAU FGCU FIU FSU NCF UCF UF UNF USF UWF The University of Florida is a public university located in Gainesville, Florida. ... Florida State University State University System of Florida FAMU FAU FGCU FIU FSU NCF UCF UF UNF USF UWF Florida State University, also commonly referred to as FSU or Florida State, is a comprehensive, graduate-national research university founded and located in Tallahassee, Florida in 1851. ... The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football game traditionally played in New Orleans, Louisiana on New Years Day. ... January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a state-supported institution of higher learning located in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. Often referred to as simply Nebraska or UNL, it is the flagship and largest campus of the University of Nebraska system. ... University of Florida State University System of Florida FAMU FAU FGCU FIU FSU NCF UCF UF UNF USF UWF The University of Florida is a public university located in Gainesville, Florida. ... The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Tostitos tortilla chips (a Frito-Lay product), is a United States college football game played annually since 1971 in Tempe, Arizona, hosted by Arizona State Universitys Sun Devil Stadium. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Seal of the University of Nebraska The University of Nebraska is one of two public university systems in the state of Nebraska, USA. The system has four universities and a technical college: University of Nebraska-Lincoln University of Nebraska at Omaha University of Nebraska at Kearney University of Nebraska Medical... This is an article about the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. ... The Orange Bowl is an annual college football game that is usually played on January 1 in Miami, Florida. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Florida State University State University System of Florida FAMU FAU FGCU FIU FSU NCF UCF UF UNF USF UWF Florida State University, also commonly referred to as FSU or Florida State, is a comprehensive, graduate-national research university founded and located in Tallahassee, Florida in 1851. ... Seal of the University of Nebraska The University of Nebraska is one of two public university systems in the state of Nebraska, USA. The system has four universities and a technical college: University of Nebraska-Lincoln University of Nebraska at Omaha University of Nebraska at Kearney University of Nebraska Medical... The Orange Bowl is an annual college football game that is usually played on January 1 in Miami, Florida. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... University of Alabama The University of Alabama (also known as Alabama, UA, or colloquially as Bama) is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. ... This is an article about the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. ... The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football game traditionally played in New Orleans, Louisiana on New Years Day. ...

• Rankings are from the Associated Press (Writers Poll). Records and Rankings are prior to bowl games.
• 2004 – The BCS ranking system bypassed consensus No. 1 USC (11-1). USC defeated Michigan in the Rose Bowl on January 1 and won the Associated Press National Championship. LSU won the USA Today (Coaches Poll) National Championship.
• 1998 - Nebraska (13-0) won the ESPN-USA Today Coaches Poll National Championship, while No. 1 Michigan, (12-0) and winners of the Rose Bowl, won the Associated Press (Writers Poll) National Championship. This was prior to, and therefore unaffected by, the Bowl Championship Series' later agreement with the USA Today Coaches Poll locking in the outcome of that poll based on the title game's outcome.
• 1997 - No. 2 Arizona State (11-0) lost in the Rose Bowl on January 1.
• 1995 - No. 2 Penn State (11-0) played in and won the Rose Bowl on January 2, thus No. 3 Miami was still in the running to win the National Championship when it played on January 1.

Associated Press logo This article concerns the news service. ... For other uses of the abbreviation BCS, please see BCS (disambiguation). ... The University of Southern California (also known as USC, SC, and Southern California), Californias oldest private research university, is located in the urban center of Los Angeles, California. ... University of Michigan, Ann Arbor The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (U-M, U of M, or U-Mich) is a public coeducational university in Michigan, United States. ... Associated Press logo This article concerns the news service. ... In American college athletics, Division I-A football is the only NCAA-sponsored sport without an organized tournament to determine its champion. ... Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College at Baton Rouge, or simply Louisiana State University (LSU) is a public, coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the main campus of the Louisiana State University System. ... USA Today is a national American newspaper published by the Gannett Corporation. ... In American college athletics, Division I-A football is the only NCAA-sponsored sport without an organized tournament to determine its champion. ... Seal of the University of Nebraska The University of Nebraska is one of two public university systems in the state of Nebraska, USA. The system has four universities and a technical college: University of Nebraska-Lincoln University of Nebraska at Omaha University of Nebraska at Kearney University of Nebraska Medical... ESPN, formerly an abbreviation of Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day. ... USA Today is a national American newspaper published by the Gannett Corporation. ... In American college athletics, Division I-A football is the only NCAA-sponsored sport without an organized tournament to determine its champion. ... University of Michigan, Ann Arbor The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (U-M, U of M, or U-Mich) is a public coeducational university in Michigan, United States. ... Associated Press logo This article concerns the news service. ... In American college athletics, Division I-A football is the only NCAA-sponsored sport without an organized tournament to determine its champion. ... For other uses of the abbreviation BCS, please see BCS (disambiguation). ... USA Today is a national American newspaper published by the Gannett Corporation. ... Arizona State University (ASU) is the largest university in terms of enrollment in the United States with a main campus student body of 51,612. ... The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (commonly known as Penn State) is a state-related land-grant university based in State College, Pennsylvania (the university uses a University Park, Pennsylvania to differentiate University addresses from those in town), with over 80,000 students at 24 campuses throughout the... This is an article about the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. ... The Bear Bryant Trophy, the AP national championship trophy Division I-A football is the only NCAA-sponsored sport without an organized tournament to determine its champion. ...

History

• Bowl Coalition I (1993-1995). The SEC, Big 8, Southwest Conference, ACC and Big East champions, Notre Dame, and two conference runner-ups from among the Big 8, SWC, ACC, Big East and Pac-10 were included. The Orange, Sugar, Cotton and Fiesta Bowls were the associated bowls. The Orange, Sugar and Cotton Bowls hosted Big 8, SEC and SWC champs, respectively. The top “host” team played the top “at-large” team in the host team’s affiliated bowl. If the top 2 teams were both “at-large”, then the Fiesta would have hosted the title game.

• Bowl Alliance II (1996-1998). It involved the SEC, Big 12 Conference, ACC and Big East champions and two at-large teams (SWC champ in 1996, special provisions for Notre Dame). It included the Orange, Sugar and Fiesta Bowls. The championship game rotated among all three bowls. The top two teams would play in the title game.

• Bowl Championship Series III (1999-2006). The Big Ten, Pac-10, SEC, Big XII, ACC and Big East champions and two at-large teams (special provisions for Notre Dame and non-BCS conference teams) are included. It involves the Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta Bowls. The Championship game rotates among all 4 bowls. The top two teams in BCS standings play in the title game.

• Bowl Championship Series IV (2007-2010). The Big Ten, Pac-10, SEC, Big XII, ACC and Big East champions, one non-BCS conference champion, and three at-large teams (special provisions for Notre Dame) will be included. It will involve the Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta Bowls, and have a separate National Championship Game. The championship game will rotate among the sites of 4 bowls and will be played one week later. The top two teams in BCS standings will play in the title game.

The Bowl Coalition 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. ... The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a college athletic conference which operates in the southeastern United States. ... This page deals with movie studios. ... The Southwest Conference (SWC) was a college athletic conference in the United States, now defunct. ... The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is one of the oldest collegiate athletic leagues in the United States. ... The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of thirteen universities, mostly in the northeastern United States: Boston College (scheduled to leave in 2005) University of Connecticut (UConn) Georgetown University (Plays Division I-AA football in the Patriot League) University of Notre Dame (Plays Division I-A football... Not to be confused with the University of Notre Dame Australia The University of Notre Dame is a leading Roman Catholic institution of higher learning. ... The Southwest Conference (SWC) was a college athletic conference in the United States, now defunct. ... The Cotton Bowl Classic is a United States college football bowl game played annually since 1937 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. ... The Cotton Bowl Classic is a United States college football bowl game played annually since 1937 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. ... 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. ... The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of twelve schools located in the central United States. ... For other uses of the abbreviation BCS, please see BCS (disambiguation). ... For other uses of the abbreviation BCS, please see BCS (disambiguation). ...

Future

Beginning with the the 2006 College Football season, the National Championship Game will be a separate event from the host bowl played at the same site as the host one week after New Year's Day. The game's location will rotate between the four main bowl sites of Glendale, New Orleans, Miami and Pasadena. 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A college football game between Colorado State University and the Air Force Academy. ... For information on the movie, New Years Day, see New Years Day (film). ...

Future sites

January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cardinals Stadium (the official name is yet to be announced) is a retractable roof stadium currently undergoing construction in Glendale, Arizona. ... Glendale is a city located in Maricopa County, Arizona. ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is a Leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Superdome redirects here. ... New Orleans (local pronunciations: , , or ) (French: La Nouvelle-Orléans, pronounced in standard French accent) is a major U.S. port city and historically the largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2009 (MMIX) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dolphins Stadium (originally named Dolphin Stadium, later named Joe Robbie Stadium and then briefly Pro Player Park before becoming Pro Player Stadium, and now back to being named for the team, this time as Dolphins Stadium) is an American football and baseball stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida (a suburb of... Miami Gardens is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2010 (MMX) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the Los Angeles stadium. ... Pasadena is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ...

Potential evolution

Many critics of the Bowl Championship Series favor a full scale championship tournament with eight to sixteen teams, similar to that administered by the NCAA for its Division I-AA, Division II and Division III football championships. Others favor 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, the so-called "plus one" option. For other uses of the abbreviation BCS, please see BCS (disambiguation). ... The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often said NC-Double-A) is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletics programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ... NCAA Division I-AA Football Champions 1978 Florida A&M 35-28 Massachusetts 1979 Eastern Kentucky 30-7 Lehigh 1980 Boise State 31-29 Eastern Kentucky 1981 Idaho State 34-23 Eastern Kentucky 1982 Eastern Kentucky 17-14 Delaware 1983 Southern Illinois 43-7 Western Carolina 1984 Montana State 19... Division II (or DII) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. ... Division III consists of institutions who recognize that collegiate athletics can be an integral part of the educational process. ...