BCS National Championship Game
| BCS National Championship Game (defunct) | |
|---|---|
| Stadium | Four-year rotation between: State Farm Stadium Caesars Superdome Hard Rock Stadium Rose Bowl |
| Location | Four-year rotation between: Glendale, Arizona New Orleans, Louisiana Miami Gardens, Florida Pasadena, California |
| Previous stadiums | Sun Devil Stadium (1999, 2003) |
| Previous locations | Tempe, Arizona (1999, 2003) |
| Operated | 1999–2014 |
| Payout | US$23,900,000 (2014 game)[1] |
| Preceded by | Bowl Alliance (1995–97) Bowl Coalition (1992–94) |
| Succeeded by | College Football Playoff National Championship (2015) |
| Sponsors | |
The BCS National Championship Game was a postseason college football bowl game that determined the national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). It was first played during the 1998 college football season as one of four designated bowl games, and beginning in the 2006 season, became a standalone event that rotated among the host sites of those bowl games.[2]
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.[3]
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 (later 12-team) single elimination tournament, as the successor to the BCS.
History
[edit]![[icon]](https://lowyatch.pages.dev/bl-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding missing information. (November 2010) |
The first BCS Championship was played at the conclusion of the 1998 NCAA Division I-A 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 for the 1992 through 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.
Game results
[edit]- For Bowl Coalition championship game results from 1992 to 1994, see: Bowl Coalition
- For Bowl Alliance championship game results from 1995 to 1997, see: Bowl Alliance
| Season | Date | Winning team | Score | Losing team | Bowl game | Site | Attendance[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | January 4, 1999 | 1 Tennessee SEC Champions |
23–16 | 2 Florida State ACC Co-Champions |
1999 Fiesta Bowl | Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona |
80,470 |
| 1999 | January 4, 2000 | 1 Florida State ACC Champions |
46–29 | 2 Virginia Tech Big East Champions |
2000 Sugar Bowl | Louisiana Superdome New Orleans |
79,280 |
| 2000 | January 3, 2001 | 1 Oklahoma Big 12 Champions |
13–2 | 2 Florida State ACC Champions |
2001 Orange Bowl | Pro Player Stadium Miami |
76,835 |
| 2001 | January 3, 2002 | 1 Miami (FL) Big East Champions |
37–14 | 2 Nebraska At-large |
2002 Rose Bowl | Rose Bowl Pasadena, California |
93,781 |
| 2002 | January 3, 2003 | 2 Ohio State Big Ten Co-Champions |
31–24 (2OT) |
1 Miami (FL) Big East Champions |
2003 Fiesta Bowl | Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona |
77,502 |
| 2003 | January 4, 2004 | 2 LSU SEC Champions |
21–14 | 1 Oklahoma At-large |
2004 Sugar Bowl | Louisiana Superdome New Orleans |
79,342 |
| 2004 | January 4, 2005 | 1 USC* Pac-10 Champions |
55–19 | 2 Oklahoma Big 12 Champions |
2005 Orange Bowl | Pro Player Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida |
77,912 |
| 2005 | January 4, 2006 | 2 Texas Big 12 Champions |
41–38 | 1 USC Pac-10 Champions |
2006 Rose Bowl | Rose Bowl Stadium Pasadena, California |
93,986 |
| 2006 | January 8, 2007 | 2 Florida SEC Champions |
41–14 | 1 Ohio State Big Ten Champions |
2007 BCS National Championship Game | University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, Arizona |
74,628 |
| 2007 | January 7, 2008 | 2 LSU SEC Champions |
38–24 | 1 Ohio State Big Ten Champions |
2008 BCS National Championship Game | Louisiana Superdome New Orleans |
79,651 |
| 2008 | January 8, 2009 | 2 Florida SEC Champions |
24–14 | 1 Oklahoma Big 12 Champions |
2009 BCS National Championship Game | Dolphin Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida |
78,468 |
| 2009 | January 7, 2010 | 1 Alabama SEC Champions |
37–21 | 2 Texas Big 12 Champions |
2010 BCS National Championship Game | Rose Bowl Pasadena, California |
94,906 |
| 2010 | January 10, 2011 | 1 Auburn SEC Champions |
22–19 | 2 Oregon Pac-10 Champions |
2011 BCS National Championship Game | University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, Arizona |
78,603 |
| 2011 | January 9, 2012 | 2 Alabama At-large |
21–0 | 1 LSU SEC Champions |
2012 BCS National Championship Game | Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana |
78,237 |
| 2012 | January 7, 2013 | 2 Alabama SEC Champions |
42–14 | 1 Notre Dame^ Independent |
2013 BCS National Championship Game | Sun Life Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida |
80,120 |
| 2013 | January 6, 2014 | 1 Florida State ACC Champions |
34–31 | 2 Auburn SEC Champions |
2014 BCS National Championship Game | Rose Bowl Pasadena, California |
94,208 |
*USC's victory in the 2004 BCS national title game was later vacated due to NCAA violations
^Notre Dame's loss in the 2012 BCS national title game was later vacated due to the use of Ineligible players
Records by team
[edit]| Appearances | School | Wins | Losses | Win Pct | Title Season(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Florida State | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1999, 2013 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 1 | 3 | .250 | 2000 |
| 3 | Alabama | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | 2009, 2011, 2012 |
| 3 | LSU | 2 | 1 | .667 | 2003, 2007 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2002 |
| 2 | Florida | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 2006, 2008 |
| 2 | Auburn | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2010 |
| 2 | Miami (FL) | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2001 |
| 2 | Texas | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2005 |
| 2 | USC | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2004 |
| 1 | Tennessee | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1998 |
| 1 | Nebraska | 0 | 1 | .000 | - |
| 1 | Notre Dame | 0 | 1 | .000 | - |
| 1 | Oregon | 0 | 1 | .000 | - |
| 1 | Virginia Tech | 0 | 1 | .000 | - |
Records by conference
[edit]| Conference | Appearances | Wins | Losses | Win Pct | # of Schools | School(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEC | 11 | 9** | 2** | .818 | 5 | Alabama (3–0) LSU (2–1) Florida (2–0) Auburn (1–1) Tennessee (1–0) |
| Big 12 | 7 | 2 | 5 | .286 | 3 | Oklahoma (1–3) Texas (1–1) Nebraska (0–1) |
| ACC | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1 | Florida State (2–2) |
| Big East* | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2 | Miami (FL) (1–1) Virginia Tech (0–1) |
| Big Ten | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1 | Ohio State (1–2) |
| Pac-12 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2 | USC (1–1) Oregon (0–1) |
| Independent | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1 | Notre Dame (0–1) |
Note: Conference affiliations are contemporaneous with the game, which may differ from the current alignment.
* The American Conference was known as the Big East from 1991 to 2012. Following a split between its FBS football schools and non-FBS member institutions, the conference adopted its current name, the American Athletic Conference (AAC), for the 2013 season. Under this realignment, the AAC assumed the football-related rights and responsibilities of the former Big East Conference. However, the restructured Big East continued to operate as a separate conference, primarily for basketball and other non-football sports.
** Alabama defeated fellow SEC member LSU in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game, meaning the SEC was credited with both the victory and the defeat.
Game records
[edit] |
| Team | Performance vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most Points | 55, USC vs. Oklahoma | 2005 |
| Most Points Combined | 79, Texas vs. USC | 2006 |
| Fewest Points Allowed | 0, Alabama vs. LSU | 2012 |
| Fewest Points Combined | 15, Oklahoma vs. Florida State | 2001 |
| First downs | 30, Texas vs. USC | 2006 |
| Rushing yards | 289, Texas (36 att.) vs. USC | 2006 |
| Passing yards | 374, Oregon vs. Auburn | 2011 |
| Total yards | 556, Texas (289 rush, 267 pass) vs. USC | 2006 |
| Total plays | 85, Auburn vs. Oregon | 2011 |
| Largest comeback | 18, Florida State vs. Auburn | 2014 |
| Individual | Performance, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Total offense | 467, Vince Young, Texas (267 pass, 200 rush) vs. USC | 2006 |
| Rushing yards | 200, Vince Young (QB), Texas (19 att.) vs. USC | 2006 |
| Rushing TDs | 3, Vince Young (QB), Texas vs. USC | 2006 |
| Passing yards | 363, Darron Thomas, Oregon vs. Auburn (28-41-2, 2 TD) | 2011 |
| Passing TDs | 5, Matt Leinart, USC vs. Oklahoma | 2005 |
| Receptions | 11, Kellen Winslow Jr., Miami vs. Ohio State (122 yards, 1 TD) | 2003 |
| Receiving yards (tie) | 199, Peerless Price, Tennessee vs. Florida State (4 rec., 1 TD) | 1999 |
| Receiving yards (tie) | 199, Andre Johnson, Miami vs. Nebraska (7 rec., 2 TD) | 2002 |
| Receiving TDs | 3, Steve Smith, USC vs. Oklahoma | 2005 |
| Field goals | 5, Jeremy Shelley, Alabama vs. LSU | 2012 |
| Tackles | 18, James Laurinaitis, Ohio State vs. LSU | 2008 |
| Sacks | 3, Derrick Harvey, Florida vs. Ohio State | 2007 |
| Interceptions | 2, Sean Taylor, Miami vs. Ohio State | 2003 |
| Long Plays | Performance, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Touchdown rush | 65, Chris "Beanie" Wells, Ohio State vs. LSU | 2008 |
| Touchdown pass | 79, Tee Martin to Peerless Price, Tennessee vs. Florida State | 1999 |
| Pass | 81, Darron Thomas to Jeff Maehl, Oregon vs. Auburn | 2011 |
| Kickoff return | 100, Levante Whitfield, Florida State vs. Auburn (TD) | 2014 |
| Punt return | 71, DeJuan Groce, Nebraska vs. Miami (TD) | 2002 |
| Interception return | 54, Dwayne Goodrich, Tennessee vs. Florida State (TD) | 1999 |
| Punt | 63, A.J. Trapasso, Ohio State vs. LSU | 2008 |
| Field goal | 46, David Pino, Texas vs. USC | 2006 |
MVPs
[edit]| Season | Bowl | MVP(s) | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 1999 Fiesta Bowl | Peerless Price | Tennessee | WR |
| Dwayne Goodrich | Tennessee | CB | ||
| 1999 | 2000 Sugar Bowl | Peter Warrick | Florida State | WR |
| 2000 | 2001 Orange Bowl | Torrance Marshall | Oklahoma | LB |
| 2001 | 2002 Rose Bowl | Ken Dorsey | Miami (FL) | QB |
| Andre Johnson | Miami (FL) | WR | ||
| 2002 | 2003 Fiesta Bowl | Craig Krenzel | Ohio State | QB |
| Mike Doss | Ohio State | S | ||
| 2003 | 2004 Sugar Bowl | Justin Vincent | LSU | RB |
| 2004 | 2005 Orange Bowl | Matt Leinart | USC | QB |
| 2005 | 2006 Rose Bowl | Vince Young | Texas | QB |
| Michael Huff | Texas | S | ||
| 2006 | 2007 BCS National Championship Game | Chris Leak | Florida | QB |
| Derrick Harvey | Florida | DE | ||
| 2007 | 2008 BCS National Championship Game | Matt Flynn | LSU | QB |
| Ricky Jean-Francois | LSU | DT | ||
| 2008 | 2009 BCS National Championship Game | Tim Tebow | Florida | QB |
| Carlos Dunlap | Florida | DE | ||
| 2009 | 2010 BCS National Championship Game | Mark Ingram II | Alabama | RB |
| Marcell Dareus | Alabama | DT | ||
| 2010 |