Bowl Championship Series (

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About the BCS

Starting in 1998, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) has determined the Division I-A National Champion in football. A year ago, Oklahoma captured the 2000 national title defeating Florida State 13-2 in the FedEx Orange Bowl. In the BCS' first season in 1998, Tennessee defeated Florida State, 23-16, in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl to claim the national title. A year later, it was Florida State's turn as the Seminoles topped Virginia Tech 46-29 in the Nokia Sugar Bowl for their second national title in seven years.

The BCS, which runs through the 2005 regular season and 2006 bowl season, consists of the Rose Bowl presented by AT&T, Nokia Sugar Bowl, FedEx Orange Bowl and the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Conferences with automatic berths include the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and the Southeastern Conferences.

The BCS also notes the importance of regional consideration regarding team selection. Specifically, as participating members of the BCS, the four BCS Bowls will host the following conference champions in the years the national championship game is not played at their site. Regional consideration tie-ins include the ACC or Big East champion in the FedEx Orange Bowl, the SEC champion in the Nokia Sugar Bowl, the Big Ten and the Pac-10 champion in the Rose Bowl presented by AT&T and the Big 12 champion in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Should a BCS Bowl's regional tie-in champion be ranked number one or two in the final BCS standings, when such bowl is not hosting the national championship game, the number one or two-ranked team shall move to the national championship game and the Bowl shall select a replacement team from the BCS pool of eligible teams. The pool will consist of any Division I-A team that is ranked among the Top 12 in the final BCS standings or has achieved nine wins during the regular season excluding NCAA-exempted contests.

In 2001, the four BCS Bowls combined to reach a record televi...