BCS Redo: 1998

This is a 16-part series. I will compare what the BCS actually gave us over the past 16 years with what we could've seen if my BCS Playoff System was used instead. This will also give an outlook as to why this system would be best for college football's future. Note - the Big East counts as an automatic qualifier here, and has a main tie of the Orange Bowl. Also, the rankings used are from the BCS standings of the time, not my preferred formula.

What we saw in the 1998-1999 season:

Rose Bowl - Friday, January 1
5 UCLA (10-1, Pac-10 Champion) vs 9 Wisconsin (10-1, Big Ten Champion)

Sugar Bowl - Friday, January 1
4 Ohio St. (10-1, At-Large) vs 6 Texas A&M (11-2, Big 12 Champion)

Orange Bowl - Saturday, January 2
8 Florida (9-2, At-Large) vs 15 Syracuse (8-3, Big East Champion)

Fiesta Bowl (National Championship Game) - Monday, January 4
1 Tennessee (12-0, SEC Champion) vs 2 Florida St. (11-1, ACC Champion)

Passed over: 3 Kansas State (11-1), 7 Arizona (11-1)

Using my BCS Playoff System:

Selection Order:
Tier 1: Rose, Sugar, Orange
Tier 2: Peach, Cotton, Fiesta

Semifinal #1 - Thursday, December 31
5 UCLA (10-1, Pac-10 Champion) @ 2 Florida St. (11-1, ACC Champion)

Semifinal #2 - Thursday, December 31
6 Texas A&M (11-2, Big 12 Champion) @ 1 Tennessee (12-0, SEC Champion)

Rose Bowl - Friday, January 1
7 Arizona (11-1, AQ) vs 9 Wisconsin (10-1, Big Ten Champion)

Sugar Bowl - Friday, January 1
3 Kansas St (11-1, AQ) vs 4 Ohio St. (10-1, AQ)

Orange Bowl - Saturday, January 2
14 Georgia Tech (9-2, At-Large) vs 15 Syracuse (8-3 Big East Champion)

Peach Bowl - Monday, January 4
8 Florida (9-2, AQ) vs 10 Tulane (12-0, C-USA Champion)

Cotton Bowl - Tuesday, January 5
11 Nebraska (9-3, AQ) vs 12 Virginia (9-2, AQ)

Fiesta Bowl - Wednesday, January 6
13 Arkansas (9-2, At-Large) vs Michigan (9-3, At-Large)

National Championship Game - Monday, January 11
Semifinal #1 Winner vs Semifinal #2 Winner

Analysis:

In Year 1 of my playoff plan, the playoff doesn't include the top 4 teams, but all 4 included are conference champions.

Because of this, Rule 7 comes into play, meaning 3 KSU must play 4 tOSU. Since Wisconsin is the Big Ten Champion, it automatically qualifies for the Rose Bowl. Selecting Arizona as its opponent is a no-brainer, protecting the traditional Rose Bowl matchup. The Sugar can select a Big 12 or SEC team, but the 3 vs 4 matchup is too great to pass up, so the Big 12 gets the nod. The Orange has to select Big East Champion Syracuse. For the 2nd choice, the options are the ACC's 12 Virginia and 14 Georgia Tech. GT is selected due to a closer ranking to Syracuse and its closer proximity to Miami.

For Tier 2, the Peach grabs the highest-ranked team available in 8 Florida. Due to Florida's close proximity to Atlanta and large fan base, C-USA Champion 10 Tulane's small fan base can be masked, yielding an excellent match-up. The Cotton quickly takes the last two AQ teams in Nebraska and Virginia. The Fiesta selects Michigan (the BCS Rankings only included a top 15 early on, but Michigan would've likely been #16) due to its massive fan base. 13 Arkansas is then selected as the final team.

I feel these are the best 6 match-ups possible and that all 6 would sell out.