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 2001-2002 season:
Fiesta Bowl - Tuesday, January 1
3 Colorado (10-2, Big 12 Champion) vs 4 Oregon (10-1, Pac-10 Champion)
Sugar Bowl - Tuesday, January 1
8 Illinois (10-1, Big Ten Champion) vs 13 LSU (9-3, SEC Champion)
Orange Bowl - Wednesday, January 2
5 Florida (9-2, At-Large) vs 10 Maryland (10-1, ACC Champion)
Rose Bowl (National Championship Game) - Thursday, January 3
1 Miami (11-0, Big East Champion) vs 2 Nebraska (11-1, AQ)
Passed over: 6 Tennessee (10-2), 7 Texas (10-2), 9 Stanford (9-2)
Using my BCS Playoff System:
Selection Order:
Tier 1: Rose, Sugar, Orange
Tier 2: Peach, Cotton, Fiesta
Semifinal #1 - Saturday, December 29
3 Colorado (10-2, Big 12 Champion) @ 2 Nebraska (11-1, AQ)
Semifinal #2 - Saturday, December 29
4 Oregon (10-1, Pac-10 Champion) @ 1 Miami (11-0, Big East Champion)
Rose Bowl - Tuesday, January 1
8 Illinois (10-1, Big Ten Champion) vs 9 Stanford (9-2, AQ)
Sugar Bowl - Tuesday, January 1
5 Florida (9-2, AQ) vs 7 Texas (10-2, AQ)
Orange Bowl - Wednesday, January 2
6 Tennessee (10-2, AQ) vs 10 Maryland (10-1, ACC Champion)
Peach Bowl - Thursday, January 3
11 Oklahoma (10-2, AQ) vs 14 South Carolina (8-3, At-Large)
Cotton Bowl - Friday, January 4
12 Washington St. (9-2, AQ) vs 13 LSU (9-3, SEC Champion)
Fiesta Bowl - Saturday, January 5
15 Washington (8-3, At-Large) vs BYU (12-1, MWC Champion)
National Championship Game - Monday, January 7
Semifinal #1 Winner vs Semifinal #2 Winner
Analysis:
In Year 4 of my playoff plan, the top 4 teams all qualify for the playoff, which is always good news. We do experience something new, though, as Nebraska is the first team to not win its conference and be included.
For the Tier 1 bowls, the Rose grabs Illinois and Stanford to keep its traditional Big Ten-Pac-10 match-up alive. The Sugar can't follow Rule 6 due to 5 Florida already playing 6 Tennessee, but 7 Texas provides the Big 12-SEC match-up this bowl likes. The Orange takes 10 Maryland to complete the ACC tie, and with no ranked Big East teams available to choose from, gladly takes Tennessee.
The Peach grabs Oklahoma and South Carolina to kick off things for Tier 2 bowls. The Cotton must take SEC Champion LSU, and brings in Washington St. next. The Fiesta is left with a good selection as BYU (who is unranked solely because there were not 25 ranked teams at the time) and Washington should allow for a sell-out crowd.
Past BCS Redo Seasons:
2000
1999
1998
Thursday, November 27, 2014
BCS Redo: 1999
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 1999-2000 season:
Rose Bowl - Saturday, January 1
7 Wisconsin (9-2, Big Ten Champion) vs Stanford (8-3, Pac-10 Champion)
Orange Bowl - Saturday, January 1
4 Alabama (10-2, SEC Champion) vs 8 Michigan (9-2, At-Large)
Fiesta Bowl - Sunday, January 2
3 Nebraska (11-1, Big 12 Champion) vs 5 Tennessee (9-2, At-Large)
Sugar Bowl (National Championship Game) - Tuesday, January 4
1 Florida St. (11-0, ACC Champion) vs 2 Virginia Tech (11-0, Big East Champion)
Passed over: #6 Kansas St (10-1)
Using my BCS Playoff System:
Selection Order:
Tier 1: Sugar, Orange, Rose
Tier 2: Fiesta, Peach, Cotton
Semifinal #1 - Friday, December 31
3 Nebraska (11-1, Big 12 Champion) @ 2 Virginia Tech (11-0, Big East Champion)
Semifinal #2 - Friday, December 31
4 Alabama (10-2, SEC Champion) @ 1 Florida St. (11-0, ACC Champion)
Rose Bowl - Saturday, January 1
7 Wisconsin (10-1, Big Ten Champion) vs 11 Penn St. (11-1, AQ)
Sugar Bowl - Saturday, January 1
5 Tennessee (9-2, AQ) vs 6 Kansas St. (11-1, AQ)
Orange Bowl - Monday, January 3
9 Michigan St (9-2, AQ) vs 10 Florida (9-3, AQ)
Fiesta Bowl - Tuesday, January 4
15 Texas (9-4, At-Large) vs Stanford (8-3, Pac-10 Champion)
Peach Bowl - Wednesday, January 5
8 Michigan (9-2, At-Large) vs 12 Marshall (12-0, MAC Champion)
Cotton Bowl - Thursday, January 6
13 Minnesota (8-3, At-Large) vs 14 Texas A&M (8-3, At-Large)
National Championship Game - Monday, January 10
Semifinal #1 Winner vs Semifinal #2 Winner
Analysis:
In Year 2 of my playoff plan, the top 4 teams are all conference champions, and thus they all make the playoff. The plan is off to a great start.
For the Tier 1 bowls, the Sugar gets the first pick. The Big 12 vs SEC tie gets to stay put, as it also provides a 5 vs 6 match-up in Tennessee vs Kansas St. The Orange gets the next pick. Since both the ACC and Big East champs are in the playoff, and Georgia Tech is the only team from either conference that is likely in the BCS Top 20 (still only a BCS Top 15 is released), the Orange avoids GT for a second straight year. The Orange grabs 9 Michigan St. and 10 Florida to ensure a sellout and even match-up (8 Michigan was skipped over to allow its massive fan base to help another bowl). The Pac-12 Champion, Stanford is not ranked. Because of this, 7 Wisconsin of the Big Ten gets the spot. The only teams within 5 spots are the 5 Tennessee, 6 Kansas St, 8 Michigan, 9 Michigan St, 10 Florida, 11 Penn St, and 12 Marshall. The 5 vs 6 match-up must happen, and there can be no rematches, so only Florida, Penn St, and Marshall are left. Marshall gets scratched off due to the travel distance and fan base size. By moving Florida to the Orange, a long chain of events takes place due to how close the Big Ten teams are ranked, making it difficult to keep the teams within 5 spots of each other. Meanwhile, even though Penn St. and Wisconsin are from the same conference, they didn't play each other this season. This game would sell very well, and would ease the process for the other bowls, so it gets the okay here.
For the Tier 2 bowls, the Fiesta starts things off by selecting Pac-10 Champion Stanford. It is difficult to see exactly where Stanford would've ranked in a BCS Top 25 (even with a #22 rank in the AP Poll), so the Within 5 Spots rule gets potentially broken by selecting 15 Texas as the opponent. Stanford has a small fan base, so a large fan base that travels well is needed here, and Texas is the only program within a potential BCS Top 20 that fits the bill. The Peach quickly grabs 8 Michigan, with 12 Marshall as the only option left. Finally, the Cotton Bowl adds a local team in 14 Texas A&M to go along with 13 Minnesota. Other notable teams within the AP's Top 25 that are left out consist of Mississippi St, Southern Miss, Georgia Tech, East Carolina, Georgia, and Miami.
While there would have likely been controversy over the Rose Bowl game, this list is comprised of money match-ups through and through. Instead of being passed over for a second straight year, Kansas St. gets included again. Another lesser (undefeated) conference champion would be included in Marshall.
Past BCS Redo Seasons:
1998
What we saw in the 1999-2000 season:
Rose Bowl - Saturday, January 1
7 Wisconsin (9-2, Big Ten Champion) vs Stanford (8-3, Pac-10 Champion)
Orange Bowl - Saturday, January 1
4 Alabama (10-2, SEC Champion) vs 8 Michigan (9-2, At-Large)
Fiesta Bowl - Sunday, January 2
3 Nebraska (11-1, Big 12 Champion) vs 5 Tennessee (9-2, At-Large)
Sugar Bowl (National Championship Game) - Tuesday, January 4
1 Florida St. (11-0, ACC Champion) vs 2 Virginia Tech (11-0, Big East Champion)
Passed over: #6 Kansas St (10-1)
Using my BCS Playoff System:
Selection Order:
Tier 1: Sugar, Orange, Rose
Tier 2: Fiesta, Peach, Cotton
Semifinal #1 - Friday, December 31
3 Nebraska (11-1, Big 12 Champion) @ 2 Virginia Tech (11-0, Big East Champion)
Semifinal #2 - Friday, December 31
4 Alabama (10-2, SEC Champion) @ 1 Florida St. (11-0, ACC Champion)
Rose Bowl - Saturday, January 1
7 Wisconsin (10-1, Big Ten Champion) vs 11 Penn St. (11-1, AQ)
Sugar Bowl - Saturday, January 1
5 Tennessee (9-2, AQ) vs 6 Kansas St. (11-1, AQ)
Orange Bowl - Monday, January 3
9 Michigan St (9-2, AQ) vs 10 Florida (9-3, AQ)
Fiesta Bowl - Tuesday, January 4
15 Texas (9-4, At-Large) vs Stanford (8-3, Pac-10 Champion)
Peach Bowl - Wednesday, January 5
8 Michigan (9-2, At-Large) vs 12 Marshall (12-0, MAC Champion)
Cotton Bowl - Thursday, January 6
13 Minnesota (8-3, At-Large) vs 14 Texas A&M (8-3, At-Large)
National Championship Game - Monday, January 10
Semifinal #1 Winner vs Semifinal #2 Winner
Analysis:
In Year 2 of my playoff plan, the top 4 teams are all conference champions, and thus they all make the playoff. The plan is off to a great start.
For the Tier 1 bowls, the Sugar gets the first pick. The Big 12 vs SEC tie gets to stay put, as it also provides a 5 vs 6 match-up in Tennessee vs Kansas St. The Orange gets the next pick. Since both the ACC and Big East champs are in the playoff, and Georgia Tech is the only team from either conference that is likely in the BCS Top 20 (still only a BCS Top 15 is released), the Orange avoids GT for a second straight year. The Orange grabs 9 Michigan St. and 10 Florida to ensure a sellout and even match-up (8 Michigan was skipped over to allow its massive fan base to help another bowl). The Pac-12 Champion, Stanford is not ranked. Because of this, 7 Wisconsin of the Big Ten gets the spot. The only teams within 5 spots are the 5 Tennessee, 6 Kansas St, 8 Michigan, 9 Michigan St, 10 Florida, 11 Penn St, and 12 Marshall. The 5 vs 6 match-up must happen, and there can be no rematches, so only Florida, Penn St, and Marshall are left. Marshall gets scratched off due to the travel distance and fan base size. By moving Florida to the Orange, a long chain of events takes place due to how close the Big Ten teams are ranked, making it difficult to keep the teams within 5 spots of each other. Meanwhile, even though Penn St. and Wisconsin are from the same conference, they didn't play each other this season. This game would sell very well, and would ease the process for the other bowls, so it gets the okay here.
For the Tier 2 bowls, the Fiesta starts things off by selecting Pac-10 Champion Stanford. It is difficult to see exactly where Stanford would've ranked in a BCS Top 25 (even with a #22 rank in the AP Poll), so the Within 5 Spots rule gets potentially broken by selecting 15 Texas as the opponent. Stanford has a small fan base, so a large fan base that travels well is needed here, and Texas is the only program within a potential BCS Top 20 that fits the bill. The Peach quickly grabs 8 Michigan, with 12 Marshall as the only option left. Finally, the Cotton Bowl adds a local team in 14 Texas A&M to go along with 13 Minnesota. Other notable teams within the AP's Top 25 that are left out consist of Mississippi St, Southern Miss, Georgia Tech, East Carolina, Georgia, and Miami.
While there would have likely been controversy over the Rose Bowl game, this list is comprised of money match-ups through and through. Instead of being passed over for a second straight year, Kansas St. gets included again. Another lesser (undefeated) conference champion would be included in Marshall.
Past BCS Redo Seasons:
1998
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