American Amateur Athletics Watchdog / The BCS Watchdog

BCS does not publicly disclose the precise formula for deciding which BCS / non – BCS conferences receive automatic berths to BCS games nor does it disclose the recent 4 - year analysis that evaluated each BCS / non – BCS conference and determined those conferences that would receive automatic BCS game berths for the next 6 - year period

The BCS is secretive and not transparent!

Presently, the BCS is comprised of Notre Dame and the 65 members (i.e., 66 members in total or 55% of all 120 Division 1 – A / FBS teams) of the following six (6) BCS conferences: the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big East Conference (Big East), Big Ten Conference (Big Ten), Big 12 Conference (Big 12), Pacific – 10 Conference (Pac – 10), and Southeastern Conference (SEC). Each champion of these six (6) BCS conferences automatically receives a berth in a BCS game (and, in this year of 2009, the $18 million associated with each 2009 BCS berth). Notre Dame receives an automatic BCS game berth if it is in the final eight of the final BCS standings (and $4.5 million associated with a 2009 BCS berth). Accordingly, in most BCS years, 10 BCS teams or 15% of all BCS teams receive an automatic BCS game berth (and the $18 million associated with each 2009 BCS berth). Of course, even those 56 BCS teams that don't receive an automatic BCS game berth will receive their conference share of BCS game payouts.

The 54 non – BCS teams (or 45% of all 120 Division 1 – A / FBS teams) are the 51 members of the 5 non – BCS conferences, the Conference USA, Mid – American Conference (MAC), Mountain West Conference (MWC), Sun Belt Conference (Sun Belt), and the Western Athletic Conference (WAC)] and 3 independent teams, Army, Navy, and Western Kentucky (new Division 1 – A / FBS team in 2008). Under BCS rules, only one of these non – BCS teams can receive an automatic BCS game berth each year, regardless of their ranking, record, strength of schedule, etc. The BCS website reports that only the highest ranked champion of the 5 non – BCS conferences (in the final BCS Standings) will receive an automatic BCS game berth provided “a). Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS standing; or, b). Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls.” Accordingly, only one of 54 non – BCS teams or less than 2% of the non – BCS teams can receive an automatic BCS game berth, but only if strict conditions are met. This means if Utah is the MWC champion with a 12-0 record, Boise State is the WAC champion with a 12-0 record, and Ball State is the MAC champion with an identical 12-0 record, only one of these teams will receive an automatic BCS game berth – the one that has the highest ranking in the final BCS standings! Unfortunately, a non – BCS team playing in a 2009 BCS game will only receive $9.5 million, only 52% of the $18 million that a BCS team will receive.

Obviously, the most critical factor in determining who receives the huge payouts from BCS game berths is qualifying for and receiving of an automatic BCS game berth. The BCS evaluates the 6 BCS conferences and 5 non – BCS conferences during a 4 – year cycle to determine which conferences receive an automatic BCS game berth. The latest 4 – year cycle ended last year, which confirmed that once again, the 6 BCS conferences would each receive an automatic BCS game berth for the regular season years 2008 – 2013. No non – BCS conference received an automatic BCS game berth for the regular season years 2008 – 2013. This football season, 2008 with 2009 BCS bowl games, is the first year of the next evaluation cycle. The BCS has vaguely reported that BCS and non – BCS conferences are evaluated on the following factors:

1). The ranking of each conference's highest – ranked team in the final BCS standings of each year;

2). The final season ranking of all conference teams in the computer rankings used by the BCS each year; and

3). The number of teams in the Top 25 of the final BCS standings each year.

In its 10 – year history, the BCS has never made public the precise formula (or relative weight of these factors) to determine which conferences receive an automatic BCS game berth. Likewise, the BCS has never made public the evaluation results of the 4 – year cycles for the BCS and non – BCS conferences. It is time that the BCS made public such information so that the public can understand how the BCS awards its automatic BCS game berths.

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