Explaining The BCS Part III

Here's the last of the information in how the BCS selects its teams.

Team-Selection Procedures

The bowls will select their participants from two pools: (1) automatic qualifiers, all of which must be selected, and, (2) at-large teams, if fewer than 10 teams qualify automatically. The following sequence will be used when establishing pairings:

1. The top two teams in the final BCS Standings will be placed in the National Championship Game (“NCG”).

2. Unless they qualify to play in the NCG, the champions of selected conferences are contractually committed to host selected games:

Atlantic Coast Conference—Orange Bowl

Big Ten Conference—Rose Bowl

Big 12 Conference—Fiesta Bowl

Pac-10 Conference—Rose Bowl

Southeastern Conference—Sugar Bowl

3. If a bowl loses a host team to the NCG, then such bowl shall select a replacement team from among the automatic-qualifying teams and the at-large teams before any other selections are made. If two bowls lose host teams to the NCG, each bowl will get a replacement pick before any other selections are made. In such case, the bowl losing the No. 1 team gets the first replacement pick, and the bowl losing the No. 2 team gets the second replacement pick. If the Rose Bowl loses both the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions to the NCG, it will receive two replacement picks.

A bowl choosing a replacement team may not select any of the following:

A. A team in the NCG;

B. The host team for another
BCS Bowl;

C. When two bowls lose host teams, then the bowl losing the number one team may not select a replacement team from the same conference as the number two team, unless the bowl losing the number two team consents.

4. After steps No. 1, 2 and 3 have been completed, any bowl with an unfilled slot shall select a team from the automatic qualifiers and/or at-large teams in the following order:

A. The bowl played on the date nearest to the National Championship Game (in 2007, Sugar Bowl January 3) will pick first;

B. The bowl played on the date second-nearest to the National Championship Game (in 2007, Orange Bowl January 2) will pick second;

C. The bowl hosting the game that is played in the time slot immediately after the Rose Bowl game (in 2007, Fiesta Bowl) will pick third.

The rotation noted in paragraphs A, B and C will be as follows:

January 2007 games: Sugar, Orange, Fiesta

January 2008 games: Orange, Fiesta, Sugar

January 2009 games: Fiesta, Sugar, Orange

January 2010 games: Orange, Fiesta, Sugar

All teams earning automatic berths must be selected. No more than two teams from any single conference may play in BCS games in a single year, regardless of whether they are automatic qualifiers or at-large picks.

5. After completion of the selection process as described in Paragraph Nos. 1-4, the Conferences

and Notre Dame may, but are not required to, adjust the pairings taking into consideration the following:

A. whether the same team will be playing in the same bowl game for two consecutive years;

B. whether two teams that played against one another in the regular season will be paired against one another in a bowl game;

C. whether the same two teams will play against each other in a bowl game for two consecutive years; and

D. whether alternative pairings may have greater or lesser appeal to college football fans as measured by expected ticket sales for the bowls and by expected television interest, and the consequent financial impact on Fox and the bowls.