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Breaking Down The BCS

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The BCS Coaches Trophy will be awarded to the National Champion.

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By JOEY JOHNSTON

jjohnston@tampatrib.com

Published: December 2, 2008

Before the Oklahoma Sooners faced Oklahoma State on Saturday night, a small plane, hired by Texas boosters, circled Boone Pickens Stadium, dragging along a banner.

45-35 - On A Neutral Field.

Didn't matter. Yes, Texas defeated Oklahoma 45-35 in Dallas on Oct. 11. But to break a three-way tie in the Big 12 South, the league was forced into its fifth criteria - the Bowl Championship Series standings.

Oklahoma (11-1) is going to the conference title game seeking a chance to play for the national title. Texas (11-1) likely must settle for something less, despite beating the Sooners.

Once again, those three little letters - BCS - are in the crosshairs. And college football's power structure still sounds like Jim Mora - Playoffs? Don't talk about - playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs?

HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS

The BCS was created in 1998. Its purpose was to facilitate an ultimate bowl-game matchup between the Nos. 1 and 2-ranked teams, which sometimes couldn't happen because of established conference contracts with bowl games.

The system, after undergoing a series of tweaks through the years, has three criteria: One-third comes from the USA Today coaches poll; one-third comes from the Harris Interactive poll, and one-third comes from an average of six independent computer rankings (margin of victory was removed from the criteria in 2004).

THE HUMAN POLLS

Sixty-one head coaches vote in the USA Today poll, including Florida's Urban Meyer, Florida State's Bobby Bowden and USF's Jim Leavitt. Mack Brown of Texas has a vote; Oklahoma's Bob Stoops does not. Four voters - Clemson's Tommy Bowden, Mississippi State's Sylvester Croom, New Mexico's Rocky Long and Washington's Tyrone Willingham - have resigned or been fired.

The Harris poll, which came about when The Associated Press pulled out of the process in 2004, has 114 voters - media members, plus former players, coaches, administrators.

THE COMPUTERS

Who are the people behind the computers?

•Jeff Anderson and Chris Hester (alma mater Washington) - Anderson teaches political science and Hester is a broadcaster.

•Richard Billingsley (No college) - Retired business consultant.

•Wes Colley (Princeton) - He's a rocket scientist (no, really, he's an astrophysicist).

•Kenneth Massey (Virginia Tech) - Associate professor of mathematics, Carson-Newman College.

•Jeff Sagarin (MIT) - Has been rating college teams since 1972 and is best known for his work in USA Today.

•Peter Wolfe (Harvard) - Professor of infectious diseases, UCLA.

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