One last season of the BCS

This is it, the final season of the long-lampooned BCS system for determining college football’s national champion.

As in the past 15 seasons, the national-title game will match the teams ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the BCS standings, which are derived from a controversial mathematical formula combining human and computer polls. Beginning with the 2014 season, the BCS will be scrapped and replaced by a four-team College Football Playoff.

Here’s a refresher on how the national championship will be decided this season and a preview of how it will be decided in 2014 and beyond:

THIS SEASON

How the champion will be determined: The BCS standings again will include three components, each counting one-third: the USA Today poll of current coaches; the Harris Interactive poll of former coaches, administrators and players and current and former media members; and an average of six computer polls. The top two teams in the standings will meet for the BCS championship.

Where the championship game will be played: Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 6.

2014 AND BEYOND

How the champion will be determined: A committee, which is yet to be named, will select and seed four teams for the playoff. The semifinals will match the No. 1 seed vs. the No. 4 seed and No. 2 vs. No. 3, with the winners meeting in the final. There will be no preset limit on how many teams from a single conference can make the four-team field.

Where the playoff games will be played: The semifinals will rotate among six existing bowls, with each hosting four semifinal games over a 12-year period. The Rose and Sugar bowls will host the semis for the 2014 season, the Orange and Cotton bowls for the 2015 season and the Chick-fil-A and Fiesta bowls for the 2016 season. The championship game will be bid out to cities and venues, similar to the way the NFL chooses Super Bowl sites. AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, has been chosen to host the playoff's first championship game Jan. 12, 2015.

About the Author

Tim Tucker

Tim Tucker, a long-time AJC sports reporter, often writes about the business side of the games. He also had stints as the AJC's Braves beat writer, UGA beat writer, sports notes columnist and executive sports editor. He was deputy managing editor of America's first all-sports newspaper, The National Sports Daily.

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