How long has the bcs existed

Although controversy was an unwanted byproduct, the popularity of college football was growing exponentially — which was, according to BCS founders, an unsuspected benefit.

That's shown in increasing TV ratings, one metric that shows college football now ranking behind the NFL as America's second favorite sport. There were tangible measurements, too, in the ever-expanding athletic department budgets, which were driven by skyrocketing TV contracts.

Take, for example, the Southeastern Conference. As its schools have won seven consecutive BCS championships, the conference has reaped the financial benefits. The revenue should only grow with the addition of the SEC Network next year — and with the advent of the playoff.

But the BCS was a significant factor in making it a national game more than ever before. People in Oregon had to pay attention to Alabama.

None of the founding fathers anticipated that. They thought they were just changing the procedures so they could put No. There were other unintended consequences. If fans' focus is more national now, there has been a corresponding loss, or devaluation, of conference championships, except as a means to an end. And the radical realignment of conference membership the past few years was driven by TV revenue, but also by schools' desire to be best positioned for college football's postseason.

TV revenue, as it turned out, changed everyone's postseason position. For much of the BCS' tenure, most of the folks who ran the sport refused to countenance the idea of a playoff -- even shooting down, in , a proposal championed by the SEC for a four-team tournament. Fromm, who earlier this year had to get a piece of crankbait removed from his leg , continued his string of Extremely Georgia Injuries when, according to UGASports. At this point, the only injury more Georgia than the ones Fromm already has suffered involves a Dale Murphy—signed bat falling out of the sky.

Last week, Long was hired to replace Sheahon Zenger at Kansas. Alabama tailback Najee Harris told the San Francisco Chronicle that he considered transferring during a freshman season that started slow but ended with a major role in the second half of the national title game.

At 6'2" and pounds, comparisons to former Crimson Tide back Derrick Henry were inevitable. Henry was barely used in before breaking out in a Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma. He played a much bigger role as a sophomore and then won the Heisman Trophy as a junior.

If that frustrating freshman year leads to sophomore and junior seasons for Harris that come close to the ones Henry had, Harris and the Tide will be thrilled. Last week, Hodges was named the No. Two years before he opened a barbecue joint that almost instantly asserted itself as one of the best in Texas and therefore among the best in the country , Grant Pinkerton looked into his freezer, saw a package of duck chunks and had an idea.

He was cooking for a tailgate before the Texas Bowl that matched his alma mater Texas against Arkansas, so he needed to please a big crowd. His idea? Duck and sausage jambalaya.

While Pinkerton would prefer to forget everything that happened on the field that day, he never forgot how his friends reacted to jambalaya turned into a rich, silky delicacy by rendered duck fat. So when Pinkerton opened his restaurant in December , he included the duck and sausage jambalaya on the menu as something between a side and an entree. If Pinkerton only sold that jambalaya and charged twice as much, his place would still draw lines.

The competition for that prize is between the brisket and the Candy Paint ribs, which multiple Houston Texans think they named even though Pinkerton came up with the sobriquet years ago. The brisket is textbook—tender and velvety under a layer of crispy bark and a deep red smoke ring. My final bite on Saturday might have been the perfect bite of brisket.

It was a chunk from the side near the corner of the giant hunk of meat, so it had bark on three sides covering a moist nugget of beef. I was completely stuffed full of jambalaya and ribs and the rest of the brisket, but I had to take this one more bite.

I was so full because of those ribs. The BCS, however, seems to have only continued—and possibly strengthened—the ambiguity and controversy that has, in my opinion, plagued college football. When you think about it, the previous statement of purpose taken from the BCS website reveals some interesting thoughts. Boy was I fooled.

In reality, the radical transformation that the BCS was supposed to bring to college football ten years ago simply has not taken place. I remember the early excitement surrounding the BCS; t he talking heads on television were proclaiming it as the end of controversy in college football.

Today we can only laugh at those misconceived predictions. That excitement and optimism quickly faded, however, when the new system was actually tested. In its first attempt, the BCS selections were protested when Kansas State, ranked third in the standings, was left out in favor of lower ranked teams.

This new rule ensured that the first through fourth ranked teams were ensured an appearance in a BCS bowl. There are eight spots in the biggest bowls of the year.

In fact, in nearly every season since its introduction, the BCS has undergone a change of some sort. In five seasons, , , , and , the actual BCS formula has undergone changes. And in two other years, and , the NCAA made other changes related to rankings and bowl eligibility. That equals seven out of nine seasons thus far with some element of change. Does this mean that it is always current and never outdated, or does it mean that it has been a flawed system from the beginning?

The consistency of change in the BCS system over the years has been caused, in my opinion, by the ever present mood of disappointment and frustration that smothers the debate forums of college football.

It seems apparent to me that the majority of people who have an interest in college football—fans, players, coaches, administrators, analysts—are unsatisfied with the BCS system year in and year out. Otherwise, the system would be more static and less likely to change so often. Dolphin Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida. Tim Tebow offense ; Carlos Dunlap defense.

Mark Ingram offense ; Marcell Dareus defense. Michael Dyer offense ; Nick Fairley defense. Oklahoma , Texas. Florida State. Ohio State. Virginia Tech.

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