This page serves as an historical overview of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) — the postseason system that defined major college football from 1998 to 2013. The BCS was designed to determine a true national champion while preserving the long-standing traditions of the major bowl games.
Though it has since been replaced by the College Football Playoff (CFP), the BCS era remains one of the most significant chapters in the history of college football. This archive documents its structure, purpose, and lasting impact on the sport. Readers looking for a concise breakdown of essential information can visit our page on BCS facts and key details for a structured overview of the system’s defining elements.
🏆 What Was the BCS?
The Bowl Championship Series was a five-game postseason format used to crown the national champion of NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
It combined traditional bowl tie-ins with a ranking system that selected the two top-ranked teams to play for the national title.
The five BCS games were:
- Fiesta Bowl
- Orange Bowl
- Rose Bowl
- Sugar Bowl
- BCS National Championship Game (rotated among the four host bowls)
The system brought together ten of the nation’s best teams each season, producing matchups that consistently drew massive audiences and shaped the modern structure of postseason college football.
🏈 How the BCS Was Organized
Unlike a single governing body, the BCS was a coordinated arrangement between college football’s major conferences and the University of Notre Dame.
It operated through a series of contracts among:
- 11 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences, and
- The host bowl committees and television partners
The participating conferences were:
Atlantic Coast (ACC), Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA, Mid-American (MAC), Mountain West, Pac-10 (later Pac-12), Southeastern (SEC), Sun Belt, and Western Athletic (WAC).
Decisions were made collectively by the conference commissioners and the Notre Dame athletics director, with oversight from a Presidential Oversight Committee representing all FBS institutions.
🏟️ Bowl Games and Their Role
Each BCS bowl was operated by a local organizing committee in its host city, contributing both to college football and community development.
Beyond the five BCS bowls, nearly 30 additional postseason games were held across the United States and Canada.
These bowl events:
- Celebrated regional traditions and fan engagement,
- Generated significant revenue for athletic programs, and
- Strengthened the connection between universities, alumni, and their local communities.
The BCS structure helped ensure that college football’s regular season retained its importance — every game mattered, as even a single loss could alter championship hopes.
🎓 Why the BCS Mattered
Before the BCS, the top two teams in college football rarely met in a bowl game, due to rigid conference tie-ins.
The BCS introduced a national ranking formula and flexible bowl selection process that finally made such matchups possible.
Between 1998 and 2013, it:
- Produced a clear national championship game each season
- Expanded access for teams from non-traditional conferences
- Brought greater national attention and record-breaking television audiences to college football
For those interested in how the structure continued to influence college football afterward, our overview of the future of the BCS model explains how its core principles carried forward into later postseason formats.
While the College Football Playoff later replaced it, the BCS laid the groundwork for modern postseason systems and remains an essential part of college football’s evolution.
