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If you are new to college football watching or only a casual observer, you probably have come across the term "BCS." The BCS causes conflict, you understand, but why? Why don't they just get rid of it if there is that much of a problem?

Well, it is a bit more complicated than that. Let us start with the basics. First, BCS stands for Bowl Championship Series. It is the brainchild of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the governing body for college sports. The BCS came from good intentions.

During the course of college football, two major polls cropped up. The first is the Associated Press poll; the second is the coaches' poll. These polls are voted on by people invited to participate. The problem is that they are subject to human decisions, and the voters don't always agree. Because of this disagreement, the 1980s and 90s saw a large number of split championships. Who, indeed, should decide who the national champions are?

The NCAA's BCS is an attempt to remedy this problem. It uses the two polls as well as various complicated computer formulas, strength of schedule, and other factors. The BCS standings are subject to much scrutiny. They have produced split national champions - and even more controversies over the champion - as the previous system.

Instead of declaring a definitive winner, the way the system works allows for dispute.

The BCS requires an agreement from the four major bowls: Orange, Fiesta, Sugar, and Rose. Each year, the national championship game, played between the number 1 and number 2 teams in the final BCS release, rotates between the four bowls. The other three bowls get top 10 teams based on conference, record, and desire.

This system, though, cannot solve one of the major dilemmas of college football. Without a playoff, three or more undefeated teams are a possibility. What do you do then?

How do you decide that one undefeated team deserves a national championship shot over another undefeated team, especially since the way the calculations are done favors pre-season top picks over surprise teams?

There is no answer to this dilemma. The leaders of the NCAA change the BCS frequently. They have added a new poll this year and subtracted the AP poll. They will begin a five-bowl series in the future where numbers 1 and 2 play and numbers 3 and 4 play. Then the winner from each game will play each other for the national championship.

This decision is only a band-aid over the wound. Auburn fans, players, and coaches will not soon forget that they were looked over largely because they, unlike Southern California, play in the toughest football conference in the nation. Teams who finish in the Top 5 but are denied major bowls because of small fan bases do not find the system just.

Still, it does create rumbling and discussions among the die-hard fanatics. These football fans will sit and complain and plan their own systems. But in the end, they will still watch, making football a very popular American sport.
by Julia Mercer