I. Introduction
a. Attention getter: According to Sports Media Watch, as of 2013, The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) game pulls in, “more television viewers than the NCAA Basketball Finals, NBA Finals, Daytona 500, World Series, The Masters, and Stanley Cup Finals.” If you are a fan of college football, then you’ve been waiting for this day since before the season has begun.
b. Thesis Statement: Today I will be informing you all on the history of the BSC Bowl game, what it is, where it and who gets the chance to play.
c. Fair hearing or Significance: Learning a bit about the BCS bowl game may interest you in the future to watch the game. The top two college football teams in the nation play each other for the national title and performances from the greatest college bands and famous singers. People from all over the nation come to one stadium with the same passion for their team and it is truly an amazing experience.
d. Overview: You will be informed on the event of the BCS bowl game, which team gets to play, where it is held, and the basics of the game.
II. Body
a. History of the Bowl Championship Series
i. The Bowl Championship Series began in 1998, the purpose to find out who the number one team was in college football. ii. The first teams to play was Tennessee (23) vs. Florida State (16). iii. In 2004, the BCS was expanded to increase access for all football subdivision conferences.
b. What is the BCS?
i. The Bowl Championship Series is a five-game showcase of 10 different conferences (like SEC, PAC 10, etc.) college football designed to get the two top-rated teams in the country play in the national championship game. ii. There are other exciting games that have eight other highly scoring teams, play in four other games.
c. How does it work?
i. A team's performance during the regular season is the main factor in determining its position in the BCS standings. ii. There are three components: each weighted equally, “the USA Today Coaches Poll, the Harris Interactive College Football Poll and an average of six computer rankings (Jeff Anderson and Chris Hester, Richard Billingsley, Wes Colley, Kenneth Massey, Jeff Sagarin and Peter Wolfe).” (The New York Times). iii. Because the conference commissioners believe that teams should be judged on performance, there are no preseason BCS standings. Also they absolutely have to win nine regular season games.
d. Where is it held? i. Every year the championship game rotates between four traditional bowl sites. ii. The sites are; the Orange Bowl, in Florida; the Rose Bowl, in California; the Fiesta Bowl, in Arizona, and the Sugar Bowl, in New Orleans.
e. Future for the BCS
i. This 2014 year was the 16th year and the last BCS game because now it is getting a new name, The College Football