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BCS At-Large Bid Eligibility Changes |
There is a problem with the BCS. Yes many of you know this and many agree. However, the problem this year is that there may not be enough BCS eligible teams to fill all spots in the BCS bowl games.
Are teams just not as good this year? Or is the competition just too fierce?
BCS rules state a team must have at least nine victories and finish in the top 14 of the final standings to qualify for an at-large bid to one of the five BCS bowl games. The fact that there is a rule that only one team is allowed per conference, creates a hindrance and possibility of there not being enough eligible teams to fill the spots.
If faced with a shortage of qualified teams eligible for at-large bids, the Bowl Championship Series will expand the pool of eligible contenders when the season is over.
The BCS announced Tuesday that if fewer than 10 of the top 14 teams in the standings are eligible for an at-large bid, they will extend it to the top 18. If enough teams are still not available, the standard would be pushed back even more!
This could be good news for teams like Boise State and Hawaii.
Several conferences saw this problem weeks ago that the possibility of not having enough BCS eligible teams existed and started working on a plan to fix it, without having to make drastic changes to the rulebook.
One wonders if this little complication will bring about a BCS rule change in the off season. Who knows, maybe this will lead to the creation of the much wanted and coveted playoff type system.
The top two teams in the final BCS standings play the national championship game, while the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl and Fiesta Bowl pair up conference champions or at-large bids. Automatic bids go to the champion of all the major conferences: ACC, Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, Pac-10 and the SEC.
The current BCS standings and the top 14 rule, allow only nine teams to currently qualify for an at-large spot. With the current BCS scenario, teams in the Big Ten, Big East and ACC will be out of luck when it comes to an at-large bid.
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