Championship Game History
The first form of a championship game in college football was the inaugural Rose Bowl that pitted a highly ranked west coast team against a team east of the Mississippi River. After the success of this bowl game several other bowl games were introduced. Since certain conferences signed contracts that tied them to these bowls the two best teams did not always play at the end of the season. The champion was simply the team ranked number one in the polls. Sometimes the two main polls, coaches and associated press, disagreed. When this occurs two teams may share the championship, or there may not be a clear champion. In an attempt to remedy this situation the Bowl Conference Series (BCS) was introduced in 1992. This system made sure the two highest ranked teams played each other at the end of the season. The BCS uses its own combination of polls to conclude its top two teams, however some feel that the best teams do not always end up playing. This system can lead to multiple champions, however in 2005 there is technically no champion. After running back Reggie Bush was found to have gained improper benefits while at USC, the NCAA decided to vacate the team’s 2005 championship over Oklahoma.
BCS Championship Game Participants and Qualification
The Road to the BCS National Championship game is grueling one. A perfect record is often necessary to earn a bid to this game, and sometimes it is not even enough. Teams from outside the five major conferences have never made the BCS Championship Game even though some have gone undefeated. The reason these teams fail to make the championship game is that strength of schedule is a large factor in the polls. Even though the major conferences have all sent teams and claimed the BCS National Championship, the game has been dominated by one conference. The SEC has won eight of fourteen BCS Championship Games while only losing once in the game’s short history. The process of deciding what teams play in the championship game has been heavily scrutinized mostly because people want a clear undisputed champion. As a result 2014 will have the first tournament style championship game between the four highest ranked teams.
BCS Championship Game Location
Before the BCS there was not always a clear championship game so the locations of the deciding games varied. After the inception of the BCS system the championship game rotated between the four BCS bowls. The championship game is still held at these four locations but a week after the bowl game. The stadiums include the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA, University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ, the Super Dome in New Orleans, LA, and Sun Life Stadium in Miami, FL. All of these locations are in southern United States because the game is held in January.
BCS Championship Game Betting
Gambling on the championship is one of the most common college football bets. Like the Super Bowl in the NFL, the BCS Championship game is full of different prop bets. Many of these bets can be hard to predict but can be fun for everyday fans. In addition to prop bets, futures bets allows a gambler to select who will win the championship game at any point in the season. While selecting the champion so early in the season may be difficult, the odds allow for huge payouts if the correct bet is placed. As always, bets can be placed on the line of the game after the matchup is set. History suggests that the SEC is a safe bet since that conference has an 8-1 record in the championship game. Whatever the bet be sure to use footballbetting.org to find it.