Rank	Team	BCS Score
1	LSU	.9989
2	Georgia	.9185
3	USC	.8944
4	Kansas	.8544
5	Missouri	.8454
6	West Virginia	.8306
7	Ohio State	.8054
8	Oklahoma	.6861
9	Virginia Tech	.6824
10	Tennessee	.5689
11	Texas	.5660
12	Boston College	.5469

Weekly Update

Weekly News: Well, it’s over. The season that saw a Football Championship Division team beat the University of Michigan; that saw eleven top five teams lose to unranked opponents, and in the end, a season that saw the first ever two-loss national champion is finally at an end.

After eighteen days of college football, with 32 bowl games and coaching changes galore, the season comes to an end with the completion of the BCS National Title Game that was held in New Orleans this year. Ohio State fell to the twice defeated LSU Tigers 38-24 and for the second straight year allowed an SEC foe to capture the national title. You can read all about the game at the game recaps on the BCS Bowls page.

The 32 bowls saw historic blowouts, overtime thrillers and field goals deciding a surprising number of match ups. The slate even saw the underdog come through in the clutch quite often, including the surprising upset of Boise State, last year’s media and BCS darlings, to East Carolina, somewhat fitting for the post season to reflect the craziness of the regular season.

In the end, an only slightly disputed national champion was crowned, as the AP voters, not affiliated with the BCS in any way, voted 60 out of 65 first place votes to LSU. In the season that most likely will cause major changes to the BCS, it once again succeeded in delivering a convincing national champion, some fodder for the few BCS supporters that still exist. Georgia and USC, winners of two of the other BCS Bowls, have much to gripe about, but both teams had their issues during the season, which didn’t allow them to make it to New Orleans this year.

Both USC and Georgia will be favored heavily to make it to the National Title game next year, which will be held in Miami, Florida.

Until the beginning of next season, here’s what you can expect from BCS Know How. The final newsletter will be released on Wednesday, if you would like to receiver the BCS Know How Newsletter, click on either one of the links on the page, directly below this article, or on the upper right hand corner of the page. Also remember to take newsletter@bcsknowhow.com off of your spam blockers

The BCS standings will soon be updated to reflect what they would look like if the BCS published another set of standings after the end of the season, using the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll along with any computer who ranks after the end.

Expect the updates for the 2008-09 season to roll out around July of this year, and from then, BCS Know How will again be your source for all the college football news, poll updates, scores and recaps you will ever need. Have a good off-season!

The BCS Formula

Have Questions? We Have the BCS Know How.

Human Element

The BCS consists of two human elements, or polls from which two thirds of the BCS Rankings are taken. The two polls are the Harris Interactive College Football Poll and the USA Today/ESPN Coach's Poll. The way the human element is used is as follows: First, take the Harris Interactive which includes 112 voters. All 112 voters vote on teams 1-25 and points are awarded on a reverse basis, 25 for a first place vote, 24 for a second place vote, 23 for a third place vote, and so on until one point is awarded for a 25th place vote.

So, if all 112 voters decided to vote one team first, the team would be awarded 112 times 25 points, or 2800 Harris Poll Points. Therefore, a perfect score in the eyes of the Harris Poll voters is a 2800. The BCS uses the votes received by a team and divides that number by the perfect score of 2800 for a decimal value of 1.000 or less.

For example, LSU, the nation's #1 in Week 5 of the BCS received 2742 points from the Harris Poll voters on November 11th, the eleventh Harris Poll of the year, which included 73 first place votes. The BCS divides 2742 by the perfect score 2800, to arrive at the LSU Tiger's Harris Poll score.

Harris Poll BCS Calculation LSU Example: (2742/2800)=0.979

The same calculation is then mirrored with the ESPN/USA Today Coach's Poll. The Coach's Poll consists of 60 voters, and the scale scoring for the votes mirrors that of the Harris Poll's. Therefore, in the Coach's Poll, the perfect score is 1500. The BCS then completes the same calculation and divides the score received by a team by the perfect score, 1500. For example, the Ohio State Buckeyes received 1457, from the Coaches, which included 35 first place votes. The BCS would divide 1457 by 1500, the perfect score in 2007 to arrive at LSU Tiger's Coach's Poll score.

Coach's Poll BCS Calculation Ohio State Example: (1457/1500)=.971

Computer Element

The third and final part of the BCS calculations is derived from six computer rankings posted weekly. The six computer polls, managed by people, newspapers and the BCS itself are: Anderson & Hester, Richard Billingsley, Colley Matrix, Kenneth Massey, Jeff Sagarin's USA Today and Peter Wolfe.

The BCS looks at the standings of each of the six computer polls and awards teams 25 points for a first place standing on a computer poll, 24 for a second, 23 for a third, and so on, just as in the human element, until one point is given for a 25th place vote. The BCS then takes the six point values and takes away the lowest and highest point values given to a specific team. Four point values are left and the BCS adds the four together. Because a perfect score would be having four first place votes, or four 25 point values, the BCS divides the team's received computer rankings by 100 to arrive at the computer ranking value.

Computer Poll BCS Calculation LSU Example:

Poll	A+H	RB	CM	KM	JS	PW
Rank	1	1	1	1	2	2
Point Value	25	25	25	25	24	24

25+25+25+24=99
99/100=.990

Final Calculation

The BCS finishes the procedure by averaging the three values it received from the Harris Interactive College Football Poll, the USA Today/ESPN Poll and the Computer Polls. The final BCS Ranking is a decimal between .0000 and 1.0000.

(Harris Poll % + Coach's Poll % + Computer Poll %)/3 = BCS Ranking

LSU BCS Ranking Example
(.979+.971+.990)/3= .902

The Polls

The Coaches' Poll - End of Regular Season

Rank	Team	Votes	Share of Vote
1	Ohio State	1469	.979
2	LSU	1418	.945
3	Oklahoma	1331	.887
4	Georgia	1277	.851
5	Virginia Tech	1242	.828
5	USC	1227	.818
7	Missouri	1104	.736
8	Kansas	1099	.733
9	West Virginia	1010	.673
10	Hawaii	994	.663

The Harris Interactive Poll - End of Regular Season

Rank	Team	Votes	Share of Vote
1	Ohio State	2813	.987
2	LSU	2630	.923
3	Oklahoma	2520	.884
4	Georgia	2469	.866
5	USC	2346	.823
6	Virginia Tech	2345	.822
7	Missouri	2117	.743
8	Kansas	2092	.734
9	West Virginia	1924	.675
10	Hawaii	1903	.668

Computer Poll Standings

Rank	Team	Share of Vote
1	Virginia Tech	.960
2	LSU	.950
3	Ohio State	.910
4	Missouri	.850
5	Kansas	.810
6	Oklahoma/Georgia	.800

The Bowl Championship Series

College Football's National Championship

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The 2008 BCS Bowls

You can find all of your BCS Bowl recaps here!

BCS National Championship Game

lsu LSU Tigers 38

vs.

Ohio State Buckeyes 24

Recap: Ohio State came in with a grudge to settle, LSU came in with a reputation to uphold, and while both were somewhat able to achieve their goals, it was just one who truly presented themselves as the team worthy of the BCS National Tile. Making a return trip to the BCS National Title game, the Ohio State Buckeyes were in Louisiana to prove the national worth and skill of the Big ten conference, a division that since last year's OSU debacle at the Stadium at Glendale had been receiving some hate from the nation at large. LSU, playing a
relative home game, was in the game as the first team to play in the National Title game with two losses. They hoped to prove the preseason hype and solidify the SEC's reputation as the best conference in the land. Just like last year, Ohio State jumped out to an early score, even posting ten points before the game had even really begun. Chris Wells ran for the longest rushing touchdown in BCS National Championship Game history and Ryan Pretorius added a field goal to
give the Buckeyes that ten point lead. But wouldn't you know it, the LSU Tigers came right back. Not only did they score on two straight drives to tie the game at ten, but went on to score 24 straight, relying on their best players, Matt Flynn, the senior quarterback and Jacob Hester, the electrifying running back. The LSU defense came into play during the streak, forcing a fumble and intercepting a Todd Boeckman pass midway through the second quarter. By the time half time
came around, LSU seemed to have a stranglehold on the game, leading 24-10. Coming out of the break on fire, the Tigers were able to score yet again on their first drive, capped off by a Matt Flynn touchdown pass to Early Doucet. With the game at 31-10, Ohio State seemed to be falling faster than they could account for, but they did put up a fight. Boeckman completed a touchdown pass to Brian Robiskie to pull the Buckeyes to within two scores, but a few failed fourth down
conversions later, the game truly seemed to be out of reach. A late touchdown pass by Flynn, who ended with four TD passes, sealed the victory, making the final scoring drive of the game by the Buckeyes inconsequential, as the LSU Tigers captured their second BCS National title in the teams history, the first school to do so under the BCS..

Rose Bowl

USC Trojans 49

vs.

Illinois Fighting Illini 17

Recap: Going into the Rose Bowl, very few expected the Illini of Illinois to put up much of a fight against the feared BCS Bowl opponents, the USC Trojans. The Trojans came into the match up 4-1 in their past five BCS bowls, and looked just as good at the end of the season as any other team in the nation, even spurring some discontent with a #7 ranking in the final BCS standings. Well, the critics of the Illini were wrong, for about two minutes. After looking solid from the get go, the Illini defense faded quickly, giving up an early TD to the Trojans and setting the tone for the game. Seemingly unstoppable, John David Booty and Chauncey Washington combined to almost put the game out of reach in the first half. Only a late field goal by the Illini saved them from going into the break with a goose egg on the board. The second half started promisingly for the Fighting Illini, as they drove the field in just two plays, capped off by a Rashard Mendenhall 79 yard touchdown run, but it went south from there. Booty connected on another TD pass, and the rout was on. In the end, the Illini’s lone bright spot was Mendenhall, who rushed for more than 150 yards and a touchdown, but the Trojan attack was just too much, allowing USC to win its second straight Rose Bowl over a Big 10 opponent.

Sugar Bowl

Georgia Bulldogs 41

vs.

hawaii Hawaii Rainbow Warriors 10

Preview: Hawaii entered the Sugar Bowl with hopes of proving the nation wrong. As the only team in the entire country without a loss, the Warriors felt as if they deserved to be in the National Championship Game and wanted to play in the same venue as the National Championship Game as if they deserved it. But Georgia had other ideas. The Bulldogs too felt somewhat gypped by the BCS, having been jumped by two teams on the last weekend of the season to just miss going to the National Championship Game. And the Bulldogs were the team that put up a much bigger statement. In an absolute blowout form the start, the Georgia Bulldogs pummeled an obviously overmatched Hawaii team and set the tone for what could be a great 2008 season for UGA. Colt Brennan, a Heisman finalist this year, was held in check by the swarming and effective Georgia defense, throwing three interceptions in what will be his final college game. Georgia was effective enough on defense to not allow a single touchdown to be scored until Brennan had already left the game, and on offense, the Bulldogs shone brightly on the national stage. Knowshon Moreno, who as a freshman dazzled defenses all season, preformed greatly, scoring two touchdowns while sharing carries with Thomas Brown, who led the team in rushing. Matthew Stafford also preformed admirably, picking apart the Hawaii defense to lead his team on six scoring drives. Even the Georgia kicker got into it, Brandon Coutu kicked two field goals from 52 and 45 yards, which both would have been good from 60.

Fiesta Bowl

West Virginia Mountaineers 48

vs.

Oklahoma Sooners 28

Recap: Many expected West Virginia to struggle against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl for a number of reasons. First of all, the Mountaineers had been in the middle of one of the ugliest coaching situations in the entire Football Bowl Subdivision with their board of directors suing Rich Rodriguez, who had just taken the job at Michigan. Also, the Mountaineers were faced with the seemingly unstoppable Oklahoma attack that dismantled every facet of the Missouri Tigers in the Big 12 Championship Game, but that's why they play the game. In fact, the Mountaineers took control of the game from
the get go, outplaying the Sooners on offense defense and special teams to capture the Fiesta Bowl. Even without the contribution of their leading rusher, Steve Slaton, who left the game early in the first quarter with a pulled quad, the West Virginia attack was successful on all counts. Noel Divine filled in greatly and Pat White had the game of his life as the Mountaineers, although vulnerable at times, appeared to have planned perfectly for the game. West Virginia shutdown Sam Bradford, the effective freshman quarterback and shut down the Oklahoma rushing attack as well. West Virginia ends their season on a winning note after disappointingly missing the National Championship Game.

Orange Bowl

kansas Kansas Jayhawks 24

vs.

Virginia Tech Hokies 21

Recap: This was quite possibly the match up that people were least likely to be looking forward to. In Kansas, much of the nation saw an overrated product of the weak Big 12, who hadn’t even played for the Big 12 title, and in Virginia Tech a team that either got too much credit for winning the ACC or not enough by beating one of the two teams to defeat them earlier. The strengths were obvious on both sides, Virginia Tech the perennial special teams masters and the newly anointed Kansas Jayhawks offense as one of the class units in the nation. But it was the Rock Chalk Jayhawk defense that won the game. Aqib Talib, an All-American corner for the Jayhawks had an incredible game, returning an interception for a touchdown. With cold weather definitely contributing to the lack of offensive production, the great plays came from the special teams, which included a blocked field goal and a fake punt for a first down, both from the Kansas side, something quite unexpected. Virginia Tech had a last gasp effort to retake the lead after Sean Glennon made a pass to pull the Hokies to within three, but the ensuing onside kick was recovered by Kansas, and Reesing kneeled to seal the victory. In their first January bowl since 1969, the Jayhawks proved their BCS worth and showed the nation that Reesing’s and the team’s production and 11-1 record was no joke.

Explanation of the BCS Bowls

Every year the championship game rotates between four traditional bowls, the Orange Bowl, held in Florida; the Rose Bowl, held in Pasadena, California; the Fiesta Bowl, held in Arizona, and the Sugar Bowl, normally held in New Orleans.

Above is a picture of the Superdome in Louisiana, the site of the Sugar Bowl and the 2008 BCS National Championship Game. This year the BCS will continue to implement the double hosting format, in which the four former BCS Bowls, the Fiesta, Rose, Orange and Sugar will continue to host games, but one will host the National Championship as well as its traditional January bowl. This year, the stadium in New Orleans will hold both the Sugar Bowl and the National Championship Game.

With the addition of one more effective bowl game, this opens up 10 total spots for teams wishing to compete in BCS Bowls. As in prior years, the champions of the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, SEC and Pac 10 will receive automatic bids to one BCS bowl. In addition one champion from the so called mid-major conferences will qualify for one BCS bowl bid if they are ranked in the top 12 in the final BCS standings, released in early December, or if a champion from a mid major conference is ranked higher than any automatic bid receiving champion of the major BCS conferences in the top 16.

Although more spots have been opened for BCS bowls, there will be no conference that sends more than two teams from their conference to any of the five BCS bowl games.

The mid major conferences are: Conference USA (C-USA), the Mountain West Conference (MWC), the Sun Belt Conference, the Mid-American Conference (MAC), and the Western Athletic Conferences (WAC).

Notre Dame, the one independent school completely associated with the Bowl Championship Series, will receive an automatic BCS bowl bid if they are to finish in the top 8 in the final BCS standings.

One final caveat in the BCS bowls is the contracts or traditional bowl guarantees for various BCS Conferences with Bowl Championship Bowls. Traditionally these bowls will select the following conferences, and will gain first pick if their traditional team is taken from them to play in the National Title Game.

Orange Bowl- Atlantic Coast Conference

Rose Bowl-

LSU Crowned BCS National Champs

BCS Know How Links

Unofficial Season's End BCS Standings