The new BCS format will be more friendly to teams in mid-major conferences. In previous years, a mid-major team would have to be in the top 6 of the final BCS rankings to qualify, and this happened only once in 2004 with Utah. For the new rules let me quote from collegefootballpoll.com
Under the double hosting format, the champions of the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pacific-10 and Southeastern Conferences will continue to play annually in one of the BCS bowls through the post-season following the 2007 regular season. In addition, one conference champion from among Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt, and Western Athletic Conferences will automatically qualify to play in a BCS bowl if it is: (1) ranked among the top 12 teams in the final BCS Standings; or (2) ranked among the top 16 teams in the final BCS Standings and ranked higher than the champion of one of the conferences whose champion has an annual automatic berth in a BCS bowl.
The emphasis is mine
I knew most of this already, but it looks like they're limiting the automatic bids for mid-majors to one, so it looks now like Boise St. has the inside track over TCU, but a loss to Fresno St. or any other WAC team could put TCU back in the hunt.
I have several questions for you guys, nation.
- Should we basically hand an automatic bid to the highest ranked mid-major?
- Will mid-majors be competitive in BCS bowls in which they play teams that aren't from the Big East?
- Do you like this form of post? I do it mostly because I have to go to class or work for an hour or two and want to leave you with something, but I can do something else if this isn't working.