Factoid 54 - College Football in the 21st Century (Part Two)

The start of the 21st century saw the height of the BSC National Championship come into play. This system, which was implemented in the 1990s, grew in strength and acceptance. Fourteen schools would win a title this way: Alabama (3); LSU (2); Florida (2); Auburn (1); Florida State (1); Miami (1); Texas (1); USC (1); Ohio State (1); and Oklahoma (1). (Various polls also awarded championships to these teams: USC [3]; Oklahoma; Ohio State; Miami; Utah; and Missouri.)

The SEC was clearly the dominant conference with eight of the 14 championships, and Alabama was on a tear, winning three of four titles between 2009 and 2012. However, the most recent championship saw Florida State, an ACC school, beat Auburn by a score of 34 to 31. The tide may be turning against SEC dominance as other conferences are now hiring coaches from the SEC, adjusting their pay scales to be competitive with the SEC, and aggressively recruiting in the SEC’s territory; as we read about and research college football, this most certainly could be the case as conference and school dominance appears to ebb and flow over time.

The most intriguing event about this century is the fact that FBS college football is finally moving to a playoff system to determine the national championships. Starting in the 2014/2015 season there will be a four team playoff system, which should run until the 2025/2026 season. However, we are hoping and pushing for a much larger playoff system: VOTE for your preferred college playoff format.