BCS & Boise State, Houston, or TCU

[Ute]

Does anyone know what the MWC conference champion tie-breaking rule(s) are?

The BCS gives AQ status to the top ranked non BCS conference champion if it is ranked high enough. But it is only for conference champions. So if Boise State finishes around 8th, ahead of both Houston and TCU, but isn't a conference champion, the best they can hope for is an at-large selection.

So, what happens if TCU loses, and Boise State and TCU have identical conference records? The usual first-level tie-breaker is head-to-head record, but at least one conference has used BCS rank as the tie-breaker in order to game the system. Has the MWC, does anyone know?

If TCU loses a game, and Boise State and Houston win out, then I'm certain that the MWC will want Boise State to be its champion so it will get the AQ bid over Houston. But is that their rule?

[UtahJazzFan88]

Houston has the AQ bid right now. Boise State will not get an AQ bid due to the fact that they didn't win the conference (and they can only tie if TCU found a way to lose to UNLV). TCU can get an AQ-bid if Houston loses and they jump into the Top 16 (which isn't looking as likely as I thought when they actually lost a spot in the BCS rankings)

[jay santos]

There are no tie-breaking rules to declare conference champions. They would be declared co-champions if they tie for first, regardless of head to head.

[Ute]

There are no tie-breaking rules to declare conference champions. They would be declared co-champions if they tie for first, regardless of head to head.

So how does that work for AQ status, do you know?

EDIT:

Does a co-champion satisfy the BCS's conference champion definition? Here's the rule.

3. The champion of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, or the Western Athletic Conference will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if either:

**A. Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or,
**B. Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls.

No more than one such team from Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, and the Western Athletic Conference shall earn an automatic berth in any year. (Note: a second team may be eligible for at-large eligibility as noted below.) If two or more teams from those conferences satisfy the provisions for an automatic berth, then the team with the highest finish in the final BCS Standings will receive the automatic berth, and the remaining team or teams will be considered for at-large selection if it meets the criteria.

[doctorcoug]

So how does that work for AQ status, do you know?

EDIT:

Does a co-champion satisfy the BCS's conference champion definition? Here's the rule.

3. The champion of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, or the Western Athletic Conference will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if either:

**A. Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or,
**B. Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls.

No more than one such team from Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, and the Western Athletic Conference shall earn an automatic berth in any year. (Note: a second team may be eligible for at-large eligibility as noted below.) If two or more teams from those conferences satisfy the provisions for an automatic berth, then the team with the highest finish in the final BCS Standings will receive the automatic berth, and the remaining team or teams will be considered for at-large selection if it meets the criteria.

They would be the conference champ (co-champ) thus would get the AQ bid

[Ute]

They would be the conference champ (co-champ) thus would get the AQ bid

Yes, I think you're right. Can you imagine the cries if a one-loss Boise State gets picked, but an undefeated Houston does not?

Also, there is talk of the SEC getting three bids: one-loss LSU vs one-loss Alabama in the title game and conference champion Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

[Ute]

The MWC and C-USA are not AQ conferences. Who wins those conferences, therefore, has no bearing on AQ bids. An at large bid can be earned if a team from those conferences meet certain criteria.

Wrong. Read the rule. It's even copied and pasted for you.

[Ute]

Who wins those conferences, therefore, has no bearing on AQ bids.

Who wins those conferences has an absolute bearing on who gets an AQ bid.


On this Thanksgiving, I'm thankful that in all those high and tight haircuts i got while I was a soldier, they only shaved my head, and left my brain intact.

[doctorcoug]

If the winners of those conferences meet the criteria they automatically get an at large bid. At large bids are not AQ bids.

It is an AQ bid if they meet the criteria. They can't be excluded. It is an automatic qualification in that there is no debate.

[wuapinmon]

If the winners of those conferences meet the criteria they automatically get an at large bid. At large bids are not AQ bids.

[UtahJazzFan88]

There are no tie-breaking rules to declare conference champions. They would be declared co-champions if they tie for first, regardless of head to head.

Either way, I don't expect TCU to lose to UNLV at home.

[Ute]

It's not so much the arguing over semantics that is so inane, but being wrong about it all along.

http://www.bcsfootball.org/news/story?id=4819597

Automatic qualification
1. The top two teams in the final BCS Standings shall play in the National Championship Game.

2. The champions of the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and Southeastern conferences will have automatic berths in one of the participating bowls through the 2013 regular season.

3. The champion of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, or the Western Athletic Conference will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if either:

**A. Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or,
**B. Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls.

No more than one such team from Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, and the Western Athletic Conference shall earn an automatic berth in any year. (Note: a second team may be eligible for at-large eligibility as noted below.) If two or more teams from those conferences satisfy the provisions for an automatic berth, then the team with the highest finish in the final BCS Standings will receive the automatic berth, and the remaining team or teams will be considered for at-large selection if it meets the criteria.

4. Notre Dame will have an automatic berth if it is in the top eight of the final BCS Standings.

5. If any of the 10 slots remain open after application of provisions 1 through 4, and an at-large team from a conference with an annual automatic berth for its champion is ranked No. 3 in the final BCS Standings, that team will become an automatic qualifier, provided that no at-large team from the same conference qualifies for the national championship game.

6. If any of the 10 slots remain open after application of provisions 1 through 5, and if no team qualifies under paragraph No. 5 and an at-large team from a conference with an annual automatic berth for its champion is ranked No. 4 in the final BCS Standings, that team will become an automatic qualifier provided that no at-large team from the same conference qualifies for the national championship game.

At-large eligibility
If there are fewer than 10 automatic qualifiers, then the bowls will select at-large participants to fill the remaining berths. An at-large team is any Football Bowl Subdivision team that is bowl-eligible and meets the following requirements:

**A. Has won at least nine regular-season games, and
**B. Is among the top 14 teams in the final BCS Standings.

No more than two teams from a conference may be selected, regardless of whether they are automatic qualifiers or at-large selections, unless two non-champions from the same conference are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the final BCS Standings.

If fewer than 10 teams are eligible for selection, then the Bowls can select as an at-large team any Football Bowl Subdivision team that is bowl-eligible, has won at least nine regular-season games and is among the top 18 teams in the final BCS Standings subject to the two-team limit noted above and also subject to the following: (1) if any conference has two or more teams in the top 14, then two of those teams must be selected and (2) from the teams ranked 15-18, a bowl can select only a team from a conference that has fewer than two teams in the top 14.

If expansion of the pool to 18 teams does not result in 10 teams eligible for selection, then the pool shall be expanded by blocks of 4 teams until 10 eligible teams are available subject to the two-team limit noted above and also subject to the following: (1) if any conference has two or more teams in the top 14, then two of those teams must be selected and (2) from the teams ranked 15 or lower, a bowl can select only a team from a conference that has fewer than two teams in the top 14.

Relative to the two preceding paragraphs, all teams ranked in the top 14, other than those from conferences which have already had two teams selected, must be included in the bowl selections.

Note: in order to participate in a BCS Bowl game, a team (i) must be eligible for post-season play under the rules of the NCAA and, if it not an independent, under the rules of its conference and (ii) must not have imposed sanctions upon itself prohibiting participation in a post-season game for infractions of the rules of the NCAA or the rules of its conference.

[doctorcoug]

It's not so much the arguing over semantics that is so inane, but being wrong about it all along.

http://www.bcsfootball.org/news/story?id=4819597

Automatic qualification

3. The champion of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, or the Western Athletic Conference will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if either:

**A. Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or,
**B. Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls.

The truth...

[Donuthole]

It is conditional on meeting the criteria. The AQ bids for the six AQ conferences have no conditions other than the representatives of the conferences be conference champions.

CUFfie nominee, that!

[myboynoah]

Excellent. I love Star Trek, all of them.