Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/408565
BY ANDREW OWENS N otre Dame can expel a sigh of relief that the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system has ended, after a brutal stretch from 1998‑2014 in which the Irish lost their four ap‑ pearances by an average of 25.3 points per game. Out with the old and in with the new. Begin‑ ning this season, the sport's highest honor will be determined by the four‑team College Football Playoff, which is much more nuanced than the name chosen to represent it. Instead of the old sys‑ tem, which used com‑ puters and a coaches poll that mostly relied on sports information directors to fill out the weekly ballot, the College Football Playoff will be determined by a 13‑per‑ son selection committee (12 members in 2014 with Archie Manning taking a leave of absence due to health issues) that began ranking teams Oct. 28, and will do so each week for the remainder of the season. (The Irish were 10th in the initial poll.) The Peach Bowl and Cotton Bowl join the BCS' group of four elite bowls (the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl and Fiesta Bowl) to comprise the "New Year's Six" bowls. Each year, two of the six will host a national semi‑ final, with the national championship occurring around 10 days later. This year, the Rose and Sugar will host the na‑ tional semifinals Jan. 1. (The Orange and Cot‑ ton will host following the 2015 season, while the Peach and Fiesta will conclude the three‑year rotation after 2016.) No. 1 from the selec‑ tion committee's poll will play No. 4, with No. 2 and No. 3 naturally facing off. The top‑ranked team will receive geographical prior‑ ity. For example, using the final BCS' top four rankings from 2013 and this year's semifinal sites, No. 1 Florida State would have played No. 4 Michigan State at the Sugar Bowl. No. 2 Auburn UNDER THE DOME BOWLS AND POLLS New postseason opportunities abound for Irish in 2014 Notre Dame has already clinched a postseason appearance for the fifth straight year under Brian Kelly (right), but where the Irish will go will be determined by their November play. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA