I can't understand the NCAA Football Standings. Could someone please explain me?

Question

I live outside the U.S. I'm a big NFL fan and I'm lately getting interested in NCAA Football.

However I can't understand how the Conference System works!

I know there's like 17 different conference and the teams plays against rivals of it's own conference and from other conferences.

But....

How is defined who goes to the "playoffs" (Is there anything like playoffs there?)

How is defined who plays in each College Bowl?

How is defined which two teams plays for the National Championship?

I would really appreciate your answer. Thanks.


A Foreign Fan of U.S. Football.

Answer 1

there are 6 conferences that are considered "BCS conferences" these are supposedly the best teams out there..

SEC, ACC, and BIg 12 conferences have actual championship games at the end of the regular season. These 3 winners always get an entry into one of the 4 BCS bowls.

the other 3 conference winners (Big East, Pac-10, Big-10) are determined based on best win-loss record vs conference opponents.

non-BCS bowls are picked based on a pre-determined ranking.. ie Cotton Bowl is usually a top big 12 team vs a top SEC team.

the advantage of having your school in a conference is that you will be guaranteed to play other big schools. if you have a tough schedule, and are still able to have a good win-loss record, you can expect a top bowl game.

notre dame is a top program that is not part of a conference. they have negociated schedule agreements so that they can play top teams from various conferences.

schools in non-bcs conferences are generally considered 2nd tier. these schools will often play 2-3 games against BCS schools and usually lose all 3 games. there are often exceptions though. Boise State is a good example. they have done very well this year. they may end up undefeated and get into a major bowl game.

outside of Division 1, there are several other leagues. IE. the Ivy league is a conference of their own. they don't usually play Division 1 teams. there are also many Division 2 conferences. Most division 2 schools will scheduled at least one game a year against a division 1 team, and they will usually get clobbered!

the biggest knock against NCAA Football is the lack of a play off system. the BCS computer will decide which 2 teams play for the championship. this computer takes into account various statistics.. it will analyse wins and give a point system based on strength of win, strength of schedule, and opponents strength of schedule.

as of right how, ohio state, michigan, west virginia, louisville, rutgers and boise state are still undefeated.

chances are, boise state won't make it, because even if they do run the table, other schools will also run the table and have stronger strength of victories and stength of opponents,

chances are, the big ten winner and the big east winner will be the only two undefeated teams out there, and will likely get the two spots for the title.

if boise state ends up the only undefeated team, it will be very interesting to see if they get into the championship game, or if they opt to take 2 one-loss teams instead.

Answer 2

In the top division 1A, there are no play-offs. The press, coaches, and computers all rank the teams. If you can make sense of it come over here and explain it to us. We want a play-off, I doubt we will ever get it. Way to much money involved.

Answer 3

the standings work 2 ways. either the team who has won the most games go first. to face rivlary college's now let's say there's a team tht didn't do so well they will be there just most like ly not facing a rival

Answer 4

Join the club. I don't think the NCAA understands them. That's why no one really watches Basketball