Polls will mean more in BCS

There will be fewer numbers to crunch in the revamped version of the Bowl Championship Series formula.

The big question remains whether those numbers will produce better results for one of the few major sports that determines its champion without a postseason tournament.

BCS officials unveiled Thursday their latest attempt to find a simpler, more equitable way to come up with a 1 vs. 2 matchup in the college football title game.

In describing the new formula, BCS chairman Kevin Weiberg issued the same caveat that has existed throughout the six seasons of this system.

“There is not a perfect tool out there in this system that will eliminate all controversy,” said Weiberg, the Big 12 commissioner who took over as BCS chairman this year.

Under the new formula, which goes into effect this season, the AP writers’ poll, the coaches’ poll and a combination of computer rankings will each count for one-third of a BCS ranking.

Strength of schedule, team record and quality wins, three components used under the old system, have all been eliminated, the thought being that all are already factored into the computer rankings. In the past, results from the AP and coaches’ polls were averaged, then factored in with the other components — a formula that lessened the significance of the polls.

The new formula will no longer average the weekly rank of each team. Instead, teams will be evaluated on the number of voting points they receive in each poll. A team’s score in the AP poll will be divided by 1,625, which is the maximum any team can receive. A team’s score in the coaches’ poll will be divided by 1,525.

The final component will come from six computer rankings. A team’s highest and lowest computer ranking will be thrown out and the other four will be used to determine a figure to add to those from the two polls.

Had the new system been in place last year, it would have pitted USC and LSU in the title game.