Bowl Championship Series Has Mixed Effect on Competitive Balance

Newswise — Since the Bowl Championship Series was created in 1998, within-season competitive balance in the six founding BCS conferences has improved, according to University of Arkansas researcher Steve Dittmore. He discusses the BCS and his research in a podcast released by the online Journal of Sport Administration and Supervision.

Dittmore and Craig M. Crow of West Liberty University examined the effect of the BCS on college football. Their research showed improvement occurred in within-season competitive balance, which measures how teams in a conference vary in competition standing in a given year.

However, only three of the six conferences exhibited improved between-season competitive balance. The lack of between-season competitive balance means the top teams consistently remain strong year to year, resulting in less frequent turnover of championship teams.

The podcast features interviews with Dittmore and Dan Wetzel, a national columnist for Yahoo! Sports. The hour-long podcast eventually included discussion of possible alternatives to the BCS, including a more semi-pro type of arrangement in which college athletes would be paid. The podcast can be heard at http://www.jsasonline.org/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64&Itemid=25.

Dittmore is an assistant professor of recreation and sport management at the University of Arkansas.