| | 1998 Regular Season |
| | In the first year of the Bowl Championship Series, Kansas State, Tennessee, and UCLA entered the final weekend of the regular season undefeated, but Kansas State lost to Texas A&M in the Big 12 championship game, and UCLA lost at Miami, creating a classic Tennessee-Florida State matchup for the national championship in the Fiesta Bowl. Tennessee emerged with the victory. |
| | The Automatic-Qualifying Conference Champions |
| | Atlantic Coast: Florida State (11-1) |
| | Big East: Syracuse (8-3) |
| | Big Ten: Wisconsin (10-1) |
| | Big 12: Texas A&M (11-2) |
| | Pac-10: UCLA (10-1) |
| | Southeastern: Tennessee (12-0) |
| | Other Participants |
| | Florida (9-2) SEC At-Large |
| | Ohio State (10-1) Big 10 At-Large |
| | The Matchups |
| | Fiesta Bowl: (1) Tennessee 23, (2) Florida State 16 |
| | Orange Bowl: (8) Florida 31, (15) Syracuse 10 |
| | Sugar Bowl: (4) Ohio State 24, (6) Texas A&M 14 |
| | Rose Bowl: (9) Wisconsin 38, (5) UCLA 31 |
| | 1999 Regular Season |
| | The BCS formula worked to perfection when two undefeated teams-No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 Virginia Tech played in the Sugar Bowl. Florida State won its second title. |
| | The Automatic-Qualifying Conference Champions |
| | Atlantic Coast: Florida State (11-0) |
| | Big East: Virginia Tech (11-0) |
| | Big Ten: Wisconsin (9-2) |
| | Big 12: Nebraska (11-1) |
| | Pac-10: Stanford (8-3) |
| | Southeastern: Alabama (10-2) |
| | Other Participants |
| | Michigan (9-2) Big 10 At-Large |
| | Tennessee (9-2) SEC At-Large |
| | The Matchups |
| | Sugar Bowl: (1) Florida State 46, (2) Virginia Tech 29 |
| | Fiesta Bowl: (3) Nebraska 31, (5) Tennessee 21 |
| | Orange Bowl: (8) Michigan 35, (4) Alabama 34 |
| | Rose Bowl: (7) Wisconsin 17, (22) Stanford 9 |
| | 2000 Regular Season |
| | Again, the BCS produced a consensus national champion. There was no doubt which team was No.1-Oklahoma, defeated Florida State in the Orange Bowl to finish 13-0. On bowl Selection Sunday, three once-beaten teams were vying for a spot against the Sooners in the national championship game, Florida State, Miami and Washington. Miami had beaten Florida State during the regular season, and Washington had beaten Miami. However, Florida State earned the spot by finishing second in the BCS Standings, on the strength of victories over three ranked opponents (including two in the top ten.) |
| | The Automatic-Qualifying Conference Champions |
| | Atlantic Coast: Florida State (11-1) |
| | Big East: Miami (10-1) |
| | Big Ten: Purdue (8-3) |
| | Big 12: Oklahoma (12-0) |
| | Pac-10: Washington (10-1) |
| | Southeastern: Florida (10-2) |
| | Other Participants |
| | Notre Dame (9-2) At-Large |
| | Oregon State (10-1) Pac-10 At-Large |
| | The Matchups |
| | Orange Bowl: (1) Oklahoma 13, (2) Florida State 2 |
| | Sugar Bowl: (3) Miami 37, (7) Florida 20 |
| | Rose Bowl: (4) Washington 34, (14) Purdue 24 |
| | Fiesta Bowl: (6) Oregon State 41, (11) Notre Dame 9 |
| | 2001 Regular Season |
| | Undefeated No. 1 Miami won the national championship by defeating Nebraska in the first Rose Bowl game in 55 years involving teams from outside the Big Ten and Pac-10. The Huskers, who spent much of the season as the No. 2 team in the nation, benefited from a rash of upsets on the final weekend of the regular season and in conference championship games to earn their spot in the national title game. Nebraska suffered its only loss of the regular season in its finale against Colorado. After the spate of upsets, Nebraska edged once-beaten Pac-10 champion Oregon for the No. 2 spot in the final BCS Standings to advance to the Rose Bowl. The Hurricanes' Rose Bowl victory extended their winning streak to 23 games. |
| | The Automatic-Qualifying Conference Champions |
| | Atlantic Coast: Maryland (10-1) |
| | Big East: Miami (11-0) |
| | Big Ten: Illinois (10-1) |
| | Big 12: Colorado (10-2) |
| | Pac-10: Oregon (10-1) |
| | Southeastern: LSU (9-3) |
| | Other Participants |
| | Nebraska (11-1) Big XII At-Large |
| | Florida (9-2) SEC At-Large |
| | The Matchups |
| | Rose Bowl: (1) Miami 37, (2) Nebraska 14 |
| | Fiesta Bowl: (4) Oregon 38, (3) Colorado 16 |
| | Sugar Bowl: (13) LSU 47, (8) Illinois 34 |
| | Orange Bowl: (5) Florida 56, (10) Maryland 23 |
| | 2002 Regular Season |
| | The BCS formula created a national championship matchup for the ages when undefeated and No.1 Miami met undefeated and No. 2 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. In one of the greatest football games ever played, the Buckeyes won, 31-24, in double overtime, to the end the Hurricanes' remarkable 34-game winning streak. |
| | The Automatic-Qualifying Conference Champions |
| | Atlantic Coast: Florida State (9-4) |
| | Big East: Miami (12-0) |
| | Big Ten: Ohio State (13-0) |
| | Big 12: Oklahoma (11-2) |
| | Pac-10: Washington State (10-2) |
| | Southeastern: Georgia (12-1) |
| | Other Participants |
| | Iowa (11-1) Big 10 At-Large |
| | USC (10-2) Pac-10 At-Large |
| | The Matchups |
| | Fiesta Bowl: (2) Ohio State 31, (1) Miami 24, 2 OT |
| | Sugar Bowl: (3) Georgia 26, (14) Florida State 13 |
| | Orange Bowl: (4) USC 38, (5) Iowa 17 |
| | Rose Bowl: (7) Oklahoma 34, (6) Washington State 14 |
| | 2003 Regular Season |
| | LSU won the national championship by beating Oklahoma in a pulsating defensive contest in the Sugar Bowl. |
| | Oklahoma, which spent the season as the top-ranked team in both polls, had earned a spot in the Sugar Bowl by finishing first in the final BCS Standings even though the Sooners were stunned by Kansas State in the Big 12 championship game. LSU, the SEC champion, edged USC for second place in the final BCS Standings to advance to the Sugar Bowl. |
| | The Automatic-Qualifying Conference Champions |
| | Atlantic Coast: Florida State (10-2) |
| | Big East: Miami (10-2) |
| | Big Ten: Michigan (10-2) |
| | Big 12: Kansas State (11-3) |
| | Pac-10: USC (11-1) |
| | Southeastern: LSU (12-1) |
| | Other Participants |
| | Oklahoma (12-1) Big XII |
| | Ohio State (10-2) Big 10 At-Large |
| | The Matchups |
| | Sugar Bowl: (2) LSU 21, (1) Oklahoma 14 |
| | Orange Bowl: (9) Miami 16, (7) Florida State 14 |
| | Rose Bowl: (3) USC 28, (4) Michigan 14 |
| | Fiesta Bowl: (5) Ohio State 35, (10) Kansas State 28 |
| | 2004 Regular Season |
| | Three teams won BCS bowl games to complete undefeated seasons. Top-ranked Southern California won the national champion with a smashing victory over No. 2 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. Sugar Bowl champion Auburn finished second in the coaches' and writers' polls. Utah, the first Mountain West Conference member to play in a BCS bowl, capped its season with a victory over Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl. |
| | The Automatic-Qualifying Conference Champions |
| | Atlantic Coast: Virginia Tech (10-2) |
| | Big East: Pittsburgh (8-3) |
| | Big Ten: Michigan (9-2) |
| | Big 12: Oklahoma (12-0) |
| | Pac-10: Southern California (12-0) |
| | Southeastern: Auburn (12-0) |
| | Other Participants |
| | Texas (10-1) Big XII |
| | Utah (11-0) Mountain West Champion |
| | The Matchups |
| | Orange Bowl: (1) Southern California 55, (2) Oklahoma 19 |
| | Sugar Bowl: (3) Auburn 16, (8) Virginia Tech 13 |
| | Rose Bowl: (4) Texas 38, (13) Michigan 37 |
| | Fiesta Bowl: (6) Utah 35, (21) Pittsburgh 7 |
| | 2005 Regular Season |
| | In a matchup that was anticipated all season, No. 2 Texas won the national championship with a thrilling, come-from-behind victory over top-ranked Southern California in the Rose Bowl. Texas and USC were the only Division I-A teams to finish the regular season undefeated, and held the top two spots in the BCS standings all year. Penn State and Florida State played the first triple overtime game in BCS history, with Penn State pulling out a 26-23 victory in the Orange Bowl. West Virginia made its first BCS appearance and defeated Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, which was played in Atlanta in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. |
| | The Automatic-Qualifying Conference Champions |
| | Atlantic Coast: Florida State (8-4) |
| | Big East: West Virginia (10-1) |
| | Big Ten: Penn State (10-1) |
| | Big 12: Texas (12-0) |
| | Pac-10: Southern California (12-0) |
| | Southeastern: Georgia (10-2) |
| | Other Participants |
| | Ohio State (9-2) Big 10 At-Large |
| | Notre Dame (9-2) At-Large |
| | The Matchups |
| | Rose Bowl: (2) Texas 41, (1) Southern California 38 |
| | Orange Bowl: (3) Penn State 26, (22) Florida State 23, 3 OT |
| | Sugar Bowl: (11) West Virginia 38, (7) Georgia 35 |
| | Fiesta Bowl: (4) Ohio State 34, (6) Notre Dame 20 |
| | 2006 Regular Season |
| | Florida won the first stand-alone BCS national championship game in a stunning fashion, using a speedy defense and creative offense to overwhelm top-ranked and previously undefeated Ohio State. Glendale, Arizona, played host to two BCS games and Fiesta Bowl fans were treated to one of the most exciting college football games ever when Boise State used a "hook and lateral," a halfback pass and a statue-of-liberty play in the last few minutes of the game to defeat Oklahoma. Louisville and Wake Forest made their first BCS appearances and Muhammad Ali and Arnold Palmer participated in the Orange Bowl coin toss. The LSU Tigers helped the Sugar Bowl celebrate its return to New Orleans with an impressive victory over Notre Dame, and Southern California dominated Michigan in the Rose Bowl. |
| | The Automatic-Qualifying Conference Champions |
| | Atlantic Coast: Wake Forest (11-2) |
| | Big East: Louisville (11-1) |
| | Big Ten: Ohio State (12-0) |
| | Big 12: Oklahoma (11-2) |
| | Pac-10: Southern California (10-2) |
| | Southeastern: Florida (12-1) |
| | Other Participants |
| | Boise State (12-0) Western Athletic Champion |
| | LSU (10-2) SEC At-Large |
| | Michigan (11-1) Big 10 At-Large |
| | Notre Dame (10-2) At-Large |
| | The Matchups |
| | National Championship Game: (2) Florida 41, (1) Ohio State 14 |
| | Rose Bowl: (5) Southern California 32, (3) Michigan 18 |
| | Fiesta Bowl: (8) Boise State 43, (10) Oklahoma 42, OT |
| | Orange Bowl: (6) Louisville 24, (14) Wake Forest 13 |
| | Sugar Bowl: (4) LSU 41, (11) Notre Dame 14 |
| | 2007 Regular Season |
| | LSU roared from behind to win the BCS national championship game. The Tigers became the first two-loss team to claim a BCS title. Ohio State jumped to a a 10-0 lead before many of the Superdome-record 79,651 fans had settled into their seats. But LSU's speed, power and Matt Flynn's four touchdown passes were too much. Similarly, Georgia dominated Hawaii by sacking quarterback Colt Brennan a BCS-record eight times. West Virginia became only the second team to average more than nine yards per play in surprising Oklahoma. Kansas and Virginia Tech staged a battle royale in chilly temperatures and a light drizzle in Miami and the Jayhawks' stout, disciplined defense prevailed. USC bolted ahead of Illinois and Trojan Rashard Mendenhall's 79-yard third-quarter touchdown run was the longest in BCS history. |
| | The Automatic-Qualifying Conference Champions |
| | Atlantic Coast: Virginia Tech (11-2) |
| | Big East: West Virginia (10-2) |
| | Big Ten: Ohio State (11-1) |
| | Big 12: Oklahoma (11-2) |
| | Pac-10: Southern California (10-2) |
| | Southeastern: LSU (11-2) |
| | Other Participants |
| | Georgia (10-2) SEC At-Large |
| | Hawaii (12-0) Western Athletic Champion |
| | Illinois (9-3) Big 10 At-Large |
| | Kansas (11-1) Big XII At-Large |
| | The Matchups |
| | National Championship Game: (2) LSU 38, (1) Ohio State 24 |
| | Rose Bowl: (7) Southern California 49, (13) Illinois 17 |
| | Fiesta Bowl: (9) West Virginia 48, (4) Oklahoma 28 |
| | Orange Bowl: (8) Kansas 24, (3) Virginia Tech 21 |
| | Sugar Bowl: (5) Georgia 41, (10) Hawaii 10 |