BCS Formula

[erod328]

Does anyone know, or has a legitimate means to finding out, how the BCS formula is calculated in the game? I know the real life counterpart is 1/3 Harris, 1/3 Coaches, and 1/3 Computers. Seeing as the computer formulas are top secret, and most of the Harris poll components are hidden away as well, that leaves us with the Coaches Poll. I don't know about any of you, but I've never voted in any poll during a dynasty.

I want to understand the in-game formula. Does it really matter if I schedule powerhouse teams? How much weight is put on winning all of your games? and what determines your ranking at the beginning of each season?

[Tovarich]

I find that it often just sorts you by record, then conference strength.

Maybe they've tweaked it since, but on 11, I took about 10 years building up Army. After about 7-8 years of 7-5 seasons and bizarre bowl games, I finally had a really good team, and I was pre-season #10. I don't remember the exact rankings, but my schedule was something along the lines of 5 teams in the top 10, and 10 in the top 25, plus Navy and Air Force. No one possibly could have played a tougher schedule than me, and I finished 3rd behind Hawaii who never played a top 25 team. I would probably focus more on just going undefeated, and then you kinda just have to hope that the bigger conferences don't produce more than 1 undefeated team with you. For a while, I think the SOS does matter, but the year where I finished behind Hawaii, they went from unranked to #2 in 4 weeks, so ultimately, it just seems to sort by record. It's ultra-rare that I see a 1 loss team play in the championship over an undefeated team. I think I've maybe seen it once or twice ever.

The game never really shows you the computer rankings, which I find bizarre. But the polls are messed up anyway. There will be 2 undefeated teams and one team will be like 187 points ahead of the other when it really should be about 40. They've never been good at poll logic.

Pre-season ranking is mainly about how you finished the year before, then returning starters. The letter grade doesn't seem to be as important as that.