To replace the present single BCS championship game, I propose that the top 8 teams in the BCS rankings at the end of the season be seeded and meet in 4 of the existing early Bowl Games. These should be Bowls which are not at present committed to hosting any conference champion. These Quarter-final National Championship Bowl Games would be played on the Saturday following the end of the regular season. (That would have been Dec. 15 in 2001.) To spread the games around the country, these might be the Seattle Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, New Orleans Bowl, and Motor City Bowl. (The actual Bowls that wish to host a quarter final game would be decided in advance.)

The four winning teams would meet the following Saturday (this would have been Dec. 22 in 2001) in two Semi-final National Championship Bowl Games that do not otherwise host a conference champion, such as the Holiday Bowl and the Alamo Bowl. (The Tangerine Bowl, Sun Bowl, and others would also be possible candidates for the semi-final games). The two winning teams would advance to the National Championship Bowl Game.

All of the other Bowl games would proceed as usual through January 1st of the New Year, with their regular conference championship matchups--except for the two teams that won the National Championship Semi-final Games. The runner-up teams in those (at most) two conferences could represent their conferences in their conference's usual Bowl game (Rose, Orange, Sugar, whatever).

The two winning teams from the semi-final round of Bowl Games would meet in the National Championship Bowl Game, normally to be played on January 2nd of the new year, the day after the conclusion of all the other Bowl Games. (Perhaps the Cotton or Fiesta, existing major Bowl Games which no longer regularly host a conference champion, would like to host the National Championship Game. Or perhaps it should rotate from site to site, as the NCAA basketball championship does. These things could be worked out.)

This system would resolve most of the problems that have become evident with the present BCS system, without (I hope) creating insoluble new problems. It would not seriously disrupt revenues from the current Bowl Games or their sponsers. It would get the Championship over with without intruding into the new school term. It would not require any major conference champions to miss their usual Bowl game (Rose, Orange, Sugar, whatever) except for the two teams that play in the Championship game. And most of all, it would give 8 of the best teams in the country a shot at the National Championship (if they want it--any team could always decline to participate in the National Championship Series and just play in their usual bowl game if they so choose). This would be much more fair to teams like Miami at the end of the 2000 regular season, or Oregon at the end of the 2001 regular season, which were left out of the National Championship picture when they clearly deserved a shot at the title. It is time for a National Championship Playoff Series!