On Sunday, October 24, 2021 at 1:49:57 PM UTC-7, The NOTBCS Guy wrote:
> > Actually, any "recognized enough" entity which can name a #1 team can have a team, under NCAA rules, declared National Champions. It's one of the reasons the Colley computer (IIRC, it was one of the computer polls the BCS used to use) ranking Central Florida #1 which made the whole to-do that Scott Frost did after the first undefeated season legal under NCAA rules.
> Which mysterious "NCAA rule" is this?" (Is it next to the "graduate transfer rule" that doesn't seem to be in the bylaws either, or at least not a version of the rule that a lot of people seem to think exists (i.e. anybody can transfer without sitting out a year once they graduate)?) The only reference to an FBS college football "national champion" in the NCAA Bylaws is a footnote saying what schools can give out "championship rings" without it being considered an illegal benefit.
Remember (you probably do, but this is for others) that the NCAA sponsors no FBS direct national championship. By 18.02.1.1, direct recognition of an NCAA national championship requires the NCAA runs the process.
But here's your answer: Rule 16.1.4.2 of the NCAA By-Laws (
https://web3.ncaa.org/lsdbi/reports/getReport/90008 -- page 236 of the actual book, 249 of the PDF):
"16.1.4.2 Awards for Winning Conference and National Championships. [A] Awards for winning an individual
or team conference or national championship may be presented each year, limited in value and number as specified in
Figure 16-2. Awards for winning a conference or national championship in a team sport may be provided only to student athletes who were eligible to participate in the championship event. The total value of any single award received for a
national championship may not exceed $415. The total value of any single award received for a conference championship
may not exceed $325, and each permissible awarding agency is subject to a separate $325 limit per award. Each permissible
awarding agency may provide only a single award for each championship to each student-athlete. Separate awards may be
presented to both the regular-season conference champion and the postseason conference champion (with a separate $325
limitation), but if the same institution wins both the regular-season and postseason conference championship, the combined
value of both awards shall not exceed $325. [R] (Revised: 4/25/02 effective 8/1/02, 8/7/14)"
Figure 16-2 (
https://web3.ncaa.org/lsdbi/bylaw?ruleId=320&refDate=20211025) is a chart which indicates who and what awards can be given. The Institution or the Conference can give out the awards if a "national wire-service poll or national coaches association" recognizes them as such.
After the creation of the CFP, this was further clarified (Source:
https://www.al.com/sports/2018/08/ncaa_recognizes_ucfs_national.html#:~:text=UCF%2C%20after%20all%20the%20pomp%20and%20circumstance%2C%20is,a%20team%20that%20finished%20the%20season%20No.%201.) -- eugh, I hate that. That link may not work for you... -- to state that all "major selectors" (which, in this case, meant BCS computers and polls) carried similar recognition. If a team not the CFP champion was named the top rank team in any "major selector", they were designated _a_ national champion by the NCAA, for the purposes of this rule, listed below the CFP champion.
Hence, when the Colley Matrix, a former BCS computer process -- and, hence, a "major selector" -- named UCF #1 for the 2007-08 season, the rule triggered, and recognition could be given under the NCAA rules.
It had been, at least at one time, as such, just listed below the CFP Champion Alabama. I, once again, point you to the
al.com link if it works for you with all those percentage signs.
Mike