No NCAA Division I-A Football Champion

[miami_fan]

We all know that between today and Sunday one or two football champions will be crowned in Division 1-A football. The BCS champion possibly the AP champion. Since this is NCAA football. I wondered. Why does the NCAA not crown a champion in its biggest sport? So I went to the NCAA website and got this response:

Question: Why doesn't the NCAA administer a Division I-A Football Championship?

Answer:

Division I-A postseason football is administered by the Bowl Championship Series, which was formed in 1998. Members of the BCS are the Atlantic Coast, the Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Pacific 10 and Southeastern Conferences and the University of Notre Dame. In addition, the FedEx Orange, Nokia Sugar, Tostitos Fiesta and Rose Bowls are members of the BCS.

It should be noted that the competitions created by the Bowl Championship Series are not considered as part of the NCAA championship program, nor are they administered by an NCAA committee or national office staff. I suggest that you forward your concerns to any of the above-mentioned members of the Bowl Championship Series.

In order for a Division I-A Football Championship to be established, the NCAA Division I membership must consider such a proposal through its normal legislative process. As of this date, legislation to establish a I-A championship has not been considered by the membership.

Through the years there have been several efforts to address the subject. In 1976, a proposal to establish a Division I-A football championship was introduced on the recommendation of a special committee that had studied the feasibility of a playoff. This proposal, however, was withdrawn and there was no discussion on the Convention floor. A resolution was presented during the 1988 Convention that stated the Division I-A membership did not support the creation of a national championship in the sport of football, which passed by a vote of 98 in favor, 13 opposed and one abstention. In 1994, a blue-ribbon panel was formed to gather information regarding the viability of establishing a Division I-A football championship. The panel forwarded a report to the NCAA Presidents Commission; however, it was decided that the Association would not pursue a Division I-A championship at that time.

Now this is a cop out as far as I am concerned. But it created another question in my mind. My next question was this. Has the NCAA EVER sponsored a football championship in its top division? All those great team from the past were all NCAA champions right? According to NCAA records, the answer is no
http://www.ncaa.org/champadmin/ia_fo...st_champs.html

Now I don't want to get into a big playoff vs bowls discussion. I just cannot believe that the NCAA does not recognize a champion in its biggest sport. I mean even if they say that a playoff will never happen, shouldn't they at least acknowledge a champion?