Plus-One system

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The plus-one system, also known as a 4-team playoff, is the system used to determine the National Champion in the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly called Division I-A) of NCAA football in the United States. The format is of a 4-team playoff, where two bowl games act as semi-final games, and the winners of these games participate in the National Championship Game.^[1][2][3]

It features one more game than the previous Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system, which was used through the end of the 2013 season. The BCS used a formula based on polls and computer rankings to assign teams to bowl games, with the teams that were ranked #1 and #2 nationally placed into the BCS National Championship Game.^[4] The BCS system was divisive.^[4] Opponents of the system argued that it was unfair to automatically assign teams to the National Championship, because it was impossible to determine the two top teams without some form of a playoff.^[4][5] BCS supporters argued that a playoff would minimize the importance of the regular season and would lessen the intensity of rivalry games, a staple of college sports, and that a playoff would be too time-consuming for student athletes who have scholastic obligations in addition to their athletic commitment.^[6]

When proposed, the Plus-One system had supporters and detractors, but gained momentum during the 2011 offseason.^[7] The system first took effect at the conclusion of the 2014 season during the first College Football Playoff.