NCAA Football Automatic Qualifier I

Over the next few days I am going to go over the calculations for the three criteria for a possible 7th NCAA FBS automatic qualifier for one of the BCS bowls for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

Source for the three criteria:

(1) Average Ranking of Highest-Ranked Team, the ranking of the highest-ranked team in the final BCS Standings each year (if a conference does not place a team in the final BCS Standings, then its highest-ranked team is determined by the conference member that has the highest average ranking in the computer rankings used in the BCS Standings),

(2) Average Conference Ranking, the final regular-season rankings of all conference teams in the computer rankings used by the BCS each year, and

(3) Top 25 Performance Ranking, the number of teams in the top 25 of the final BCS Standings each year, with adjustments to account for differences in the number of members of each conference.

A conference will become the seventh automatic qualifier if it finishes among the top six conferences in both No. 1 and No. 2 and if its ranking in No. 3 is equal to or greater than 50 percent of the conference with the highest ranking in No. 3.

One thing to note at the outset is that according to the source listed above, "...the computations will be made according to the conference's membership on December 4, 2011".  Thus when I read this, I interpret this to mean that Nebraska's performance during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons would still be counted as a Big Ten conference member, as they were a member of the Big Ten conference on 12/4/2011, but that West Virginia's performance during the 2008 - 2011 seasons would be counted in the Big East since they were still a member of the Big East Conference at that date, not the Big 12 Conference.

Note:  A conference can apply to the Presidential Oversight Committee for an exemption if:
a.)   the conference finishes among the top six in both (1) and (2) and its ranking in (3) is greater than or equal to 33.3% of the conference with the highest ranking in (3), or
b.)   the conference finishes among the top seven in either (1) or (2) and among the top five in the other and if the conferences ranking in (3) is greater than or equal to 33.3% of the conference with the highest ranking in (3).