BCS WILL ELIMINATE MARGIN OF VICTORY.

Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer

The Bowl Championship Series formula, the system which determines college football's national champion, was expectedly changed on Tuesday.

The most notable change is the elimination of the margin-of-victory component used in the computer polls. Most coaches were against awarding points for lopsided wins. Midmajor schools who played in weak conferences benefited in that category.

``I like that,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said. ``I don't think that should be an issue. I think it's just the mentality. It isn't necessary and it shouldn't be part of this game. You do the best you can to win and whatever happens, happens.''

Also, the BCS will use seven computer polls instead of eight. Two polls - Herman Matthews and David Rothman - are out and the New York Times poll is back. The BCS will award bonus points for victories over teams which finish the season in the top 10. Last year it was the top 15 teams.

``Eliminating the margin of victory is being done for political reasons to appease coaches that don't like it and never have liked it,'' said Jerry Palm, of Palm Sports Resources and CollegeBCS.com. ``You wonder whether (winning) 32-14 is enough. You wonder, 'Should I take a knee or should I bring in my second string?'

``Coaches have it hard enough without having to worry about having to win by enough points. The primary thing is that coaches don't like it.''

The computer picked Nebraska to play in the Rose Bowl this year over Colorado and Oregon, fueling the yearly BCS debate.

``Oregon won the Pac-10 and that's a difficult league,'' Palm said. ``They'll probably do a little better (now). ...''