Roy Kramer pleased with BCS

— -- Roy Kramer never claimed the Bowl Championship Series was perfect, nor was he so naive as to think there wouldn't be some controversy along the way.

But, as college football bids adieu to the BCS on Jan. 6 in Pasadena, Calif., when No. 1 Florida State faces No. 2 Auburn for the national championship, Kramer will know very contentedly that it served its purpose and, more times than not, served it well.

"Despite the criticism, I think perhaps the greatest accomplishment of the BCS was the increased interest in college football and elevating it to a national sport from a regional sport," said Kramer, who implemented the idea heading into the 1998 season.

"We were able to maintain the significance of the regular season, which was a goal. The regular season is the backbone of college football, so that was very important. And even though some people might say there are too many bowls, we were able to maintain and expand the bowl system. Look at the number of Mid-American Conference teams going to bowls now. And without the BCS, you never would have had Boise State playing Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl or Hawaii playing in the Sugar Bowl.

"Rather than it being restrictive, I think the BCS broadened college football."