<P> The first BCS Championship Game was played at the conclusion of the 1998 college football season in accordance with an agreement by the Big Ten Conference, the Pac - 10 Conference, and the Rose Bowl Game to join the "Bowl Alliance" system . The expanded format was called the Bowl Championship Series . </P> <P> The Bowl Alliance and its predecessor, the Bowl Coalition, featured championship games in the 1992--1997 seasons . However, these could not always ensure a matchup between the top two ranked teams because of the lack of participation by the Big Ten and Pac - 10 . </P> <P> The BCS National Championship Game was initially rotated among the four participating bowl games: the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Sugar Bowl . However, beginning with the 2006 season, the BCS National Championship Game was added as a separate contest, played after New Year's Day . The game rotated its location among the Fiesta, Sugar, Orange, and Rose venues . </P> <Ul> <Li> For Bowl Coalition championship game results from 1992--1994, see: Bowl Coalition </Li> <Li> For Bowl Alliance championship game results from 1995--1997, see: Bowl Alliance </Li> </Ul>

When was the last time two teams from the same conference played for the national championship