In its beginnings , the Bowl Alliance involved the SEC , Big Eight , SWC , ACC , and Big East conference champions , as well as independent Notre Dame . Because of this , only one at-large slot was available for teams to vie for . With the disbanding of the Big Eight and SWC following the 1995 football season and the formation of the Big 12 Conference in its wake , an additional at-large bid became available . The Alliance bowls were held on three successive days in each of the three years of the Alliance 's existence with one game played on New Year 's Eve , one on New Year 's Day , and one on January 2 . A Bowl Alliance Poll was formed by adding together the point totals from AP Poll and Coaches ' Poll . The top two ranked teams from the Alliance conferences met in the Bowl Alliance national championship game , which rotated between the three Alliance bowls and was always held on January 2 . Whoever won that game was guaranteed to be declared national champion at least in the Coaches ' Poll , as they were locked into naming whoever won as their national champion . The AP Poll retained its autonomy
Big East
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
Bowl Alliance