When the BCS came along in 1998, its entire premise was to put the #1 team and the #2 team against each other. In this mold, the BCS absolutely succeeded. Where it failed was that teams, knowing the computer ranking systems, because to manipulate the system. Blowouts (wins by more than 21 points) were a factor. When those were removed and wins against ranked teams became a metric, teams vyied and lobbied for rankings, with the SEC somehow dominating the rankings conversation. Stil, at the end of the year, we had a game where the #1 team and the #2 played each other for a “unified” national title.
Latest College Football Playoff proposal is still not perfect
