BCS

BCS is an acronym used for several distinct concepts in science and professional organizations. Prominent uses include BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT in the United Kingdom; the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory of superconductivity; and the Bowl Championship Series, a former method for selecting the NCAA Division I FBS national champion in U.S. college football.

BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, originated as the British Computer Society in 1957 and functions as the professional body for information technology in the United Kingdom. It accredits degree programs, provides professional certification and chartered status (CITP), and promotes standards for ethical and professional practice. The organization also engages in public policy discussions and initiatives related to skills development, education, and industry standards.

BCS theory, named after Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffer, explains conventional superconductivity in many materials. Proposed in 1957, it describes electrons near the Fermi surface forming Cooper pairs through an effective attraction mediated by lattice vibrations (phonons). This pairing leads to an energy gap and a macroscopic quantum state with zero electrical resistance. BCS theory is a foundational framework in condensed matter physics and earned the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physics.

The Bowl Championship Series operated from 1998 to 2013 to determine the NCAA Division I FBS national champion. It combined human polls and computer rankings to produce the BCS standings. The top two teams in these standings earned a spot in the national championship game, played at one of four bowls—Rose, Sugar, Orange, or Fiesta. The system faced ongoing criticisms and was replaced by the College Football Playoff in 2014.