Hollywood, FL (Sports Network) - The BCS will begin considering a four-team
playoff.
Conference commissioners and the Notre Dame athletic director have been
meeting this week in Florida to discuss changes to the current system of
crowning a champion in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
On Thursday, a statement was issued detailing their talks and what could be
presented.
"As part of our deliberations, we have carefully considered a number of
concepts concerning the post-season structure for the BCS," the statement
read. "From the start, we set out to protect college football's unique regular
season which we see as the best regular season in sports. We are also mindful
of the bowl tradition and seek to create a structure that continues to reward
student-athletes with meaningful bowl appearances.
"Having carefully reviewed calendars and schedules, we believe that either an
eight-team or a 16-team playoff would diminish the regular season and harm the
bowls. College football's regular season is too important to diminish and we
do not believe it's in the best interest of student-athletes, fans, or alumni
to harm the regular season.
"Accordingly, as we proceed to review our options for improving the post-
season, we have taken off the table both an eight-team and a 16-team playoff.
"We will continue to meet and review the exact structure for what a new post-
season could look like. We are making substantial progress. We will present to
our conferences a very small number of four-team options, each of which could
be carried out in a number of ways.
"We have discussed, in detail, the advantages and disadvantages of in-bowl or
out-of-bowl games. We have discussed in detail the advantages and
disadvantages of campus sites or neutral sites. We have discussed in detail
the advantages and disadvantages of various ways to rank or qualify teams.
"Our process is proceeding as we have planned and we look forward to further
conversations."
The current system pits the top two teams in a convoluted formula that
averages the percentage totals of the Harris Interactive poll, USA Today poll
and computer rankings.
Many discussions in the past have centered around a lengthy playoff, similar
to the one used in the Football Championship Subdivision. There has also been
talk of a plus-one system, where the top two teams after the bowl games meet
for the championship.
A four-team playoff could include the major bowl games on a rotational basis,
with semifinals and a championship game among the Rose, Fiesta, Sugar and
Orange Bowls. It could also be staged with semifinals at campus sites and one
of the major bowl games hosting the championship game.
Any changes wouldn't go into effect until the 2014 season.
The Sports Network