Big changes are coming to the BCS and the college football landscape for 2014. This biggest is this: the BCS has now formally recommended a four-team college football playoff, and offered a four plans on how it could be carried out. The BCS also plans to do away automatic qualifier status for preferred BCS power conferences, but those conferences will still get paid out a larger chunk of revenue than the Little Sisters of the Poor conferences.
Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbick issued a statement saying that the BCS took options for an eight or 16-team playoff off the table, so as not to diminish the regular season, or hurt the bowl system.
The four options for the four-team playoff all differ on where the playoff games will take place. The four options are:
- Semifinal and championship games rotated among current BCS Bowl sites (Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, etc.)
- Semifinal games rotated among BCS Bowl sites, championship game awarded to neutral site via a bid process (similar to how to Super Bowl or Final Four is awarded).
- Semifinal and championship games held at either BCS Bowl sites or neutral sites, to be determined via bid process.
- Semifinal games held at on-campus sites, and championship game held at BCS Bowl site or neutral site.
As I wrote earlier this month, the four-game playoff will become a reality when the current BCS contract expires and is remade in 2014. Onliest thing to sort out is how, exactly, those who currently hoard the power/money/prestige in college football will continue to do so. It appears they've made significant headway on that, by allowing non-preferred conferences equal shot to play in the BCS, with the caveat that they won't get paid as well. Sort of like replacing Jim Crow with a glass ceiling.
But as I also wrote earlier this month, a big sticking point will be the location of the BCS playoff sites. The Big Ten, in particular, doesn't appreciate the disadvantage of playing all BCS games in SEC and Pac-12 country. The Big Ten would love to lure Southern and Western Schools into the midwestern winters for playoff games at on-campus sites.
My guess, however, is that the compromise will be to use the neutral site bid process, which would bring games to divers part of the country, in combination with existing BCS sites. The on-campus option sounds far-fetched.
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