COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Four-team BCS playoff to be discussedIf support lacks, issue could be put on hold for 4 more years
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/30/08
Hollywood, Fla. — The possibility of a four-team college football playoff, at least in the short term, could come to an end today when the annual BCS meetings conclude.
ACC commissioner John Swofford, the coordinator of the BCS, said that the bulk of today's final meeting will be devoted to a presentation of a four-team playoff by SEC commissioner Mike Slive. Swofford said he expected a "very thorough and specific" discussion of Slive's presentation.
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"After that discussion we'll have a sense from the group whether or not we should move forward," Swofford said.
The BCS TV contract with Fox ends after the games of January 2010. Negotiations on an extension of the contract will begin in September. If the BCS wants to change its format, that decision must be made sometime this summer.
If there is enough support for a four-team playoff, the commissioners will take it to their spring meetings and brief their presidents, athletics directors and their coaches.
But if there is not enough support from the commissioners on Wednesday morning the issue will likely be put on hold for four more years, until the next round of TV contract negotiations would begin.
Slive told reporters Tuesday that he would not comment publicly on the issue until after his presentation.
It is a significant moment in the history of college football in that Slive will become the first commissioner to ever lay out a specific proposal for a playoff at the Division I-A level. But since a 12-0 Auburn team was left out of the BCS championship game in 2004, Slive has maintained that he wanted to have an ongoing discussion to determine "if two teams are enough" when it comes to the BCS.
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Slive's hope is to build a consensus among the commissioners with his presentation.
But Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said Tuesday that he believes the consensus is with the status quo.
"Just because others say they are open-minded about looking at other models doesn't mean they are committed to it," Delany said. "To be honest with you, there are not raised voices [on the issue of a playoff]. Everybody's mind is open for discussion, including ours, but the burden for changing is on the proponents of change."
Both Slive and Swofford have said they would be in favor of a four-team playoff that uses the current bowl structure. In Slive's model No. 1 would play No. 4 and No. 2 would play No. 3 in a pair of semifinals. The two winners would advance to a championship game.
Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese and Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe told the AJC they are willing to discuss the issue but are not willing to commit until they see more details. Delany and Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen are against any change to the BCS structure.
The Big Ten and Pac-10, who have their own long-term deal with the Rose Bowl, have been viewed as the biggest obstruction to change. Delany said that tag is not fair. He believes there are other commissioners who also don't want to change.
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