BCS UPDATE: four-team playoff gaining favor; spirit of cooperation forms

Greenstein’s take on the meetings in Florida: “There is a spirit of compromise.” Also, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany “has gone the farthest here” in terms of compromising.

According to Greenstein, the new post-season could bring significant new revenue into college football. “This could be worth $160-$170 million,” according to the TCS analyst.

Still to be decided: how the teams are selected for the four-team model. This could be a selection committee or something similar to the present BCS formula. Also remaining on the table for future decision is how to divide the new revenue.

Here is the official statement from the BCS on a future postseason playoff:
Statement by the Eleven Conference Commissioners and the Notre Dame Athletics Director

“As part of our deliberations, we have carefully considered a number of concepts concerning the post-season structure for the BCS. 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 8-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 8-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.”