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Big Ten Mulling Revised BCS Playoff Idea
An all-SEC BCS title game has got the Big Ten thinking.
The Chicago Tribune today reported that Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney, who in the past had been viewed as staunchly pro-BCS, and Big Ten university presidents are discussing a possible playoff proposal that would include a four-team playoff.
The plan, as Teddy Greenstein reports, includes a removal of the top four BCS teams from the traditional bowl system to create a new set of three games — two semifinals and a Super Bowl-esque championship game at a neutral site.
The two semifinal games, which would pit No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3, would be played at the higher-seeded team’s home stadium, while the championship game would be bid out around the country, just as the Super Bowl is on a yearly basis.
The rest of the bowl system, including the four longtime BCS bowls — the Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta — would be continued and maintained, but without these top four teams.
It is not clear from the report exactly how the top four teams would be selected or whether an overhaul of the current BCS formula is being called for. No concrete details about selection committees, scheduling or otherwise were made clear in the report, either.
Of course, the conference is interested in protecting certain interests, not least of which includes the preservation of the Rose Bowl and the all-important preservation of the atmosphere of a vitally important regular season in college football.
Delaney has made clear his interest in moving the schedule for the championship rounds of the FBS postseason up in the schedule. This year’s BCS title game was played Jan. 9, with many universities already having started their academic year that day.
“I think sports fans are conditioned to playoffs. I don’t begrudge them that. They’re looking for more games, but we’re trying to do the right thing. It’s a matter of coming up with something that does not kill the baby with the bath water. We have a regular season that is vibrant. We have 12 games plus a (conference) championship game – that’s a lot of games. We have academic calendars, though that doesn’t resonate with many people. But if you’re dealing with university presidents, faculty and coaches, you’re talking about it.” — Jim Delaney, Big Ten Commissioner via The Chicago Tribune
The next renewal for the system as a whole comes in 2014, with many believing a proposal should be solidified by the end of this year.
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