New BCS coordinator says officials will do a "thorough" evaluation of plus-one format

[Wolf]

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;_...v=ap&type=lgns

EW ORLEANS (AP) -- BCS officials are going to have some serious discussions in the upcoming months about going to a plus-one format, which could create a four-team major college football playoff.

Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford, the new coordinator of the Bowl Championship Series, said Monday he intends to lead a "thorough" evaluation of the plus-one format. The BCS must determine in the next nine to 12 months what format it will use for the 2010 season (2011 bowls) so it can negotiate a new television deal.


Swofford takes over this year for Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive as the public face of the BCS.

Swofford and Slive, speaking to the Football Writers Association of America, said there was increased support among conference commissioners and university presidents for having serious discussions about the plus-one, which would set the national championship game matchup after the Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta bowls have been played.

Top-ranked Ohio State and No. 2 LSU were to play in the BCS national championship Monday night.

Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese and Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe have also said they'd like to look deeper into a plus-one.

Big Ten commissioners Jim Delany and Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen have said the university presidents they work for are opposed to moving the BCS to a plus-one, in part because it could make the Rose Bowl less attractive.

The Big Ten and Pac-10 have a contractual relationship with the Rose Bowl.

"Not withstanding that opposition, we will continue to discuss and evaluate the plus-one or formats of interest brought by others that come to the table," Slive said. "Fully understanding that in the final analysis that it comes down to each conference deciding what format it prefers."

Commissioners from all 11 major college football conferences will meet in Miami in April and the plus-one will be a topic.

"I think we would be remiss if we didn't have that discussion in full and play it out and see what the ramifications of it are in great detail," Swofford said. "To see if there are unintended consequences there. What are the pluses, what are the minuses? Really drill into it so we can have the right kind of information.

"Evaluate it in a thorough way and ultimately make a decision. You don't know unless you have that discussion."

Both Swofford and Slive said if a plus-one was adopted, they would support seeding the top four teams after the regular season and playing No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in bowl games, essentially creating two national semifinals.

well it is a step in the right direction but still a political game on top 4 and with automatic bids on contracts with certain conferences

[Wolf]

Rose Bowl officials have said they are wary of any change to the BCS that would lessen the significance of their game or make it more difficult for them to line up the their traditional Big Ten-Pac-10 matchup.

abc has contract with rose bowl through 2014 per article, fox will be renegotiating the the BCS soon

[kastofsna]

yuck, no plus-one matchup.

[Wolf]

Originally Posted by kastofsna

yuck, no plus-one matchup.

still not perfect but better than what we got.

this season should have proved something but probably didn't. when voting didn't satisfy the people, we went to the computers, this season the computers did what they did, and the voters weren't happy so we went more with the voters.

right or wrong, the system is a joke

[Lucky]

Originally Posted by kastofsna

yuck, no plus-one matchup.

I agree. I once wanted a college playoff, but I'm pretty much done with college football by this point of the season. I'm sure college football players feel the same way. Especially those who need to begin to focus on the draft. There's not a true national champion in college football. And who really cares?

[HoustonFrog]

This system is still going to cause problems. So this year lets say you have LSU. OSU. USC and Georgia. Then you still have Kansas and Missouri and others screaming they were left out. There aren't many years in our future with undefeated teams so you are going to have to pick through the 1 and 2 loss teams.

Georgia President wants an 8 teamer

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3186232

The president of the University of Georgia is calling for an eight-team playoff system for college football's top division, saying the Bowl Championship Series -- which left Georgia out of its championship game -- has become a "beauty contest largely stage-managed by the networks."

In a public statement and a letter to NCAA president Myles Brand, Georgia president Michael F. Adams, who is also chairman of the NCAA executive committee, called for an eight-team playoff to decide the national championship, with the opening rounds to be played in the four major BCS bowl games. He proposed the change be made as soon as the contracts that govern the BCS expire.

Adams was scheduled to hold a news conference Tuesday afternoon to discuss the proposal.

"This year's experience with the BCS forces me to the conclusion that the current system has lost public confidence and simply does not work," Adams said in news release. "It is undercutting the sportsmanship and integrity of the game."