Bill Haber/AP
BCS President Charles Steger and the oversight committee has approved a deal for a four-team college football playoff to begin with the 2014 season. When options were discussed, plans of drawing up an eight seed and sixteen seed system was pitched, but the BCS stayed away from those systems due to academic concerns. This is a twelve year deal, with the first season kicking things off being 2014.
Many years have gone by with Commissioners suggesting a playoff type plan, but were always shot down. The most recent of the proposals came in 2008 when SEC Commissioner Mike Slive presented his proposition – but he was sent packing. Now, four years later a plan similar to his has been voted upon.
Instead of the National Championship game being played by the first and second ranked teams in the Nation, there will be a playoff game played between the first/fourth seed and the second/third seed for rights to move on to the National Championship.
Also announced was the moving of venues that the Championship Game will be played. It will move around just as the NFL’s Super Bowl does.
The way the four seeds will be determined is by committee, similar to how the NCAA Basketball Tournaments are drawn. Among the factors the committee will consider are won-loss record, strength of schedule, head-to-head results and whether a team is a conference champion. The selection committee will also play a part in creating matchups for the games at the four sites that do not hold a semifinal in a given year.
They say there are still some details and kinks to be worked out, but this is a day that many NCAA Football fans have waited for, for a long, long time.
Follow us on Twitter @OCNNReport
OCNN Sports Columnist – Justin Arbogast @NFLGuy_SK
