Here's the release via: http://georgia.247sports.com/Article/BCS-presidents-announce-details-for....
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The group of university presidents who oversee college football's Bowl Championship Series agreed Tuesday to launch a new four-team, seeded post-season playoff to determine the national collegiate champion. The new format will begin with the 2014-2015 season.
"We recognize that the BCS has been controversial in some years, but we also believe it has turned college football from a regional sport into a wonderfully popular national sport, much to the benefit of our alumni, student-athletes and fans," the twelve members of the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee said in a joint statement. "We now seek to build an even better college football season by creating a four-team playoff to crown the national champion, while protecting the regular season and the bowl experience. We're delighted to support this format and congratulate the group of conference commissioners who have done so much for college football and who worked so hard to make this happen."
The group of presidents endorsed...
* Rotation of the semifinal games among six bowl sites and rotation of the championship game among neutral sites. The championship game will be managed by the conferences and will not be branded as a bowl game.
* Creation of a selection committee that will rank the teams to play in the playoff, giving all the teams an equal opportunity to participate. Among the factors the committee will value are win-loss record, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, and whether a team is a conference champion.
The POC also decided to ...
* Enhance college football by playing the semifinals New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. The date of the first semifinal games will be either Wednesday, December 31, 2014, or Thursday, January 1, 2015.
* Create "Championship Monday" by setting the date of the championship game on the first Monday in January that is six or more days after the final semi-final game is played. As a result, in the first five years the championship game will be played on Monday, January 12, 2015; Monday, January 11, 2016; Monday, January 9, 2017; Monday, January 8, 2018; and Monday, January 7, 2019.
* Plan the new format to cover a twelve-year term, from the 2014-2015 season through the 2025-2026 season.
* Distribute revenue from games in a manner that remains under discussion. Generally speaking the concept would (1) reward conferences for success on the field (2) accommodate teams' expenses (3) acknowledge marketplace factors and (4) reward academic performance of student-athletes.
* Eliminate the "automatic qualification" designation.
Among additional matters to be decided later are the name of the new event; the composition of and procedures for the selection committee; the final funding formula; and which bowls will participate as rotating hosts of semi-final playoff games.
The decision is subject to passage of appropriate legislation by the NCAA Board of Directors to permit the two semifinal winners to play an additional post-season game.
"We are very pleased with this new arrangement," the presidents said. "College football's championship game is America's second most watched sporting event and we're proud to build on our successes as we grow the sport and hear the voices of everyone who loves college football."
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What does everyone think?
Comments
I definitely support the idea of a playoff, but
why, for the love of God why did they have to have a 'selection committee'? Now its going to be all corrupt and stupid.
Friggin' great...
Instead of going conference-champions-only, we can be treated to Bob Stoops, Mack Brown, and Les Miles bloviating about how THEIR 11-1 team is the best of the lot and should be the #4 seed...never mind that they couldn't win their respective conference championships.
Maybe we could get full bore and bring Dick Vitale in to pollute the ecosystem by screaming about which team "got robbed" on Selection Sunday. Can't wait to see the riots that break out on campi when a 10-2 Arkansas team is picked over a 12-1 Florida State team that won the ACC championship.
They had a chance to get this right, and they blew it.
Well, what did you want them to do, keep using the same shitty BCS formula? Seriously, people scream about getting robbed by that too. There's no perfect way to find a champion without a full playoff involving all the teams (even with March Madness, people freak about not getting picked as one of those last few seeds)
A conference-champions-only model is preferable.
Yes, I realize that the SEC routinely has two or three of the top ten teams in the nation. But limiting it to conference champions-only would create unprecedented excitement at the various conference championship games, which would become the equivalent of national quarterfinals.
Think of this scenario. #1 Alabama and #2 Florida square off for the SEC Championship. If at-large teams are allowed into the National Playoff, the SEC Championship simply becomes at battle for seeding...much like every one of the major-conference basketball tournaments.
Whether you realize it or not, that "winner-takes-all" scenario is what makes college football so attractive.
2nd most watched sporting event?
Curious what kind of TV deal they will negotiate.. and how that money will be split up.
Also, love the fact that I saw this release first from my TKP FB Feed. Who needs ya Bristol?
I'm thinking the Super Bowl is probably #1 :P
Missed their chance
Top 4 ranked overall in whatever poll or combination of polls you like, top 4 ranked conference champs, really anything where the criteria are agreed to before the season starts would be better than a selection committee. Not perfect, but better in every way than having to deal with bias, incompetence, politics, and a BS gala espn selection special.
What the hell is the selection committee supposed to be doing, anyway? "Umm, we know that you're ranked number 4 and this other team is number 7, but they're from a conference that we'd rather see in the playoff. Sorry about that."
Regular Season Emphasis
If being a conference champion isn't a requirement then conference championship games should be done away with.
As long as
Gene Smith isn't on the selection committee then I probably won't lose my mind.
My thoughts...
1. Playoff is much more preferable than BCS
2. It doesn't matter what selection device you use, somebody somewhere sometime WILL get screwed (I just hope it's not the hokies)
3. I view this system as a "gateway drug" of sorts...we have 4 teams now....which hopefully will move to 8 teams (my preference, don't think we want to see 16 teams). I remember when the NCAA basketball tourney was 32 teams).
So, overall, I think this is a good move. Props to Steger for moving things ahead!
I agree. I hope all the baby bowl games that have been popping up will disappear soon...who wants to watch Mr. Dave's Windsheild Wiper's Bowl or the Jerry's Lawn Service Bowl?
hey!
The hoos have to have someplace to play!
I feel like this is the real first step towards the 4 super conferences..maybe I'm wrong but think about it. I think this is the decision that FSU was waiting on before they jumped ship. The thought of a CHANCE for a 1 loss non-conference champion SEC team being selected over a 1 loss ACC champ along with the tv deal that they hate is enough for FSU to take off.
Of course if that happens the rest of the ACC football schools will be raided. The good part about that? We may end up in the SEC? You will technically have a 8 team play off since each conference will have a conference championship game (quarterfinals) and the winners go on to the 4 team format that has just been voted in, making the "selection committee" a non-issue.
Maybe I'm just dreaming, but would love to see it happen..
Still not seeing 4 super conferences
Who is the Pac-12 taking to get to 16?
I do think that this is a good ploy and rally for 4 superconferences. What I do not see, however, is how this will motivate FSU to jump ship.
1. The ACC's position has not changed because of this decision
2. I still haven't heard confirmation FSU has gotten any offers
3. The one loss scenario you are talking about happens with the BCS championship now anyways
but isn't point 3 part of the reason that they want to leave?
hell fucking yes
Is it perfect? No. Is it a step in the right direction? Yes.
This is just the beginning, we will get to 8 and 16 will be on the horizon; but that will take decades. As far as the selection process goes, there is no perfect answer. Polls, computers, a comittee, they all have drawbacks and positives so I think it should all be part of the final decision.
Whoever #5 is will complain, and will likely have solid arguments, but that is unavoidable.
But just think of it, national semifinals played at the biggest bowls. Six huge games in 48 hours on Dec 31 and Jan 1, here's to a seriously hungover Jan 2!
This is a great day for college football.
Open up the playoff
Only one team per conference should be allowed in a 4 team playoff. I would say the same for an 6 or 8 team playoff. In a 4 team scenario that does not mean only four specific conferences will be represented every year. The super conference idea should be nipped in the bud. I am sure that Notre Dame will have a say for independents, or previous non-BCS AQ schools, getting a chance at the playoff. There is a chance for all schools to break the previous coalition of major conferences, which prevented many from receiving BCS at-large bids. The details of the selection committee will be key to ensuring fairness. Competition for TV dollars and championships should be a free market and not the current collusion.