It's probably not going to happen because high-ranking people have to be appeased, and we'll probably get our semifinals hosted by bowls currently part of the BCS system. And that's not necessarily a bad idea, because the thought of the Rose and Sugar bowls staging the 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 games induces some serious salivation compared to the current system.
But man would it be cool to see, say, LSU have to go to Wisconsin or Ohio State for a semifinal game in the dead of winter. I'm certainly no Big Ten sunshine pumper, but subjecting college football to some extreme elements -- elements that teams from the Big Ten are used to -- would add to the tapestry.
As stated in the column, an eight-team playoff is the ideal because it seems the perfect blend of exclusivity and inclusivity (is that a word?). With a four-team playoff, it's harder to support the on-campus hosting idea because a team that's slightly better than another gets a monstrously big advantage by having the game on its campus.
But having teams host the semifinals does seem to diminish the travel issue. It's legitimate to wonder how large numbers of fans are going to be able, logistically and financially, to take three long and expensive trips within a span of a little over a month (conference championship, semifinal, final). Make one of these games on campus, and that question is addressed fairly sufficiently.
Some interesting links on the whole playoff issue:
-- Stewart Mandel beats his chest a bit excessively in this column pointing out that the czars of college football are aligned with a plan he suggested years ago.
-- This Detroit columnist does a good job of explaining why the Big Ten is clinging to the Rose Bowl life raft.
A four-team playoff doesn't help the Big Ten because it requires actually having a team ranked in the top four. And that's not happening anytime soon. USC is coming back strong. Texas' competitive slumber will be short-lived. Oregon is committed to building the best program Nike can buy. And you know the SEC won't sign off on any new playoff configuration that doesn't include a stipulation for multiple teams from the same conference if they're ranked in the top four.
That's why it's important that the Big Ten protect its Rose Bowl partnership. In many ways, the bowl and conference are equally parochial, both happily content in their insular worlds where long-standing traditions are revered and cherished. But considering the increasing competitive balance in Big Ten football and a conference title game added, two-loss champions likely are the norm for the foreseeable future. And that won't be good enough to qualify for the national championship sweepstakes.
-- Big Ten commish Jim Delany suggests a format in which conference champs who finish in the Top 6 are in the playoff.
-- Rick Reilly rejoices over the news and churns out some typically excellent one-liners.
Who picks the Finally Four? By the end of the summer, the Twelve Good Men will decide whether to use the current BCS formula, a revised one, or a selection committee.
The selection committee is a bad idea on the order of the AMC Pacer. We'll simply use the same BCS formula we've been using, with one exception: No more computers. Do you really want the same machine that gave you the Love Virus picking your college football champion?
But this is all just deciding what kind of candles you want on the cake that a nude Sofia Vergara is about to jump out of.
-- And John Swofford seems to say ... where was all this support four years ago?
LW
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