For years, college football did not crown a national champion on the field. Sure, they had dozens of bowl games, and there would be a national champion every year, but it wasn’t decided by having the two best teams play. Newspaper reporters and coaches voted, and their pick for the best team got the national championships, even if they weren’t the best team in college football. That all changed with the introduction of the BCS system, which crowned the top two teams using a combination of computer ratings and polls and added a fifth game to the big four bowls which pits the top two BCS teams in a national championship game. That’s worked out really well (for the SEC especially). Now, the system has changed. The various conference commissioners of the BCS (and Notre Dame) have voted in favor of a four-team playoff system.
“I am delighted,” said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive, who pushed for a four-team playoff system back in 2008. “I am pleased with the progress we have made. There are some differences, but we will work them out. We’re trying to do what is in the best interest of the game.”
Here’s the rub: will it actually happen? The commissioners don’t have a real say in the system, that’s up to the university presidents. It is expected to pass, but it may not pass at all. There are other issues that have to be resolved, like what system they will use to determine what teams play, will it be the top four teams in the BCS at the end of the regular season, or the top four teams after the bowls have been played?
Tags: sports, football, college football, ncaa football, bcs championship, bcs, college football playoff, mike slive, college football approves a playoff system, four-team championship playoff, college football playoff, college sports, conference commissioners approve playoff system, college playoffs