[Strikeout King]

NCAA President Mark Emmert would support a four-team playoff in college football -- as long as the field doesn't grow.

After giving his annual state of the association speech Thursday in Indianapolis, Emmert acknowledged he would back a small playoff if that's what Bowl Championship Series officials decide to adopt.

"The notion of having a Final Four approach is probably a sound one," Emmert said when asked what he heard coming out of New Orleans this week. "Moving toward a 16-team playoff is highly problematic because I think that's too much to ask a young man's body to do. It's too many games, it intrudes into the school year and, of course, it would probably necessitate a complete end to the bowl system that so many people like now."

Emmert spoke two days after the 11 Bowl Championship Series conferences met to discuss possible changes to the system starting in 2014, but there is no consensus yet.

BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock said Tuesday that 50-60 possibilities for various changes were presented during a deliberate meeting in New Orleans, where Alabama beat LSU in the BCS title game Monday night. Hancock anticipates it will take another five to seven meetings to reach a conclusion in July.

One possibility is the four-team playoff, or the so-called plus-one approach, that would create two national semifinals and a championship game played one week later. The original proposal, made in 2008 by the commissioners of the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference, was emphatically shot down by the leaders of the Big Ten, Pac-10, Big East, Big 12 and Notre Dame.

The BCS title game pits the nation's top two teams based on poll and computer rankings.

But momentum is clearly growing for a larger playoff system.

Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany acknowledged this week that he would now consider the prospect of a four-team field.

"Four years ago, five of us didn't want to have the conversation," Delany told reporters earlier this week. "Now we all want to have the conversation."

Then on Thursday, the BCS picked up another major endorsement for a potential playoff.

Emmert has long said he expected changes to the BCS system and has repeatedly offered to help the BCS debate if they want it. The NCAA licenses bowl games, but does not run them. It also has no direct authority over the BCS system.

But a small, four-team tournament could be the perfect remedy for what many still consider a flawed system.

"I see a lot of ways that a Final Four model could be successful," Emmert said.




http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball...n-football

[RunItUpTheGut]

Its better than what we have but is it enough?
How about an 8 team playoff, which sound much much better.
Or even a 6 team with the 1 and 2 seeds geting a first round bye.

[LWC]

If there is a 4 team playoff, no doubt can be left. Top 4 teams have to win two extra games against the very best in college football. It works for me.

Have the 1 vs. 4 game the 2nd week of the bowls (2 weeks rest for those teams), then the next week have 2 vs. 3 (3 weeks rest). The winner of the 1 vs. 4 will have an extra week of rest to play the winner of 2 vs. 3. Save that game for the time-frame it has always been (After new years). This gives the winner of the 1-4 and 2-3 games 3 weeks to prepare. No more 1.5 month layoffs.

It sounds good to me.

[toussaints]

I like the 4 team playoff, I think by the end of the season, the top 4 teams are easy to figure out. I'm also alright with a 6 team format. Anything that gets the 2 best teams playing each other in the championship. The BCS must remember that no matter what type of playoff they do, there will be teams complaining.

4 team playoff: #5 gets mad
6 team playoff: #7 & #8 gets mad
8 team playoff: #9 gets mad, runner up might complain about the playoff being too long.

[TidesHoss32]

If they still have the other 66 teams playing in bowl games, then by all means, a 4 team playoff sounds phenomenal to me.

[cougarpride08]

The current system just doesn't work. Would have been a great playoff if it would have happen this year.

[RunItUpTheGut]

If there is a 4 team playoff, people will still be bitching though because theres always going to be 2-3 SEC teams in it lol :biggrin:

[toussaints]

If there is a 4 team playoff, people will still be bitching though because theres always going to be 2-3 SEC teams in it lol :biggrin:

I know you're joking, but looking at a scenario like that. if the 2 SEC teams are playing each other in the conference championship game, then I think their playoff starts there. Like in 2009, I don't see why Alabama and Florida should have to play back to back like that. If it's a situation like this year where both teams were in the same division, then that's fine.

[Stardust]

So what if the 5th team bitches. ESPN gives guys like Dicki-V an hour of air time to complain about the 69th and 70th teams that don't make the big dance, but the tournament survives. Give me four teams and lets get it on.

[RunItUpTheGut]

I know you're joking, but looking at a scenario like that. if the 2 SEC teams are playing each other in the conference championship game, then I think their playoff starts there. Like in 2009, I don't see why Alabama and Florida should have to play back to back like that. If it's a situation like this year where both teams were in the same division, then that's fine.

I can agree with that.

However, in a scenario like we had this year, we could have easily ended up with Bama, LSU, and Arkansas in the top 4 at the end of the year.

My point is no matter what you do people will bitch.
I do like the playoff idea better but IMHO the biggest thing that needs to change is this BS of waiting over a month to play the last national championship.
If we go to a 4 team playoff, i say we play the first round the weekend after the conference championships and the championship the week after that.

I swear i almost lose interest by the time the game comes especially after watching a bunch of meaningless toilet bowls that clog up tv space when theres a pee wee game somewhere that could be more exciting.

[Amun-Ra]

Emmerett is a dumbass. 4 team is better than what we have but if they want it to be truely fair and successful make it an 8 team thing.

[TidesHoss32]

I seriously dont think it would have mattered this year. I think Bama and LSU would have waxed everybody in their paths. Why not 6 and give the top two seeds first round byes? Play the conference championships on Saturday, and have a college football Selection Sunday. That show in itself would be wonderful, since you are going to dedicate the first hour or so to the 64 teams playing in bowl games, and then the last 30 minutes to the 6 teams picked to play in the playoffs. And, you have to play your way into the tourney, none of this "one non BCS team slot they give Boise, Hawaii, TCU, etc.." like we have now. Begin the playoffs two weeks after Selection Sunday. No computers involved, just good old fashioned people picking the six best teams in the country to fight it out.

[RunItUpTheGut]

^
Thats what i said. Its a great idea.

[cougarpride08]

Makes you want to look at the BCS people and say "we told ya so".

[judgementday]

Not really a fan. If they go to a playoff system I think it should be similar to what Division I AA does. IMO seems to me that doing a 4 team playoff system is an attempt to satisfy those who support playoffs but still keeping the BCS system.

[enknight84]

Its better than what we have but is it enough?
How about an 8 team playoff, which sound much much better.
Or even a 6 team with the 1 and 2 seeds geting a first round bye.

I agree with a eight team playoff format. The too many games comment is lame. Even high schools play fifteen games to win a state championship and a playoff format works in other levels of college football and they play at least fifteen. It's all about the money, not really finding who is the best team in the nation in Division I.

[nky]

8 game playoff is a good start.

But what about 16? The first round would be the BCS Automatic Qualifying conference championship game plus 4 at large wild card teams(could be based on minor conferences championship game or other means).

• Atlantic Coast Conference
  
• Big 12 Conference
  
• Big East Conference
  
• Big Ten Conference
  
• Pacific-12 Conference
  
• Southeastern Conference
  

[Stardust]

Where are all these playoff games going to be played?

[nky]

Where are all these playoff games going to be played?

Home field of the highest seed, most of the league championship games already have a "neutral" site

[cougarpride08]

Just like basketball goes to a different site every year, they can do the same thing with football.

[Amun-Ra]

Where are all these playoff games going to be played?

I thought it would be good to use the current bowls, Rose, Oragnge and such, to host the playoff rounds. Alternate the Championship game between them like they do now.