For as much I love college football there are plenty of times where I want to rip my hair out and scream why. Only college football can make it so difficult in creating a four-team playoff. We all know that the FBS level there is a clear movement of four power leagues emerging with the Big 12, SEC, Big Ten and Pac-12.
There is a big divide between those leagues as the SEC and Big 12 want the four best teams while the Pac-12 and Big Ten want conference champions only; as do the Big East and ACC for obvious reasons..
This past weekend there was no decision that was made, or even remotely agreed upon, this past weekend when the decision making folks go together. It is now looking like that the June 26 deadline will come and go as there is only a few hours of time on that day for a decision to be made, and a decision may not come until September.
The Pac-12 and Big Ten are not happy with the possibility of losing their precious money making Rose Bowl, and they feel that the SEC and Big 12 are trying to railroad them into a four-team playoff, according to Austin American-Statesman's Kirk Bohls:I'm told by an industry source that the Pac-12 and Big Ten feel that the SEC and Big 12 may be trying to "railroad through" a four-team tournament, when the former two conferences are advocating a plus-one idea after the existing bowl games. "This thing is very fluid," he said. "These men are looking at this as their legacy."
The Big Ten and Pac-12 are still leaning hard to a plus-one model, because had those leagues presidents agreed to a four-team playoff then there would be just filling in the blanks:
According to a source, "a bit of an impasse" has developed between the power axis of the Pac-12/Big Ten and Big 12/SEC.
"If the Big Ten and Pac-12 presidents had embraced the four-team playoff, then I think there would have been a place where everyone was on the same page, and then ready to fill in all the gaps," the source said.
Instead those presidents really think a plus-one is the way to go, because again they want their Rose Bowl tradition alive. The problem with a plus-one is that it does not really solve anything, because not all bowl matchups provide a fair way to see who is the better team. It essentially becomes another regular season game, but in a neutral location.
There would still be fighting to who are deserving as the No. 1 and No. 2 teams, because the top four teams would be in a bowl game and matched up against various opponents who may or may not be highly ranked. For example the SEC champion could be No. 1 in the nation and would be in the Sugar Bowl and go up against the No. 12 team in the country from the Big 12. While the Rose Bowl has No. 2 USC going against No. 7 Michigan State, and the fourth team in the country is an SEC team playing in the Capitol One Bowl against some Big 10 ranked anywhere between No. 15 through 22.
Once again it would be subjective to who moves on and who doesn't to the national title game, and nothing better than what we have no outside of one more (hopefully) quality game. Eventually the Pac-12 and Big Ten will come to their senses and see how much more many can be made with three extra games instead of one.
Plus, BCS executive director Bill Hancock is on the record saying a four-team playoff can coexist alongside the bowl games. Big Ten and Pac-12 quite screwing around and agree to a four-team playoff.
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