The New York Post is reporting that the BCS conferences are moving toward a new format to start in 2011 that would implement a final-four format for college football. The “plus one” format would have four teams compete in semi-final games, with the two winners meeting in the national championship game.
“There haven’t been any official discussions among conference commissioners, but the overwhelming sense is that that’s where we’re headed,” one conference source said. “There’s simply too much money at stake and there’s been too much debate with the current system.”
Under the new format, the top four teams would be seeded, probably using a voter/computer formula similar to the current BCS system and a sixth major bowl game would be created.
The four top-seeded teams would play in two “semifinal” games, using the existing bowls – Orange, Sugar, Rose, Fiesta and the current BCS title game on a rotating basis – with the two winners meeting in a newly created bowl. Theoretically, it would leave less argument over who’s No. 1.
“You’ll probably never eliminate all the debate, but it’s hard for me to imagine a team finishing fifth in the final ratings having a legitimate argument for No. 1,” an ACC athletic director said. “Once you get below four, it’s a hard sell.”
This certainly isn’t a new idea. People have been suggesting a college football final four for years and years and years. It’s how you put the four teams together and retain the bowl system that has always been this sticking point.
This has all the makings of a win-win-win for the conferences, networks and bowls. The existing BCS bowls would go from hosting a “premiere” game once every for years, to hosting a huge game every other year with the semi-finals plus (potentially) hosting the National Championship in off years.
The losers in the situation would seem to be the fans. The logistics of traveling to two bowl games within a week’s time potentially weaken the “in the stadium” contingent for almost any team. Getting airlines, hotels, cars, etc for one bowl game is a taxing situation for most fans – and fans usually have a month or more to prepare for the trips.
Making (or cancelling!) those arrangements within one week’s time between the semifinal and final game probably means that the college National Championship game crowd starts to resemble the Super Bowl crowd – a bunch of corporate guests & suits with very few fans of either team in attendance. That’s a shame and it’s probably one of the worst aspects of this proposal.
The other alternative is having most fans skip the semifinal game — which is what the bowl system proponents have always feared — in hopes that their team makes it to the finals so they can attend.
The other HUGE speed bump is the Rose Bowl. Although the Rose made some concessions to the BCS, the conferences had to essentially guarantee the Rose a Big 10 – Pac 10 matchup for the foreseeable future. That arrangement would have to be revised. I think it *can* happen, but the Rose Bowl purists will not go down without a fight, you can count on that.
I like the BCS system and I think the plus one format can succeed. That said, **nothing** will ever end all the controversy regarding the national championship in college football. Regardless of what the “next” BCS looks like, someone somewhere is going to feel shafted – count on that.
Comment on Coming Soon: College Football Final Four?…
TrojanWire 
Leave a comment