Finally! Well, almost finally… The university presidents still have to sign their official approval on the new plan, but a college football playoff is right around the corner for the Football Bowl Subdivision (The FBS is the top level of collegiate football). It should be implemented for the 2014 season. The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is on life support, and the plug will soon be pulled.
For the first time college football will have a champion that will have earned their title. A 4 team playoff is a great start, and by far better than the former BCS championship game fiasco that still saw controversial outcomes. The plan that appears eminent is that a selection committee will pick the 4 teams to participate in the playoff, with the semifinal games being played in the existing major bowls on a rotation basis.
Some schools could argue that they deserve a place among football’s final four, but it’s still a far cry from simply having the BCS computers pick two teams to play for a championship. I think in the future, a few more teams will be added to the playoff mix. The Football Championship Subdivision, the next tier of football play below the FBS, holds a 20 team playoff to determine a National Champ. Division II holds a 24 teams bracket, and Division III football crowns it’s National Champ after a 32 team tournament. I think going to a 8 team playoff format for major college football is the next logical step, but the powers that be will ease into it.
Money talks, and the old system was worth upwards of $150 million dollars, and BCS officials believe that a simple 4 team playoff will rake in possibly double that number. Just imagine the money a bigger tourney could draw.