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'Double-hosting’ concept could lead to ‘plus-one’ game
BY WENDELL BARNHOUSE
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — A new format for the BCS next season comes with hints that changes to college football’s postseason could be coming — or, at the least, considered.
SEC commissioner Mike Slive takes over as BCS coordinator, replacing Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg. Speaking at the Football Writers Association of America breakfast Wednesday morning, Slive made it clear he wants to keep an open mind.
“There is no system that is perfect, there are pros and cons to everything,” Slive said. “But I think it’s our obligation to continue a dialogue about the postseason.
“There’s an annual nervousness about the BCS that I think has become a distraction.”
The Rose Bowl also marked the end of an eight-year BCS run under the current format. Next season, the BCS starts a four-year agreement that includes a double-hosting format and a two-network format.
The double-hosting plan means that the Fiesta Bowl will host its usual game Jan. 1. Then it will host the BCS championship game Jan. 8. The Fiesta, which also runs the Insight Bowl, will stage three bowls in 11 days next season in the Phoenix area. The plans also means the number of BCS teams will increase from eight to 10.
There has been increased discussion that the double-hosting format could morph into a “plus-one” system. In the plus-one, two teams would be selected to play for the national championship after the BCS games are played.
ABC Sports pushed for the plus-one format while negotiating the new contract that starts next season.
Loren Matthews, senior vice president of programming for ABC Sports, who is retiring, has been the point man on ABC’s negotiations with the BCS for the past eight years.
“I think what you’ll see in the future is something different than what you see now,” he said. “The college presidents are looking at it from not only economic but academic angles.
“I just think that the commissioners left to their own devices might come up with a different system.”
Slive said that if “all parties agree,” then changes could be made to the contracts and the current BCS format. Fox and the BCS have a four-year deal, but ABC has an eight-year deal with the Rose Bowl, the Big Ten and the Pac-10.
That means that if there are to be changes to college football’s postseason, they’re not in the near future.
Starting next season, Fox Sports will televise the Fiesta, Sugar and Orange bowls and ABC will continue to televise the Rose Bowl. Fox has the sponsorship and naming rights to the BCS title game, which currently is being called “The BCS National Championship.”
Other new aspects of the BCS starting next season:
There will be 10 BCS teams, up from eight. Automatic bids go to the champions of the six BCS conferences — Big 12, Big Ten, Big East, ACC, SEC and Pac-10.
One conference champion from the non-BCS conferences — MWC, WAC, C-USA, MAC and Sun Belt — will automatically qualify for a BCS bowl in two ways: (1) finish in the top 12 of the final BCS standings; (2) finish in the top 16 of the BCS standings and ranked higher than the champion of one BCS conference.
If next year’s format had been in place this season, TCU would have earned a BCS berth.
Any of the 10 BCS spots not filled by conference champions will go to at-large teams.
Notre Dame is guaranteed a BCS bowl bid if it finishes No. 8 or higher in the final BCS standings.
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