Below is the full text of the BCS news release from Thursday.
It takes a bit of reading, but the meat of the statement is in the fourth paragraph where it says the BCS will present “a very small number of four-team options” to its conferences for them to consider.
There will be no 8- or 16-team playoff. In addition, BCS exec Bill Hancock told reporters at Thursday’s meeting the possibility of having two semifinal games plus the Rose Bowl between the Pac-12 and Big Ten, then determining the two teams for the championship game, is also dead.
There’s a lot of work to be done – starting with how to determine the four teams for the playoff and how to divide the cash bonanza a college football playoff is sure to provide. But it is now apparent, perhaps even surprisingly so, that college football will have a playoff. BCS officials say they hope to have a plan finalized as early as July 4.
Remember, though, the current BCS system will still be in place for the next two seasons, which is through the January 2014 BCS bowls. That’s because of TV contracts currently in place.
Bowl Championship Series
Every Game Counts
Bill Hancock, Executive Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2012
Statement by the Eleven Conference Commissioners and the Notre Dame Athletics Director
“As part of our deliberations, we have carefully considered a number of concepts concerning the post-season structure for the BCS. From the start, we set out to protect college football’s unique regular season which we see as the best regular season in sports. We are also mindful of the bowl tradition and seek to create a structure that continues to reward student-athletes with meaningful bowl appearances.
“Having carefully reviewed calendars and schedules, we believe that either an 8-team or a 16-team playoff would diminish the regular season and harm the bowls. College football’s regular season is too important to diminish and we do not believe it’s in the best interest of student-athletes, fans, or alumni to harm the regular season.
“Accordingly, as we proceed to review our options for improving the post-season, we have taken off the table both an 8-team and a 16-team playoff.
“We will continue to meet and review the exact structure for what a new post-season could look like. We are making substantial progress. We will present to our conferences a very small number of four-team options, each of which could be carried out in a number of ways.
“We have discussed in detail the advantages and disadvantages of in-bowl or out-of-bowl games.
We have discussed in detail the advantages and disadvantages of campus sites or neutral sites. We have discussed in detail the advantages and disadvantages of various ways to rank or qualify teams.
“Our process is proceeding as we have planned and we look forward to further conversations.”
[statement ends]
