There are a lot more questions — hard questions, questions that could bring out the greed and class warfare that exists in college sports — but yesterday was a watershed day in college football.
College football is getting a playoff. Is it a done deal? No.
Should you bet against it? Not even with Monopoly money.
Representatives of 11 conferences and Notre Dame met in Florida yesterday and agreed to present models of a four-team playoff to their constituents. A final decision, which would require the approval of college presidents, could be reach by July 1.
The 2014 season would end in a four-team playoff. Other options, such as an eight and a 16-team playoff, were rejected.
“It’s a seismic change for college football — if it happens,” BCS executive editor Bill Hancock told reporters.
But there are questions that still need to be answered.
What if the conferences can’t agree on a revenue sharing plan?
What if only a conference champion is eligible for the playoff? You know SEC commissioner Mike Slive, fresh off an Alabama-LSU title game, won’t agree to that plan.
What if the Rose Bowl, the granddaddy of the bowls, is not part of the process?
Those might not be the toughest questions. Are the semifinal-round games played on campus or at a neutral site, forcing both teams and their fans to travel?
Then there’s the granddaddy of all questions: How will the teams be chosen?
The question of a playoff has long been the elephant in the room for college football. Traditionalists have resisted the idea out of concern that a playoff would devalue the importance of regular-season games.
Bowl game officials have turned up their noses because it could threaten the existence of some bowls and the importance of others. The new model could incorporate the major bowl games — Fiesta, Orange, Rose, and Sugar — in the playoff system.
But the end of recent seasons has generated significant outcry when there have been three or four teams that could make a case for playing in the BCS National Championship game, yet just two are chosen.
Ironically, this was not one of those seasons.
Of course, when change of this magnitude is given the green light, it’s always vital to follow the money. College football has left billions of dollars on the table by not going to a playoff sooner.
There only seems to be two certainties at this point: A playoff is coming. And football will remain a one-semester sport.
With teams now playing 12 regular-season games, plus a conference championship game and a playoff, the demands on players and coaches will be daunting. Of course, no one ever has thought about their concerns in the past.
lenn.robbins@nypost.com
college football, Bill Hancock, college sports, BCS National Championship game
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