Feb. 25, 2008

Courtesy of The Baltimore Sun

Bowl Championship Series officials are going to have some serious discussions in the coming months about going to a plus-one format, which could create a four-team major college football playoff.

Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford, the new coordinator of the BCS, said yesterday he intends to lead a "thorough" evaluation of the plus-one format.

Swofford and Slive, speaking to the Football Writers Association of America, said there was increased support from school leaders for having serious discussions about the plus-one, which would set the national championship game after the Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta bowls have been played.

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany and Pacific-10 commissioner Tom Hansen have said the university presidents they work for are opposed to moving the BCS to a plus-one.

Both Swofford and Slive said if a plus-one were adopted, they would support seeding the top four teams after the regular season and playing No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in bowl games.

Swofford said the nature of the 2007 season and its weekly upheaval has motivated his presidents and athletic directors to reconsider a plus-one model.

"A lot of people look at it and say ... maybe it would be better if more than two teams had the opportunity to play for the national championship," Swofford said.

"There's a comfort level with what we're doing today," Swofford added. "In our conference, there's much more open-mindedness about the plus-one than there was two years ago. There's an interest in it ... and a willingness to discuss it in full."

Commissioners from all 11 major college football conferences will meet in Miami in April and the plus-one will be a topic.

"I think we would be remiss if we didn't have that discussion in full and play it out and see what the ramifications of it are in great detail," Swofford said. "To see if there are unintended consequences there. What are the pluses, what are the minuses? Really drill into it so we can have the right kind of information.

"Evaluate it in a thorough way and ultimately make a decision. You don't know unless you have that discussion."