Big Ten Conference Proposes Nationwide Four-Team Football Playoff

The Big Ten is not only "ready to listen to proposals regarding a national four-team football playoff, league and school officials are kicking around an intriguing idea," according to Teddy Greenstein of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Sources said that a Big Ten plan would "remove the top four teams from the BCS bowl pool and have semifinal games played on the college campus of the higher seed." That would “do away with the facade of ‘neutral’ sites such as New Orleans, Miami and Pasadena, Calif., and ease travel concern for fans.” The championship game “then could be bid out, like the Super Bowl.” Northwestern AD and Big Ten Administrators Council Chair Jim Phillips said, "We have to listen to the fans; we cannot be tone-deaf.” Also on the table is “creating a seven-win requirement for bowl teams, a rule that could torpedo more than a half-dozen money-losing games.” Another proposal is “moving up the BCS title game.” Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said, “There is a very strong sense that we have missed the boat and are playing games too late. Students are back in class, people are back at work." He added, “It's a matter of coming up with something that does not kill the baby with the bath water. We have a regular season that is vibrant. We have 12 games plus a (conference) championship game -- that's a lot of games. We have academic calendars, though that doesn't resonate with many people. But if you're dealing with university presidents, faculty and coaches, you're talking about it" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/7).