Arizona State President Pushing For Eight-Team College Football Playoff

Arizona State Univ. President Michael Crow is “calling for the end of college football's Bowl Championship Series, pushing for an eight-team playoff,” according to Craig Harris of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. Crow said that the current system is “not good for the Pac-12 Conference or for college football as a whole.” Crow: “In the Pac-12, we are not strong supporters of the present model.” He added that his plan “has some momentum among other college presidents inside and outside his conference, though he declined to identify them.” He also said that he will “push other Pacific-12 Conference presidents to adopt his proposal when they meet next month" in L.A. Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said that the conference “has not yet taken a position on the future of the BCS.” Scott in an e-mail said, “We are open-minded, and we'll continue to look at some creative approaches. I am confident we can improve upon post-season college football.” NCAA President Mark Emmert last month said that he would “support a four-team playoff in college football, and Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany has said he, too, would consider a four-team field.” However, until Crow's comments, there has been “little talk publicly about an eight-team playoff from someone within the BCS system” (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/10).

BIG TEN'S BIG INFLUENCE: CBSSPORTS.com’s Dennis Dodd wrote when Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany “commented this week on his league ‘kicking around’ the idea of a four-team playoff, it almost seemed like a rubber stamp.” But there is the matter of “why the historically conservative Delany/Big Ten would be so bold on the controversial subject of a college football playoff." The answer "could be as a simple as it is a done deal.” Except that “it's not.” Michigan AD Dave Brandon is “adamantly against a playoff.” The whole thing “has to be vetted through the presidents,” and those who have “commented publicly aren't exactly supportive.” This week's news is about “leveling the playing field.” This is about “competition, doubling the number of teams playing for the national championship.” But Dodd noted there are “a lot of roadblocks to any kind of plus one” format (CBSSPORTS.com, 2/9).