BCS Hires Media Consultants Who Could Play Integral Role In Postseason Talks

The BCS is set to hire two media consultants “who will play vital roles in determining the direction of college football’s postseason,” according to Smith & Ourand of the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Sources said that former ESPN Exec VP/College Sports Programming Chuck Gerber and Wasserman Media Group Senior VP Dean Jordan “were finalizing negotiations with the BCS last week.” The duo will “likely be key players in the reshaping of the BCS because they’ll project media value of each postseason model under consideration.” Smith & Ourand note that it is “unusual for properties like the BCS to hire multiple consultants to handle media rights negotiations, although it’s not unprecedented.” Sources said that the BCS “could not agree on Gerber or Jordan individually,” as Gerber is “close to SEC Commissioner Mike Slive” and Jordan has “strong ties with Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany.” Slive and Delany generally are considered “the power brokers among major conference commissioners,” and sources said that it is “not surprising that they each pressed for their own man to be involved.” Gerber worked with the SEC “on its last TV deal when it was negotiated in 2008.” Jordan “consulted on media issues for the Big Ten, Notre Dame, ACC, Conference USA and Mountain West” (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/27 issue).

WESTERN PHILOSOPHY: In N.Y., Pete Thamel wrote in a telephone interview Friday, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott “spoke in depth for the first time about his preferences for football’s postseason.” Scott “stressed that the Pac-12 academic leaders and athletic directors had shaped only some general philosophies.” He said that “any variation of a two-team playoff would not be enough to mute the critics of the current system and that an eight-team playoff would be difficult to fit into the academic calendar, a priority for Pac-12 leaders.” Thamel noted that Scott “would not say directly that he favors a four-team playoff, but his view appears to be in line with many of the top BCS officials.” As for the “potential playoff format, Scott agreed with the position of the Big Ten, first reported by The Chicago Tribune, which favored home sites for the semifinal games and a neutral site for the championship game.” Scott: “There’s a reason that in the NFL they only play the Super Bowl as a neutral-site game. There’s a reason they play playoffs and AFC and NFC championships with home hosting.” In terms of the college postseason in general, Scott said that he “favored bowl teams having to finish better than 6-6 and perhaps having fewer bowl games.” With 35 bowls now, the “lower-tier bowls often scramble to fill slots.” Scott said, “We need to get away from the societal trend of everyone getting a trophy” (N.Y. TIMES, 2/26).