LSU and Alabama face off in the BCS National Championship game tonight, but the BCS intends to have its future postseason format determined in the coming months so that it can begin negotiations for the next TV contract by September or October. Several changes will be explored, including the plus-one model, or the BCS could keep the format the way it is. Current partner ESPN has an exclusive negotiating window in October, but that timetable could be accelerated if the BCS is able to settle those format questions earlier. ESPN pays an average of $125M a year for the rights and the net is halfway through the current four-year agreement.
The 11 conference commissioners and Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick, who make up the BCS decision-makers, met over the weekend in New Orleans and will continue to meet through the spring to decide if they want to move to a plus-one, which would give four teams a chance to win the national championship instead of two. Other issues that will be discussed: Removing automatic qualifiers; conference tie-ins; the double-hosting model; and the cap on the number of teams from each conference.
