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Playoff opposed nearly 8-to-1 by decision makers

By Brad Edwards
Special to ESPN.com

The controversy surrounding the BCS Rankings after the last two seasons has left many college football fans crying for change.

Most would like to see a playoff in Division I-A after the BCS contract expires in 2006, but according to administrators at the major colleges, that's not going to happen anytime soon.

The Question
If there was a proposal for a playoff in Division I-A football that would guarantee your school to make at least as much money as it does under the current bowl structure, would you be in favor of it?

Yes (if money was not an object)

No

Depends upon the format (dates of games, number of teams, etc.)

No response

ESPN.com recently conducted an anonymous poll of university presidents, athletic directors and head football coaches from the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10, SEC and Notre Dame (63 total schools).

Out of 124 total responses, only 15 answered with a "Yes" vote, while there were 36 who said "No." Even more telling, however, were the ballots of athletic directors and presidents -- the actual decision makers in the event of a real playoff proposal. Between those two key groups, "No" outweighed "Yes" by almost an 8:1 margin. Not a single president or chancellor claimed to be unconditionally in favor of a playoff.

The Answer
Options .. Coaches .. ADs.. Presidents .. Total
Yes..................12.......3.........0...........15
No..................13......16.........7...........36
Depends..........17......15.........6...........38
No Response.....7......14........14...........35

"There will always be some discussion (about a playoff), but at the CEO and university president level, I don't hear any," said ACC commissioner and former BCS coordinator John Swofford last week at the ACC's annual media gathering. He added that missed class time is not the major issue hindering playoff discussion. "It's the sheer business of college football -- the money and the commercialism. I just don't think there's a willingness among presidents to take the next step in bringing more of that along."

The majority of athletic directors and coaches have a much different concern, however. Most of those who voted "No" and "Depends" expressed a strong desire for the bowl system to remain intact. Some were afraid that a playoff might diminish the role of the bowls if not eventually eliminate them altogether.

"Fans and players consider the bowls a valuable part of the college football experience," said Wisconsin director of athletics Pat Richter, who played for the Badgers in the 1963 Rose Bowl. "A playoff would make bowl games an intermediate step, and they would lose some of their luster because of it."

Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden has more concern that luster might be lost from the regular season. Non-conference games his Seminoles play each year versus rivals Miami and Florida could be rendered somewhat meaningless if automatic playoff entry was gained through conference championships.

"Our toughest games are usually in-state," he said. "If we lost both of those and still got into a playoff, I would feel like we backed in.

"I've followed college football ever since the late '30s, and it's always been decided by a vote. The best team over the course of the season wins, and I'm satisfied with that. I'm just old fashioned, I guess."

Many university presidents have voiced objection to lengthening the season through a playoff, although Bowden's team is one of 20 in Division I-A that would play 14 games this year if it reaches a bowl. Playoff proponents believe it is necessary to reduce the regular season by at least one game, and that process takes a major step next year when the August "preseason" classics become extinct.

But if administrators are not willing to significantly tinker with the bowls -- and, at this point, they are not -- it seems unlikely that an eight or 16-team playoff format could ever materialize. It might be possible, however, to incorporate a four-team design without altering the bowl structure; many coaches and athletic directors voiced interest in this option.

One coach, who asked not to be identified, believes that a ranking system could be used to determine the top four teams after the regular season, and two major bowl games could be pre-selected as national semifinals for those four teams. The winners would play for the title in another major bowl scheduled for later in January.

This is a very similar idea to the one held by Georgia athletic director Vince Dooley, who has long been a proponent of a post-bowl championship game. He believes it offers a greater stage to promote college football and could also improve the bowl lineup.

Dooley wants to see a return to the days when two or three New Year's Day bowls had an impact on the national title race.

"While we do currently have a national championship game, it degrades the value of the other bowl games," he said. "If the bowls are actually deciding who plays for the championship, then we benefit from having meaning to more than just one game."

Nebraska director of athletics Bill Byrne agrees with Dooley but believes an eight-team format is possible without compromising the tradition of the bowls. He would like to see a selection committee (similar to the one for the NCAA basketball tournaments) choose all eight teams. No automatic bids would be given, thus preventing entry for conference champions with several losses and allowing teams from non-major conferences a more realistic chance to make the field.

The playoff would involve five predetermined bowl games -- four of which would be sites of the quarterfinal round on New Year's Day. The fifth bowl site would host a semifinal doubleheader as well as the national championship game a week later. Therefore, more fans would have the ability to attend all of their team's games, and only two teams would miss legitimate class time at the beginning of the new semester.

"College football is facing a financial crisis," Byrne said. "There is a need to expand revenues, and this is one of the few remaining sources available. Financially, a playoff could drive numbers similar to the Super Bowl and generate revenues between three and four hundred million dollars. That's between two and three million for every school in Division I-A."

That kind of money would go a long way for most athletic departments. The question is whether administrators can find enough common ground to take that step.

"It (a playoff) is something I think will happen one of these days," Bowden said. "I just don't get the vibes from the people who count that it will happen anytime soon."