I took the time to transcribe today's comments by our commissioner as Joe Tessitore, discuss the future of college football playoffs.

Biggest playoff format concerns for conferences outside of the “Power 4”

ESPN: Beyond the newly termed “Power 4” conferences, where does this leave everyone else as we enter these negotiations?

KARL BENSON: As far as the others, we are all heavily interested and involved and invested and we’ve all been players and we all had some equity in the BSC post season. I think that there’s value in the other 6 or 7 conferences as well, they can’t be overlooked.

ESPN: For years Karl, you were the commissioner of the WAC, so you were pushing “Non-AQ” and Boise State was obviously a big part of that. You’ve been in that room, what are the dynamics that you’re in store for when you head to Chicago for these meetings?

KARL BENSON: We’ll I have been in the room for 22 years now with my fellow commissioners, I think Jim Delany and I have been there the longest and over the course of time I think there has always been a commitment and willingness to compromise and cooperate and to do what is in the best interest of football and on the other hand everyone is trying to serve their membership and do what is in the best interest of their membering university.

ESPN: Everybody’s hopes for balance then, but right now it seems like we’re getting a lot of posturing. What’s your reaction to what has been said by some of the conferences from recent weeks?

KARL BENSON: Well again, I think it has been posturing , but when we meet in Chicago a week from tonight to get serious, we left Florida 5 or 6 weeks ago with what appeared to be some consensus as to the direction that we were headed and that was the four team playoff and it would appear to be at least in our best interest and I’ve always been an advocate of access though and to provide an opportunity for a team like Boise State and now as I put my Sun Belt hat on, I want to make sure that in that special year when there’s a Sun Belt team ranked in the top 10 and undefeated and has a potential Heisman Trophy candidate that there’s an opportunity for a Sun Belt team to play on a big stage against a quality opponent in a meaningful and relevant post season.

ESPN: Karl you’ve always been a straight shooter, the quick answer to a fan that walks up to you and says “How is this going to play out?”
KARL BENSON: Well I sure hope that the access continues and the opportunity to play on that big stage continues, but again there are a lot of people not just in the room, but a there’s lot of college presidents that we all serve, and athletic director that we serve and I think we are seeing a vast array of different opinions right now.