HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- The reality of a college football playoff got another step closer Thursday when the BCS announced it was recommending a four-team playoff beginning in 2014. Commissioners, Notre Dame statement

CBSSports.com reported Tuesday that a four-team playoff was the most likely model.

"We will continue to meet and review the exact structure for what a new postseason could look like," BCS executive director Bill Hancock said. "We are making substantial progress. We will present to our conferences a very small number of four-team options, each of which could be carried out in a number of ways."

The proposed playoff models, not specified by the BCS, likely will include:

• A four-team playoff with the semifinals and final rotated among the existing BCS bowl games (Sugar, Fiesta, Orange and Rose).

• A four-team playoff with the semifinals rotated among the existing BCS bowl games with the final held at a neutral site. The site of the final would be determined by a bid process, similar to how the Super Bowl is awarded.

• A four-team playoff with the semifinals and final held at either the existing BCS bowl game sites or neutral sites, determined by a bid process.

• A four-team playoff with the semifinals held on campus and the final held at either an existing BCS bowl game site or neutral site.

The BCS also announced there will no longer be automatic qualifier and non-AQ conferences, but the power leagues (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC) likely will still earn more revenue than other leagues. A big unknown is whether the Big East will still be compensated as an AQ conference.

The options, which the conferences will present to their individual schools, must ultimately be approved by the NCAA Presidential Oversight Committee. Bill Hancock said he hopes to have that to the committee by July 4.

There are still several factors that must be determined, including whether the four teams will be the top four ranked teams or whether they must be conference champions.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive favors the top four ranked teams being in the playoff, while Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott favors the model involving conference champions only.

Also what kind of ranking system will be used must be determined. Do they stick with the current BCS standings formula (coaches and Harris polls and computer rankings) or come up with something else, such as a selection committee?

"How to select the teams is still pending," Hancock said.

Also, the proposals did not indicate how the revenue of the new media rights deal, which has been projected to be worth at least $350 million would be divided up.

"Having carefully reviewed calendars and schedules, we believe that either an 8-team or a 16-team playoff would diminish the regular season and harm the bowls," Hancock said. "Accordingly, as we proceed to review our options for improving the post-season, we have taken off the table both an 8-team and a 16-team playoff."

Hancock also said they were not presenting to the conferences a plus-one model, leaving only the four-team playoff models.

The new playoff format would start after the 2014 regular season and would replace the current BCS model that pairs the No. 1 and 2 ranked teams in a bowl game.

Aka Conference USA and the MWC have officially closed the door for all Non AQ teams in FBS. I mean, it was not fair to everyone before in terms of money but at least when you had a perfect season you were rewarded by a chance to go to one of the premiere bowl games which led to numerous benefits for any school who made one.

So congratulations alliance members and hopeful. I hope your hate of the Big East and the chase for maybe a million more $ a year was really worth it all in the end.

Someone on the TROY boards posted saying that they've done away with "AQ and non-AQ". Is that true?

(04-28-2012 01:47 AM)troy4ever21 Wrote:  Someone on the TROY boards posted saying that they've done away with "AQ and non-AQ". Is that true?

It is.

But what is unknown is how the money will be spent and distributed between the confrences now.

What a mess, but I can see this as a move in the right direction.

So if four teams are in the "playoff" does that in turn open up more bowl games for more 6-5 teams? since this will shuffle things around more

(04-28-2012 07:32 AM)OwlFamily Wrote:  

(04-28-2012 01:47 AM)troy4ever21 Wrote:  Someone on the TROY boards posted saying that they've done away with "AQ and non-AQ". Is that true?

It is.

But what is unknown is how the money will be spent and distributed between the confrences now.

Our commissioner thinks that the former non-AQ Conferences are going to come out better this go around.

Obviously there will be a separation between the 5 power conferences and the rest but why not.

My advice to fans of school that want to complain it is still not fair, maybe your school needs to do what Boise did and field a good football team.

(04-28-2012 07:46 AM)Seminole Indian Wrote:  

(04-28-2012 07:32 AM)OwlFamily Wrote:  

(04-28-2012 01:47 AM)troy4ever21 Wrote:  Someone on the TROY boards posted saying that they've done away with "AQ and non-AQ". Is that true?

It is.

But what is unknown is how the money will be spent and distributed between the confrences now.

Our commissioner thinks that the former non-AQ Conferences are going to come out better this go around.

Obviously there will be a separation between the 5 power conferences and the rest but why not.

My advice to fans of school that want to complain it is still not fair, maybe your school needs to do what Boise did and field a good football team.

Good football? It is all about markets! right? at least that is what I have been told time and time again from certain people.....

(04-28-2012 07:54 AM)ManOnABuffalo Wrote:  

(04-28-2012 07:46 AM)Seminole Indian Wrote:  

(04-28-2012 07:32 AM)OwlFamily Wrote:  

(04-28-2012 01:47 AM)troy4ever21 Wrote:  Someone on the TROY boards posted saying that they've done away with "AQ and non-AQ". Is that true?

It is.

But what is unknown is how the money will be spent and distributed between the confrences now.

Our commissioner thinks that the former non-AQ Conferences are going to come out better this go around.

Obviously there will be a separation between the 5 power conferences and the rest but why not.

My advice to fans of school that want to complain it is still not fair, maybe your school needs to do what Boise did and field a good football team.

Good football? It is all about markets! right? at least that is what I have been told time and time again from certain people.....

Markets are the focus this go-around but the SBC knows that its focus has to be on the quality of the teams.

I look for the SBC to make even more noise on the field going forward because teams like WKU, Troy, UL, ASU, FAU, ULM and MTSU have shown they can play quality football.

It could be the start of a true playoff system. It could be slowly expanded over the years like the FCS playoffs. Just needed a foot in the door to get it started.