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I-A ponders new BCS bowl and beyond
By The Associated Press
PHOENIX — A proposal for
adding another game that would match the top two teams after the BCS bowls
was discussed by the commissioners of all 11 Division I-A college football
conferences Tuesday.
Big East Commissioner Mike
Tranghese said the main emphasis of the meeting, which included
representatives from the BCS bowls and ABC Sports, was how to implement a
fifth BCS game, which was agreed to in March.
"How to create it. How to
manage it. Where it could be played. The impact a fifth game could have on
the system economically," said Tranghese, the BCS coordinator.
The possibility of a sixth
game between the top teams after the BCS games are played was not the focus
of the meeting, Tranghese said.
The Bowl Championship Series
agreed to add a fifth game, increasing access for schools not part of
college football's most lucrative postseason system.
It means a better chance at
big bucks for teams in the non-BCS conferences.
The fifth bowl is subject to
final approval based on market viability, but all indications point to it
being in place when the new BCS contract takes effect before the 2006
season.
The idea of adding a game to
be played after the current BCS bowls — Sugar, Orange, Rose and Fiesta —
gained attention after last season's split national championship.
LSU won the BCS championship
by beating Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl, but Southern California, which beat
Michigan in the Rose Bowl, was voted No. 1 in The Associated Press media
poll.
Had the so-called 'plus-one'
model been used last season, LSU and USC would have played in January.
Tranghese said this week's
meetings are about gathering information and planning.
"I don't think we're at a
point where we are ready to make a decision," he said.
Also taking part in the
meetings are an athletic director from each Division I-A conference and
Notre Dame.
Copyright 2004
The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bonesville.net
contributed to this report.
02/23/2007 10:40:22 AM
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