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BCS officials reportedly have settled on a shortlist of options for revamping college football's system of crowning a national champion, including a potential four-team playoff.
Conference commissioners from around the country are preparing to gather in Florida later this month to discuss four options spelled out in an outline obtained by USA Today on Wednesday.
Among the options is a four-team playoff that would see the top four seeded teams participate in semi-finals and a championship game.
The three-game format could be rolled into the original BCS system, incorporating current bowl sponsors, according to the document. Officials also will take into consideration the option of playing semi-final games at the higher seeded team's home stadium, with a neutral site designated for the championship game.
A possible amendment to the four-team playoff also has been tabled that would permit top-seeded Big Ten and Pac-12 schools to maintain their affiliation with the Rose Bowl, which dates back to 1947.
Under the "Four Team Plus" option, any Big Ten and/or Pac-12 school finishing the regular season in the top four would still participate in the Rose Bowl, which would serve as a third play-in game alongside the other two semi-final clashes.
Teams ranked fifth and sixth — if needed — would receive a semi-finals berth to fill the void left by the Big Ten and/or Pac-12 schools. Two of the three winning teams would then be selected to compete for the national championship.
At least one Big Ten or Pac-12 school has been ranked in the top four in eight out of the last 10 years heading into the postseason.
BCS officials also have remained open to maintaining the current bowl system with minor changes, including a "Plus One" option that would see two teams selected to face off in a championship game after all bowl games are played.
