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He also believes winning a conference championship "should matter."
"That's the way we've been structured for 100 years," he said.
Delany reiterated the Big Ten would like to include the bowls in any postseason format, with the championship game being bid out either to a current site or cities that aren't necessarily bowl hosts. He also said the plus-one scenario remains on the table, and he mentioned the Rose Bowl when he was asked why the conference prefers that option.
"The Rose Bowl, I think, is one of the outstanding sports events, sports properties, sports brands in the world," he said. "I don't think that's an overstatement."
Delany also said there would still be "reasonable access" to championship opportunities for the Big Ten in a plus-one format even if the odds would seem to be better with a playoff.
"When you're working with groups of people, sometimes, you can't have your cake and eat it, too," Delany said. "That's what compromise is about. And you try to avoid demands. I would say one of the reasons we have a chance to come together is not everybody is trying to get their cake and eat it, too."
NOTES: Delany said he's no fan of mega conferences. Asked if he envisions a day where teams from four super conferences compete for a shot at the national championship, Delany he said, "I don't see that." He added: "I think what you'll see is some conferences grow. Some stay where they are. ... We had one 16-team conference -- it was the WAC. It didn't stand very long. We had another conference that went to 12 members and then had to add two to get back to 10. We've seen the Big East morph in a variety of ways. I think one of the most underrated qualities about any conference is its stability and the glue that holds it together." He said conferences that expand too much run into "possible dilution issues." ... Delany said it's not clear how much extra money would be generated by a playoff and probably won't be until after system is hashed out. "We have TV consultants, but they really cannot test the marketplace until they know what they're selling," he said. "And they won't know what they're selling until we reach closure on the model -- the who and the how. ... I think there's a general consensus in the industry that it's a good marketplace for college football."
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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