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"I don't think the idea of a four-team playoff is hard to comprehend. The details come into site selection, team selection and how you develop the ranking system," acting Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas said. "There has to be transparency so the public feels they're somehow involved, and that helps to create interest.
"The one thing we want to underscore again is the importance of the regular season. That's been foremost in our minds," he added. "There has not been a eureka idea that we've found the perfect ranking system. That is a work in progress, and there are a number of ideas."
Bowlsby also agreed with Big 12 presidents and ADs who voiced their support this week for a 10-team league in which football and basketball teams play a true round-robin schedule, though he acknowledged that there is always the chance for future expansion.
"When it's right, we'll know it's right," Bowlsby said, "and in the meantime, there's not a thing wrong with the 10 we have."
The other significant issue Bowlsby addressed was stipends. He was steadfastly against proposals that have been floated for paying up to $4,000 per year to student-athletes, pointing out that there are other avenues in which aspiring athletes can play for pay.
"We should never do anything to establish an employee-employer relationship," Bowlsby said. "There are places you can go and play for money, but colleges and universities are not among them. This is an educational undertaking."
Hargis, the chairman of the league's board of directors, was even more forceful in his opposition to stipends, even for athletes in revenue-producing sports such as football.
"I don't think it's a good idea," Hargis said. "These student-athletes are provided scholarships in many cases, and they're eligible for other assistance. You get into all this kind of stipend stuff and it affects the amateurism, I think it affects recruiting. I just think it's introducing an idea that's not necessary."
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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