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LOSERS. As much as the BCS seemed stacked against the so-called little guys -- those teams from conferences outside the six founding member leagues -- a playoff-driven postseason could widen the gap between the haves and have-nots. While a playoff will increase the amount of revenue the postseason generates, those funds might be distributed more unevenly. Leagues such as the Mountain West, Conference USA and the Sun Belt will make more money in total, but could get a smaller percentage of the pie. And if schedule strength is going to be emphasized for picking the playoff participants, how do those teams fortify their schedules to match what the teams from power leagues already have built-in?
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NOT SO BIG EAST. There have been six major conferences. The Big East, after being plundered by expansion, is on the verge of being demoted to second-tier status. How much less it gets in revenue from the playoff than the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, Pac-12 and ACC will be something to watch closely.
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A FEW GOOD MEN. So who will be on this committee given the task of picking the best four teams in the country?
The commissioners aren't sure yet, though it will probably be similar to the basketball selection committee, which is comprised of commissioners and athletic directors. Of course, it is one thing to hand out 34 at-large bids to a basketball tournament and quite another to determine which 12-1 football team to leave out of a playoff.
"I think you need a thick skin and an honest heart" to be on the committee, Delany said.
A secret bunker to hide out might help, too.
Ultimately, who is on the committee might not matter as much as the parameters they are given to make their decisions. The commissioners want to stress strength of schedule, give conference champions some preference and provide the committee with an RPI-like rating system to guide them and make it less of a guessing game.
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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