2013 BCS Bowls Odds: 2014 College Football at Four-Team Playoff

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

by Bovada Sportsbook

It has been decades in the making, but finally a playoff has come to Division I college football as university presidents on Tuesday approved a four-team tournament to start either Dec. 31, 2014 or Jan. 1, 2015, that's two seasons away, unfortunately.

Check out Bovada's Sports Welcome Bonus:
Sign up and deposit for your 20% Free Bet Bonus up to $100

There are still some details to be ironed out, but in essence: It will be a 12-year deal with six bowls rotating as semifinal hosts and a championship game that -- like the NFL's Super Bowl -- will be hosted by cities that submit the most favorable bids. The four current BCS bowls, the Rose, Fiesta, Sugar and Orange, are considered locks to be involved as is the new Champions Bowl. In years that it doesn't host a semifinal, the Rose Bowl will match the best Big Ten and Pac-12 teams that didn't make the playoff. The Champions Bowl takes the SEC and Big 12 champions but is expected to match the second-place teams in those conferences if the champion plays in the national semifinals.

For sure there will be three contract bowls -- the Champions Bowl (Big 12 and SEC), Rose Bowl (Big Ten and Pac-12) and a bowl to be determined for the ACC, which is likely to continue its partnership with the Orange Bowl. The three other bowls, called "access bowls," have yet to be determined, but the decision will force the Sugar Bowl and Fiesta Bowl to become bidders. The Cotton Bowl also is expected to be a top bidder. Tuesday's decision could squeeze the Big East out of the postseason, as its champion is no longer guaranteed a spot in one of the six major bowls. The "automatic qualifiers" label also will disappear in the new system.

The semifinals either will be played on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, and the national title game will be played on "Championship Monday," the first Monday in January that is six or more days after the final semifinal game is played.

The presidents also approved the formation of a selection committee, though who is on that still has to be determined. So the four teams will be chosen much like the at-large NCAA Tournament basketball teams are.

Bet on 2012-2013 BCS National Championship at Bovada Sportsbook!

Related Articles

• NCAA Football Odds: The 2011 College Football Bowl Schedule
• AT&T Cotton Bowl Pick and Prediction: Kansas State vs Arkansas
• Allstate Sugar Bowl Lines and Prediction: Michigan vs Virginia Tech
• Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Free Pick and Odds: Stanford vs Oklahoma State
• NCAA Football Odds: LSU and Alabama In BCS Championship Game

Category

• Football Articles

Tags

cotton bowl - fiesta bowl - ncaa tournament basketball - orange bowl - rose bowl - sugar bowl - super bowl