By CHIP SCOGGINS
Minneapolis Star Tribune
May 01, 2008

- College football fans clamoring for a playoff can stop holding their breath. It's not going to happen anytime soon.

Bowl Championship Series (BCS) officials announced Wednesday that they will make no changes to the current format for determining a national champion, no matter how much fan outrage it produces every year.

A so-called "plus-one" model, which is essentially a football Final Four, had gained some traction amongst fans and media in the past year, but the BCS commissioners overwhelmingly rejected that proposal. The current format will remain in place until at least 2014.

No one should be surprised. In truth, a four-team playoff had virtually no chance of being embraced by the BCS commissioners holed up in South Florida this week, much less receiving serious consideration.

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany and Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen have made it abundantly clear all along that they adamantly oppose a playoff, however limited in scope.

Hansen famously threatened to secede from the BCS if a playoff is instituted. In an interview with the Star Tribune last December, Delany left no doubt about where he stands on the issue, either.

"I really think that the BCS is intended to create a 1-2 game, and it's done that," Delany said. "It's intended to make the games in the regular season more meaningful, and it's done that. And it was intended to support the bowl system, and it's done that. What it wasn't intended to do was create a first step toward a bracketed, NFL-style playoff."

The most popular plus-one model would have matched the top four teams in predetermined bowl games, starting with the 2010 season. The winners would advance to a "plus-one" national championship game. SEC commissioner Mike Slive presented the proposal Wednesday, but he found little support.

Delany, Hansen and the Rose Bowl by extension have become targets of scorn among playoff proponents, but they're hardly alone on that side of the debate. Slive and ACC commissioner John Swofford reportedly were the only two who showed much interest in the plan Wednesday.

Delany has come to accept the slings and arrows directed at him for being so outspoken on this issue, but his words dripped of sarcasm when asked about his tough stance in December.

"It's easy to say you're open-minded about a playoff," Delany said. "It's another thing to say you demand it. I could be disingenuous and say I'm open-minded about it. Nobody is saying they want it. Everybody says they're open-minded. What does that mean?"

Well, nothing now that discussions have been tabled. I supported a plus-one model because I think it would eliminate some of the confusion and controversy that seems to engulf college football every winter, not to mention add even more excitement to the postseason bonanza. But I realize even that system would not always be perfect.

I also like the fact that the regular season carries so much significance. People criticize Delany for drawing such a hard line, but it's hard to argue with his stance that every week feels like a mini-playoff in college football, especially when the season enters November.

I don't believe a plus-one would greatly undermine the current bowl structure, but I understand the Big Ten's symbiotic relationship with the Rose Bowl.

If all that sounds wishy-washy, maybe it is. In a perfect world, I would love to see a playoff in college football and the crowning of a true champion -- or the closest thing to it.

But I also realize it's not going to happen anytime soon, so why not move on for now and enjoy the sport for all that it is.