COLLEGE STATION – The Big 12 and Southeastern Conference, in formulation for a destiny in a wild, furious universe of college football and a elaborating landscape, offering an eye-opening stipulation Friday: a showdown pitting a league’s tip teams.
The absolute leagues announced a five-year understanding for their pretension winners to accommodate in a postseason competition starting Jan. 1, 2015, “unless one or both are comparison to play in a new four-team indication to establish a inhabitant championship,” according to a release.
So what does Friday’s proclamation meant in a grand scheme? By major a stream play system, it continues a change toward 4 super conferences of 16 teams, as leagues (and programs) hasten to not be left out of a new order.
The Big 12 and SEC also have done it transparent that a bowls’ longtime hold on college football’s postseason is diminishing, generally with a four-team playoff scheduled to start in 2014.
Model in place
The Rose Bowl has prolonged offering a identical setup as Friday’s explanation with a Big Ten and Pac-12 champions. Considering some of a nation’s tip powers reside in a SEC and Big 12 – a SEC has won a final 6 inhabitant titles, and a Big 12′s Texas and Oklahoma any possess inhabitant championships in a past dozen years – a dual discussion champions expected will frequency accommodate in a new game.
An annexation comes with a SEC/Big 12 agreement, however: Should one or both of a joining champions be a part of a new four-team playoff, “another honourable group from a conference(s) would be comparison for a game.”
Meaning a leagues wouldn’t indispensably select a second-place finishers, though maybe a many alluring offers (top draws Texas or Oklahoma, for instance) for a new competition that’s an early storm in what’s moulding adult as presumably a post-Bowl Championship Series, new super discussion epoch of college football.
The normal play radio ratings forsaken to a low in a 14-year story of a BCS this past season, according to a investigate by a Birmingham News. Bowl assemblage also dipped next an normal of 51,000 for a initial time given 1979, a News reported.
Money a pivotal issue
Meanwhile a Rose Bowl, consistently one of a tip draws of a postseason both on TV and in a stands, has flourished with a identical setup of what a Big 12 and SEC announced on Friday.
Where a new diversion will be played is to be determined, though it’s protected to contend income will play a pivotal purpose in a site (or sites). Just as a financial prospects no doubt played an major cause in a appearance of a Big 12/SEC showdown.
“I’m unequivocally vehement about this partnership between a dual tip football conferences in a country,” Texas jaunty executive DeLoss Dodds said.
Less than a year ago, a Big 12 teetered on extinction, after Texas AM and Missouri bolted for a SEC, following a paths in 2010 of Nebraska (Big Ten) and Colorado (Pac-12).
But Big 12 leaders UT and Oklahoma joined to save a league, and Friday’s news served as a primary instance that a Big 12 has positioned itself as one of a few truly absolute football leagues.
“In addition, we’re in a routine of formulating one of a tip TV deals in college sports,” Dodds said. “The Big 12 is strong, fast and united.”
Added SEC commissioner Mike Slive: “A new Jan play tradition is born. This new diversion will yield a good matchup between a dual many successful conferences in a BCS era, and will element a sparkling postseason atmosphere combined by a new four-team model.”
brent.zwerneman@chron.com twitter.com/brentzwerneman