I don’t know of anyone who does not believe the BCS can not be improved.  At the very least the current system can be given a long term plan. 

Here are the ideal I used to guide my concepts:

• Maintain the current scheduling limits.
  • Stay within the current December 19th through the second Monday in January postseason window.
  • Do not allow any team to participate in more than 16 games total.
  • Do not reduce the current length of the regular season.
• Increase consensus at the cutoff.
  • Allow all undefeated teams to participate.
  • Keep the number of teams small.
  • Use gaps in the BCS standings rather than ordinal values to determine eligibility.
• Add transparency to the high profile decision making process.
  • Explicitly specify what warrants a particular contractual designation.
  • Explicitly state how changes in designation are handled.
• Restore college football traditions.
  • New Year's Day once was a celebration of elite college football.
  • Bowl timing once represented each bowl's level of prestige.
  • Conference and bowl tie-ins once had a competitive incentive.
• Minimize impact on existing structures.
  • Improve the significance of bowl conference tie-ins.
  • Do not interfere with the regular season or conference championship games.
  • Define a concrete role for bowls outside the BCS.

I have designed a system that attains all these goals.  It is possible that, as an outsider, I have failed to consider key aspects of the design.  The current contracts run through the 2013 season, so I designed a plan to produce the best possible system for 2014, even if these ideals are found to be wanting.

• To implement any format enhancements for 2014 the necessary contracts will need to be finalized in 2013.
• To finalize contracts for 2013 the format enhancements will need to be selected in 2012.
• To have format enhancements ready for 2012 it will be necessary to systematically evaluate proposals in 2011.
• To systematically evaluate proposals for 2011 a rubric defining enhancement will be needed in 2010.
• To establish the ideals that define enhancement for 2010 the people organizing this process should be selected presently.

The details of my ideas are secondary to the necessity of this plan if the goal is to make a change in the current system by 2014.  Tomorrow I will discuss who I think should participate in the championship tournament and will follow this with how these ideas can be practically implemented.

On July 12th the BCS responded to a business plan submitted on July 2nd promoting this plan:

Dear Ben,

Chancellor Perlman has received your detailed proposal and has asked me to respond to you.   I can’t begin to imagine how much time you’ve invested in the project!   Thank you very much.

You are one of the few who has actually provided a business plan, although at first look, I did not observe an evaluation of the effect of your plan on the finances of college football overall, on the non-BCS bowls, and on the student-athletes’ bowl experience.  I also did not read an evaluation of the effect on regular-season scheduling, and an evaluation of how the uncertain number of teams in the bracket each year would effect the other bowls and television.  Given the level of detail that you’ve provided, perhaps I missed those.

As you know, the conferences have agreed that the present formula will continue through the bowl games of January, 2014.  I’m certain that all realistic proposals will be given a full review when the time is right.

Thank you again for your interest in college football in general and in the BCS in particular.

Best regards,

Bill

Bill Hancock, Administrator

Bowl Championship Series

On August 24th I submitted a new business plan that included an appendix specifically addressing these issues that are known to be important to the BCS:

• Enhance the value of the regular season
• Restore the value of the bowl tradition
• Respect the travel costs of fans
• Reduce controversy to a manageable level
• Respect the established postseason time period
• Improve the financial strength of college football as a whole
• Improve the financial strength of the bowl system
• Enhance the student athlete’s bowl experience
• Improve the academic success of the students
• Improve the financial success of proven championship contenders
• Be legal
• Respect the health of the players due to extra games

Any viable plan should specifically address all these points.