Frequently asked questions about the new college football playoff

We have ourselves a four-team college football playoff, which is something we basically had last week and something we knew we were going to get months ago. That shouldn't stop you from singing and dancing in the streets, and hugging a university president or two. Playoffs > BCS, every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Rejoice, even if you've been rejoicing for awhile now.

While you're singing and dancing and hugging, you may also be asking questions. Here are some answers to the most common ones.

When can we expect bracket creep to happen? Four teams are nice, but eight teams are nicer.

2026. Seriously. The next television deal will be for 12 years, and it will begin when the current BCS television deal runs out in 2014.

So we have two more years of the BCS? Barf!

Ditto barf.

How will the four teams be chosen?

Selection committee.

I am skeptical and, as a Boise State fan, paranoid. How can I be sure that the committee uses rational criteria and that the committee does not include Craig James?

The selection committee is expected to factor in strength of schedule, head-to-head records, and win-loss records, with preference to conference champions. There will likely be 20 conference commissioners and school athletic directors on the committee, so fingers crossed for Karl Benson.

Where will these playoff games be played?

The semifinals will rotate among six different sites, probably including the current four BCS spots (Sugar, Rose, Fiesta, Orange), the Cotton Bowl, and a TBD location that is definitely not the Idaho Potato Bowl.

The championship game will go to the highest bidder. Congratulations, Jerry Jones!

Sounds like everyone is going to get rich. How rich?

The playoff is expected to double the current money of the BCS, which would mean no less than $300 million. How that money gets split is still to be determined, although Ralph Russo sees things going this way:

... the five power conferences (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and Pac-12) will get more than the others. The Big East no longer will get a big share, but how much smaller will it be?

Well, I'm just happy that Boise State will finally have a chance to prove its worth in a playoff. You know, settle things on the field instead of on a computer or in a boardroom. This changes everything!

Well ...

Your turn

What do you think about the criteria for this four-team playoff? What questions do you have? Share your thoughts in the comments.