The Bowl Championship Series’ two-team per conference limit could be up for discussion as the BCS nears another round of television negotiations.
Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive was asked during a teleconference Tuesday about the possibility of the BCS changing its rules to allow more than two teams from a conference to play in the five most lucrative bowl games in a year.
He didn’t say if he would support a change, but did indicate that it might be considered by the conference commissioners.
“I do know this: That Bill Hancock has put together a list of issues that he believes the commissioners and the BCS bowl oversight committee ought to be looking at as the BCS develops a position on upcoming negotiations. I think that’s one of them,” he said.
“I think there are going to be several issues that are important enough to have serious discussion about, and that would be one of them.”
Slive and Texas A&M President R. Bowen Loftin were answering questions about the Aggies’ move to the SEC.
In an email to The Associated Press, Hancock declined to discuss Slive’s comments or elaborate on what other possible changes to the BCS he’d like to see the commissioners address.
“The commissioners are committed to making the BCS the best it can be,” Hancock wrote. “It’s very good now. Just what ’making it the best’ might entail will be evaluated in a thoughtful and deliberate process over the next six or eight months.”
A BCS bid will be worth about $22 million to an automatic qualifying conference this season and an additional at-large bid would net those leagues another $6.1 million. The limit was first set when the BCS was implemented in 1999 and there were only four games _ the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta and Orange bowls.
The BCS championship game was added for the 2006 season, bumping the total number of games to five and bids to 10.
Removing the two-team cap from the BCS selection process would likely be a boon for the SEC and the Big Ten.
Since the BCS was implemented in 1999, the Big Ten has received two BCS bids in a season 10 times. The SEC has gotten two BCS bids eight times. The Big 12 has received two BCS five times and the Pac-10 (now Pac-12) three times.
The Big East and Atlantic Coast Conference have never received two BCS bids in a season.
The Big Ten has grown to 12 teams, adding Nebraska this season. The SEC will have at least 13 teams starting next season with the addition of Texas A&M.
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