Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, June 27, 2012

Where were you on the day college football changed forever? Yes, Tuesday was one of those iconic days when we all will remember where we were at when the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee officially adopted a four-team playoff, set to begin in 2014.

Now here's a look at what some of the leading pundits think of the new postseason structure today. You know what I think; come tell me what you think in the comments box, by email to my mailbag, or via Twitter and Facebook. All of my contact info is at the end of this post.

Listen up: Tom Shatel of the Omaha World-Herald asks if people are embarrassed by Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman?s endorsement of the status quo and/or plus-one, they shouldn?t be.

Shatel insists Perlman has done a lot of good for Nebraska and was just making one last stand for the tradition of the sport by not immediately hopping on the playoff train with everyone else

It?s an interesting take. But I don?t think anyone can make a sane argument for the status quo or plus-one when given a four-team playoff option. If we weren?t going to have a playoff, then we should have just gone back to the pre-BCS days when bowls competed with each other to set up a title matchup.

Another take: The great Steve Sipple of the Lincoln Journal Star talked to Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman about the historic goings on yesterday. Did Perlman think his plea for a plus-one would sway momentum from a four-team playoff? He says ?no.?

There were no heated discussions among presidents yesterday. The four-team playoff passed with ease. But Perlman wanted to at least raise concerns about potential ?unintended consequences? of a four-team playoff.
It will be interesting to see in any of the fears of Perlman and others will be realized years from now.

Not quite there: Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com doesn?t think a playoff solves all problems.

He points out that the chasm between the haves and the have-nots has grown. The sport of college football is now basically run by four leagues-the Big Ten, SEC, Pac-12 and Big 12. The ACC has lost some luster. The Big East? Its chair at the big boy table has basically been yanked. And schools from lesser leagues? Well, the odds of any being selected for a four-team playoff seem remote.

So, honestly, access to a national title for schools like Boise State likely won?t be any better under a playoff format that figures to heavily weigh strength of schedule in the selection process.

The right move: Count Andy Staples of SI.com as one of those throwing confetti on Tuesday night to celebrate approval of a playoff.

Staples astutely points out that the playoff will preserve the bowls. But, how much prestige will they really have? The nation will be watching the playoff games. Why should they care about any other bowls?

And when bowls are hosting playoff games, will teams really want to take part in all of the pre-bowl festivities? I mean, this is serious business now. Is there time for pie eating contests when a national title is on the line? Imagine an NFL team going to Disneyland a few days before a playoff game.

Questions remain: Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com chimed in with a list on questions that need to be answered now that a playoff has been announced.

  • How will the four teams be selected?
  • Where will the games be played?
  • When will the games be played?
  • How will the money be divided?
  • How long before the approved playoff expands?
  • How much access will teams from smaller conferences have to get into the playoffs?

You get the picture.

Where's the parade? And, finally, this from the man who helped push this playoff ball down the track: Yahoo! Sports? Dan Wetzel. Despite the death to the BCS, Wetzel doesn?t seem overly joyous about the arrival of a playoff.

Oh, well. I am!

TWEETS THAT MATTER

My take: Ah, the freedom of advanced age!

My take: If it were up to me, I?d put Hlas on the committee in an Iowa minute! Or, I?d at least let him sharpen the pencils of the committee members.

My take: I?m with Pete. I wish they had started with an eight-team playoff. But, I understand the baby steps of progress. This is a start, but we will have to wait 12 years before possibly seeing the playoff field grow.

BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is on Twitter and Facebook, all of his work is at btn.com/tomdienhart, and you can subscribe to it all via his RSS feed. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below.

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