James E. Delaney

Big Ten Conference

1500 W. Higgins Road

Park Ridge, IL 6006

Paul Mueller & Vivian Irick

University of South Florida St. Petersburg


140 Seventh Ave South

St. Petersburg, FL 33701
727.873.4USF

Dear Commissioner Delaney,

The 2008 Mid-Winter Meetings are fast approaching, and one of the issues slated for discussion is a familiar one: The postseason format status. In recent years, the Big Ten conference has sternly opposed the adoption for any form of a playoff system, and with sufficient reason.

In an effort to silence BCS critics while protecting the sanctity of the NCAA and its member universities, a comprehensive but practical plus-one format will be proposed for consideration.

To make positive strides while protecting the purities and traditions of college football, your help and support is critical. We do not want to change the current BCS system, which you favor so fervently. We do, however, wish to establish a true national championship game via a plus-one amendment.

Our amendment maintains the BCS remain the same, ranking teams as they do now to set up the postseason bowl match-ups that make college football so unique. The Rose Bowl, cherished by the Big Ten and fans alike, will be unaffected by the plus-one amendment both historically and financially. Tradition is paramount in college football, and the Rose Bowl embodies that tradition.

The Rose Bowl currently rotates among the five BCS bowls to host that national championship. In the proposed amendment, the Rose Bowl will rotate among those same five bowls to host BCS playoff games, of which there will be two, featuring the top four teams in the BCS standings. Rather than host the national championship once every five years, the Rose Bowl will have a national playoff game twice every five years, bringing more national attention by making it a factor in determining the national champion twice as often.

The two playoff games set up the national championship game. The winners of the two playoff bowls play in the Championship Bowl, which NCAA universities will lobby to host each year, just as the Super Bowl rotates among prospective NFL cities.

The amendment will be discussed in-depth at the upcoming Mid-Winter Meetings.

Our goal is to better the game of college football, and we are eager to hear your feedback in January toward this amendment to achieve this end. Thank you for your time, and good luck in the Rose Bowl.

Sincerely,

Paul Mueller

Vivian Irick

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