Cowboys Stadium could host FBS national title game

The first-ever FBS national championship could be played in Dallas.

Dallas Competing With New Orleans, Atlanta For Champions Bowl

College Football Playoffs: Big 12 Won't Miss Out On Top Bowls If They Miss Playoffs

The Texas Longhorns and their fans are still trying to wrap their heads around the new college football playoffs, as is the rest of the country. As more news begins to trickle out, it seems that this new system will actually give Big 12 teams even more opportunities than before.

Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports reports that the five biggest conferences -- the Big 12, the Pac-12, the SEC, the Big Ten and the ACC -- will have the right to replace conference champions outside of the Top 12 in the national polls in high-profile bowl games. Which means that even if a Big 12 team should miss out on one of the four playoff spots, they'll still have a chance to be inserted into a well-known bowl game at the end of the year.

Perhaps unfair to the smaller conferences, but certainly good news for teams in the "Big Five."

For lots more information on the Texas Longhorns, please visit Burnt Orange Nation or head on over to Barking Carnival. For more news on the Big 12 and the new college football playoff format, check out SB Nation's college football page.

Big 12 Expansion: Big East Left Without Automatic Qualifier For College Football Playoff

What was speculated last week has now become reality, as the Big East's champion will not be among the teams receiving an automatic bid into college football's new playoff system, which goes into effect for the 2014 season.

This news comes after the Orange Bowl announced a 12-year partnership with the ACC, allowing the ACC's champion automatic entry into the playoff system.

Despite the fact that the BCS bowl system is being phased out, the playoff system looks like it'll reflect something very similar. As it stands, the Big Ten and Pac-12 champions will still meet in the Rose Bowl -- something that could very well be a national semifinal game. The SEC and Big 12 champions will play in their new Champions Bowl, again, something that could be a national semifinal game.

An ACC team, if in title contention, could use the Orange Bowl as one of the semifinals as well, leading up to the national title game.

The Big East, however, is without a bowl tie-in once the college football playoffs start, which could very well drive some institutions out of the conference.

Big 12 Expansion: Potential Big East Targets, Thanks To The College Football Playoff

College football's new playoff system has left the Big East potentially a mess. As we told you on Wednesday here at SB Nation Dallas, the Big East champion is no longer guaranteed a spot in one of the six major bowls, and thus, could be left out of the postseason in college football.

Obviously, this must be somewhat alarming for schools in the Big East, even if the conference is basketball heavy.

The Big 12 has already poached one Big East school in West Virginia, and one would-be Big East school in TCU. Interim commissioner Chuck Neinas and the 10 athletic directors in the conference have already stated that they're satisfied with 10 schools in the conference, but, if expansion made sense, the conference would look to expand back to 12 schools.

It turns out, unsurprisingly, that the Big 12 still covets Notre Dame, who is a Big East member for basketball and baseball. It's unlikely that the Fighting Irish would give up football independence, so having Notre Dame as a full-member of the Big 12 seems like something of a pipe dream.

There are only two institutions that make sense for the Big 12, if they're looking to grab a school from the Big East: Louisville, and the incoming Boise State. Louisville would make sense geographically, and Boise State would make a lot more geographic sense in the Big 12 rather than the Big East.

The Cardinals would bring a decent football program to the conference, and would bring an excellent basketball program. Boise State's main attraction, obviously, would be football, and there could be some sort of cutesy rivalry with fellow former Cinderella TCU.

Beyond those two schools, it doesn't seem like there's much for the Big 12 to poach from in the Big East. We'll see if realignment talks spark up over the summer, now that the playoff system is known.

TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson Likes New Playoff Format

TCU Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson is a fan of the new four-team college football playoff, and He joined SportsCenter to talk about the new system that will be in place for the 2014 regular season:

I like the [playoff] system, one of the things I have been a big advocate is that I did not want to loss the bowl system I think it is the one part of college football that gives back to the student athletes, Patterson said. The experience of going ... to San Diego and be a part of it for three or four days.

I also believe it gives people those people out there that want to see a true champion with a four-team playoff where you actually play it off and then you have a national championship game and go do it. It gives eveyone what they want. [...] I think it is as good an answer that we could come up with that we have had in a long time.

Patterson felt that it was the best of both worlds of a playoff and bowl system, because players that are in the semifinal games still get the same bowl experience while being part of the playoff.

The only thing that Patterson would like changed in the playoff is to expand it to six teams and give the top two teams a bye to the semifinal round.

For more news on the new college football playoff format, check out SB Nation's college football page, and for everything on TCU visit Frogs O' War.

Big 12 Expansion: College Football Playoff Leaves Big East Out Of The Picture

College football changed forever on Tuesday, as conference commissioners and university presidents agreed to a four-team playoff system which will begin in 2014.

The playoff system will feature six bowls -- and many of them, we're already familiar with.

There will be three contract bowls -- the Champions Bowl, which is a partnership between the Big 12 and SEC, the Rose Bowl, which has a longstanding tradition between the Big Ten and Pac 12, and a bowl to be determined for the ACC, which is likely to continue its partnership with the Orange Bowl.

The three other bowls, called "access bowls," have yet to be determined, but the decision will force the Sugar Bowl and Fiesta Bowl to become bidders.

Further, the national championship game will go to the highest bidder. Hey, at least the NCAA is being honest about that it cares about in this instance -- money.

It's important to note, however, that the Big East appears to be left holding the bag.

Tuesday's decision possibly could squeeze the Big East out of the postseason, as its champion is no longer guaranteed a spot in one of the six major bowls.

Without a guaranteed spot, in the playoff picture, the Big East suddenly looks a lot less enticing to football-centric schools, such as Boise State, which is preparing to move to the Big East. It almost certainly rules out the half-baked idea that Notre Dame will become a Big East member in all sports -- not that anybody still thought that, with the Irish moving Olympic sports to the Big 12.

We'll see what rumors surface in the coming weeks regarding conference realignment, but it looks as though the playoff puts us one half-step closer to superconferences.

College Football Playoff: The BCS Is Officially Dead, As The Four-Team Format Is Approved

The "Death to the BCS" is complete: A four-team playoff format to determine college football's national champion starting with the 2014 season was officially approved on Tuesday night. A presidential oversight committee of 12 college presidents reviewed a presentation of the three-game, four-team format submitted by a group of 11 conference commissioners as well as Notre Dame's athletic director.

In addition to the two-team format of the BCS going away, so too will its often controversial ratings system. Among the details released at a press conference in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday evening is that a selection committee, the makeup of which is to be determined, will choose the four teams without a requirement of a conference championship.

Relevant to Dallas, there's now room for two new "BCS level" bowls: A rotation of six bowl games will share hosting duties for the two semifinal games and a neutral site for the title game. Those six bowls were not named, and currently only four bowls - the Fiesta, Rose, Sugar and Orange - are members of the BCS. The proposed deal will extend for 12 years, through the 2025 season.

While Tuesday's announcement made the four-team, three-game playoff format official, there are many questions that have not been answered, specifically who the committee will be comprised of, how they'll select teams and how the revenue of the three-game playoff will be distributed.

For more news on the new college football playoff format, check out SB Nation's college football page.

College Football Playoffs: Four-Team Playoff Is Not The End Game

If you're one of the many sports fans looking for a conclusion and an end to the college football playoff speculation madness, don't expect one to come soon -- despite the fact that a four-team playoff system is likely to be finalized later this week.

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott has a word for those fans: naive.

"Anyone who thinks going to a four-team playoff, or a Plus One, is going to end the controversy, they're naive,"Pac-12Commissioner Larry Scott told the Times following Wednesday's meeting. "Unless you go to an eight, or 16-team playoff, and I don't see that happening in the foreseeable future, you're going to have debate."

Scott is correct. A four-team playoff system is a great step in the right direction, but it is in no way the end game. Lots of money will be made from the playoff system as currently proposed, and even more money can be made in an eight, or 16 team playoff system.

As currently proposed, the system would rotate around six bowls, likely the four BCS games as we know it, and two other attractive venues. The national championship venue would be left to the highest bidders -- and we know already that Jerry Jones would be in the running to bring the title game to his Death Star in Dallas.

We all know that college athletics, in a hypocritical state, is dominated by money. With more money to be made by expanding the playoff system in the future, you can bet on it. Expansion would serve a two-fold purpose; not only would expansion make money, but it would allow more teams to compete in the playoff system, further legitimizing the national champion, and, reducing the cries of the 'snubbed' schools.

We'll soon have concrete details of the new playoff system -- but don't get used to it. It might only be around for a couple of years.

College Football Playoffs: Jerry Jones Preparing To Bid On Championship Game

Jerry Jones is looking to make Cowboys Stadium the host site for the national championship game of the proposed four-team college football playoff, assuming presidents of BCS schools decide to bid out the game as expected. According to Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys owner has formed a non-profit entity.

BCS nugget via a source: the Cotton Bowl, Dallas Cowboys and Cowboys Stadium have formed non-profit entity to bid on national title games.

— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) June 21, 2012

Carlton's report confirms the suspicions of Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples:

Expect Jerry Jones to promise each conference its own oil well to get the title game at his palace in Arlington, Texas. Essentially, a look at recent Super Bowl sites should provide a good idea as to where the title games will be played.

While bowl games--more than likely the Rose, Sugar, Orange and Fiesta--will likely serve as the sites for the semifinals, Staples says that the sites won't be tied into the conference of the higher-seed playing in the game. More than likely, the sites will be determined a year ahead of time to avoid logistical concerns.

For more on all things Texas Longhorns, check out Burnt Orange Nation, and for all things TCU, check out Frogs O' War, and for all things Baylor, check out Our Daily Bears.

College Football Playoffs: BCS Commissioners Support Selection Committee To Choose Final Four

BCS commissioners have finally come to the consensus that college football needs a four-team playoff. Now, discussion turns toward selecting the field. According to Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel, the commissioners prefer using a selection committee, as the NCAA does for the men's basketball tournament, to determine the field over polls or computer formulas.

Via multiple sources, commissioners prefer a selection committee that picks "best four," emphasizes but not requires conference champions.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) June 20, 2012

While winning a conference championship would not be a playoff requirement, it can and likely will be a factor if selection committee is formed. CBSSports.com's Brett McMurphy also tweeted out that bowl games will very likely be used to host the semifinals rather than on-campus sites.

For more on all things Texas Longhorns, check out Burnt Orange Nation, and for all things TCU, check out Frogs O' War, and for all things Baylor, check out Our Daily Bears.

College Football Playoffs: Consensus Reached On Four-Team Playoff

A consensus has been reached on a four-team playoff system in college football.