Getting closer (finally) to a playoff

One national observer of this week’s shakeup in college athletics managed the following pearl of wisdom:

“This is nothing more than a money grab.”

Well, duh!

(Here’s another revelation: All of these conference changes are being driven with the state of football as the primary consideration.)

So much for the first chapter in “Moving to New Conferences For Dummies.”

If the Big XII (or is it X now?) is the proverbial sinking ship, Colorado — using the time-honored maxim of “gettin’ out while the gettin’ is good” — was the first “rat” to flee, becoming the 11th school in the Pac-10.

But give the bosses at CU credit — they knew if the Texas and Oklahoma schools bolted for the Pac-10, the Buffaloes would be in the same predicament expected to befall Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Iowa State and Baylor — namely, five schools that could form their own conference — the Irrelevant League.

Nebraska’s move to the Big 10 was also pre-emptive, and caused in no small part by the fact that NU administrators couldn’t get the same commitment from Texas and Missouri that they were willing to give.

Saturday’s Dallas Morning News reported that Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are expected to join the Pac-10.

That might not officially happen until Tuesday, but thus far in this process, where there’s been smoke there’s been fire.

It’s also being reported that Texas A&M could be headed to the SEC.

So, assuming all the moves that are being reported actually happen, we’re going to have a 12-team Big Ten and a 16-team Pac-10 sometime within the next two years.

And there’s a very real possibility the Big 10 and SEC could expand to 16 teams, as well.

If Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford isn’t sweating he ought to be. Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami and Clemson are prime candidates for the SEC.

And where does that leave the ACC and the Big East?

When the dust settles we could be left with anywhere from three to six super conferences in control of college football.

Don’t discount the Mountain West Conference, which could absorb the Big XII leftovers.

Which is why I believe Notre Dame eventually will join the Big 10. The Fighting Irish can’t survive as an independent in the BCS.

That — basically — leaves the Mid-American Conference, Western Athletic Conference, Conference USA and Sun Belt Conference to fend for themselves. Those leagues have been irrelevant in the national picture (except for Boise State) anyway.

And the Jim Delany’s of the world aren’t admitting it, but it seems fairly obvious that the eventual result of all these moves will be some form of a national football championship tournament.

If we end up with four super conferences, it’s pretty reasonable to formulate an eight-team playoff, even using the current BCS rankings system.

The key to getting a playoff is selling it to the college presidents, who hold the ultimate vote.

Their involvement and actions this week would seem to indicate they are closer to approving a playoff more than ever before.

Rob Todor is sports editor of The Vindicator. Email him at todor@vindy.com.