If Big Ten can keep Rose, Delany OK with no AQ

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany says he would support the elimination of automatic bids to the Bowl Championship Series as long as the teams from his league get to play in the Rose Bowl.

But if college football’s leaders want to turn the BCS into a four-team playoff, Delany plans to push back. And Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick would be on Delany’s side.

“As long as I can go to the Rose Bowl, I’m OK without automatic bids,” Delany said. “If Brit doesn’t want automatic bids, that’s fine with me. And if he doesn’t want me to have one, that’s OK, as long as I can go to Pasadena.”

Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky said automatic-bid status had become divisive. C-USA, which does not have an automatic bid, just lost three members — SMU, Houston and UCF — to the Big East, one of six conferences that has an automatic bid through the 2013 season.

The Mountain West Conference, which also is a non-AQ conference, is losing Boise State and San Diego State to the Big East.

There seems to be growing support for a plus-one entering into this round of BCS negotiations.

Count Delany and Swarbrick among those who fear that adding teams would be a slippery slope, with more teams added in ensuing seasons.

“That’s what happened in I-AA [football]. It’s what happened in the (NCAA) basketball tournament. It’s what would inevitably happen here,” Delany said. “I don’t necessarily think the slippery slope is theoretical. I think the slippery slope is practical.”