Well, it looks like two things are probably going to happen:
1) The BCS as we know it is going away and support for a more objective post season is taking shape.
2) Bowl games, on the whole, will probably start decreasing and be harder to get into
Two big TV consultants have been hired by the BCS to help price the new models.
http://dennis-dodd.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/35007658
The meltdown when we win 8 games and don't go bowling in the future will be pretty great.
I doubt it gets that high. I'm just guessing they bump it up to seven wins, minimum. Otherwise, ESPN will throw a fit because the increase in bowl games means increase in inventory.
That eliminates seven bowl games from last year's schedule. There were 35 total, including the national title game. This would bring it back to 28.
Also, the Pac-12/Big Ten alliance will mean that some of those teams will schedule less patsies, therefore, you probably lose a few more desirable teams as well.
If we go to a "Plus One" format, and Larry Scott and Delany get what they want in school hosted games sans the national title game, the bowls that get screwed are the current BCS games. If the Big Ten and Pac-12 champs play in the "Plus One" format, it renders the Rose Bowl worthless. That's the first step towards the ultimate playoff.
Here's what's going to happen. They're going to go to a "Plus One" format. It will generate an obscene amount of money. Lesser bowl games will start dropping off because of increased standards and a lack of profitability (due to lesser TV money that's spent on the playoff). They'll realize in the next round of TV negotiations that if they expand the Plus One format, they'll make ludicrous money. So, that will take more teams out of the bowl equation and into the playoff format. Then they'll realize they'll make even more money if they expand the playoff further, and it will ultimately mirror exactly what they're doing in FCS and D2.
This move is the death of the bowl system. It won't be immediate, but it will happen. It causes a domino effect that dries up the quality of the bowls and ultimately the money they generate. Eventually, bowl games will be more regionally based games for 3rd and 4th place conference teams because the quality of those matchups will be good enough that it will generate enough TV money to be profitable, and fans can get there with minimal cost. So, for us, the Texas bowl games will probably be most of our tie ins. Maybe some Arizona ones. Bowls like the Holiday Bowl and Las Vegas Bowl will survive because people want to go there to sandwich a vacation around a football game.
It will have more far reaching impacts to smaller conferences that are not involved in the playoff, but that's a different conversation. People are looking at this like it's a BCS restructure, but once you go down this road, there's no going back. A true 16 team playoff is inevitable because the money is there and you can justify it because the NCAA currently makes it work with lower levels.
