BCS Meetings: How Jim Delany's Plan Would Have Affected SEC Teams in the BCS Era

Another day, another report on how the new college football four-team playoff will be formatted.

According to a report from CBSSports.com, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said that one proposal that is being considered is a plan that gives automatic bids to conference champions in the top six of the BCS (or yet-to-be determined replacement) standings. If there aren't four conference champions in the top six, at-large bids would be handed out to the highest-ranked teams until the field of four is full.

I've been very vocal about my opposition to automatic bids for conference champions, but Delany's plan is quite intriguing. It would still maintain the integrity of the regular season ("earning it on the field"), while crowning a true national champion (also "earning it on the field").

How would Delany's plan impact SEC teams during the BCS era? Let's examine:

2011: No. 2 Alabama Would Have Been in (No. 1 LSU Won the SEC Championship)

The eventual national champion Alabama Crimson Tide would have still had the opportunity to hoist the crystal football under Delany's plan. No. 1 LSU, No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 5 Oregon were the three conference champions in the top six, and Alabama would have slid into that at-large spot ahead of No. 4 Stanford.

2008: No. 4 Alabama Would Not Have Been in (No. 2 Florida Won the SEC Championship)

BCS leaders have already determined that there won't be Automatic Qualifier (AQ) status in the next format, and that would have hurt Alabama in 2008. The Crimson Tide lost to Florida in the SEC Championship game, but they still finished the season ranked No. 4. The Tide would have been left at home by virtue of No. 5 USC and No. 6 Utah both winning their respective conference titles.

In addition to Alabama, No. 3 Texas would also have been left out of the postseason.

2006: No. 4 LSU Would Not Have Been in (No. 2 Florida Won the SEC Championship)

The Tigers finished in the top four, but they would have fallen victim to Delany's conference champion mandate. No. 5 USC won the Pac-10 and No. 6 Louisville won the Big East, and both teams would have jumped LSU and participated in the playoff.

2002: No. 3 Georgia Would Have Been in (SEC Champions)

The Bulldogs won the SEC title with one loss, but they finished No. 3 in the BCS behind No. 1 Miami (Fla.) and No. 2 Ohio State—both of which were undefeated. Under virtually every four-team playoff model—including Delany's plan—the Bulldogs would have had the chance to play for the national title.

1999: No. 4 Alabama Would Have Been in (SEC Champions)

The 1999 edition of the Crimson Tide topped Florida in the SEC Championship game, and they finished the season ranked No. 4 in the BCS. The Tide lost to Tennessee that season, who finished ranked No. 5, and also was shocked at home by Louisiana Tech. It would have been interesting to see how voters would have viewed those two losses had the No. 4 spot been so precious in 1999.

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