Consensus reached on BCS playoff system

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CHICAGO, June 20 (UPI) -- A college football national champion would be determined by a four-team, seeded playoff under a plan announced Wednesday by college football officials.

The Bowl Championship Series commissioners, along with Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick, announced a broad agreement had been reached to institute the playoff system starting with the 2104 season.

The idea -- which would replace the current computer ranking arrangement -- still needs approval from the BCS presidential oversight committee, which will meet next week.

"We are excited to be on the threshold of creating a new post-season structure for college football that builds on the great popularity of our sport," the BCS commissioners and Swarbrick said in a joint statement. "We take our responsibility to our universities, our presidents, and to student-athletes seriously and we're determined to make this great sport even more popular."

"The [playoff] model we have come away with is a consensus ... I am delighted," SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said.

Under such a playoff system, bowl games such as the Rose, Fiesta, Sugar and Orange bowls could serve as the semifinals for a national championship game.