Here is my idea for a playoff proposal. I have tried to keep the # of teams from being to many to keep from drawing out the season to long, I don't think a lot of the school administrators would like to extend the season any more than necessary.
One of the basic rules of this is that if you don't win your conference you obviously aren't the best team in the country. This makes the regular season and every game mean something. I have also have kept the bowls in the system which most people say is important.
The winners of the 6 BCS conferences are automatically in. The 2 remaining teams would come from the highest ranking non BCS conferences or am independent like Notre Dame. In a rare case it is also possible for example to a have a conference to have co champions that have not played each other during the regular season and don't have a conference championship game. They would probaby be represented by the team with the highest ranking.
You would have a total of 7 games in the playoffs. Four in the first round, 2 in the second and then the championship game. Which ever bowls wanted to be included in the playoff would bid for the games, or they could rotate if they agree to that. The top 4 teams in the BCS rankings (from within the above framework) would play against the next 4 (remember they have to have won their conference). At least with this system every team in D1A would have a shot at the championship, as it is now if you are not in a BCS conference you can forget it, like Hawaii this year and Boise St and Utah in the past. Every team would have a least a chance, you win your games and you can get in.
So this year you would have something like this. (I am just guessing on which bowls would be involved) and the time frame. Some of the bowls would have to play a little earlier than they do now. network tv could also bid on the various games. Teams and bowls not in the playoff would do as they do now.
First round, could be played around Dec. 22nd
Ohio St vs USC in the Fiesta Bowl
LSU vs W. Virginia in the Cotton Bowl
V. Tech vs Hawaii in the Outback Bowl
Oklahoma vs BYU in the Capital One Bowl
Then lets say the second round might look like this and be played around Dec. 29th.
LSU vs USC in the Orange Bowl
Oklahoma vs V Tech. in the Sugar Bowl
Championship Game played maybe Jan. 5th
USC vs Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl