As far as having 3 teams from the same conference, they can easily put a rule in that if there are 3 in the top 4 of the poll, the #5 team gets in.
Moiraine, how is that fair, to the #4 or #3 team left out?
It's "fair" because they've already lost to one of the other teams in the playoff and the #5 team might be an undefeated team like Oklahoma State last year. I put fair in quotes because there's no such thing as a perfect system. You mention a non subjective way to determine it. That doesn't exist. The BCS is pollsters and computers. I'm guessing (though I obviously don't know) that they'll use the BCS and have some stipulations like what I mentioned.
But if the #5 team were clearly lackluster in comparison to whatever team gets left out - which may be either #3 or #4...
You're right, though, there's no perfect way to do it. And the BCS does use poll #s, so it factors in the human component. However, the result
is non-subjective. The BCS condenses everything it uses as factors into one output number. If there are imperfections in its weighting algorithms, that methodology can be released openly and subject to debate. However, the rules are set and clearly defined. If a team didn't make the cut, it can be clearly seen why.
If there is even a tiny bit of "purely subjective argument" introduced to a committee decision, then all this is thrown out the window and made worthless. If a team doesn't make the cut, why? Because an eloquent speaker made a passionate 15-minute case for another team? Because it was put up to a human vote and a few guys (whose sympathies might forever be questioned) overruled another?