My concept

1) The six conference champions that receive automatic bids to BCS bowls automatically make my tournament.

2) Just like the BCS bowls, a champion of another conference that qualifies will also qualify for my tourney.

3) The top three (if there are seven automatic conference champion qualifiers) or four (if there are six automatic conference champion qualifiers) ranked teams among the remaining teams will receive at-large bids. I do not limit conferences to a max of two teams like the BCS bowls do.

4) Some changes to the tournament bracket seedings and match-ups will be performed so that regular season re-matches will not occur until the semi-finals.

5) The weekend of the Heisman trophy and Army-Navy game, seeds 7 vs 10 and seeds 8 vs 9 will play. Games will not be played on home fields, but the higher seeded conference champion will receive a regional advantage.

For instance, last season (2008), the 7/10 match-up was Texas Tech (at large from the Big 12) versus Virginia Tech (ACC champ). Although VTU was a lower seed, as a conference champ, I selected Charlotte as the game site. The two sites I considered were Charlotte and Charlottesville. Due to the approximate equal distance from the VTU campus, I seleced Charlotte because as a airline hub, I felt it allowed TTU fans better access to attend the game on short notice. The 8/9 match-up was Penn State (Big 10 champ) versus Cincinnati (Big East champ). For Penn State, the natural sites for the first round game were the NFL stadia in Philly and Pittsburgh, and I selected Heinz (although its infamous turf may not have been able to take it) because of its proximity to Cincy (maybe a nice river boat ride for Bearcat fans).

6) On the day when BCS bowl match-ups are made, the top six seeds are assigned to the four BCS bowls (Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Orange). The top two seeds will await the results of the two first round games to know who their opponent will be.

7) The four bowls will receive the opportunity to select or pass on the quarter final games based on conference tie-ins. For instance, this season, one matchup is #1 Alabama versus the Ohio State/Georgia Tech winner. With the SEC champ involved, the Sugar Bowl would get the option to select this as their game or pass for another.

8) The winners of the four BCS bowls will meet in a semi-finals at a domed site, called "Football's Final Four." Right now, nine sites rotate to host the semi-finals: San Antonio, Dallas, St Louis, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Detroit, Atlanta, St Petersburg, and Syracuse. I like the single site because I think selling tickets for this will be a no-brainer (I see football fans buying tix without the knowledge of the teams involved like basketball fans do for the final four) and it allows northern schools to get some opportunity to play close to home. I live in Indianapolis, and the last time the semis were at the RCA Dome, the teams that would have played in my tourney were Oklahoma vs USC and Ohio State vs Georgia (it was the year OSU won it with Maurice Clarett). Even though that Saturday would have been bitterly cold, I don't think OSU fans would have allowed any seats to remain cold.

9) The championship game would then rotate among Pasadena, Glendale AZ, New Orleans, and Miami, just as the BCS championship does.

10) Another of my rules is that teams cannot have more than one game with a home state advantage. For instance, this season with my championship game in Pasadena, I would not have allowed USC to play in the Rose Bowl because of the chance that they might get a final game home state advantage.

11) Teams in the final four will not participate in spring football because of the increased length of their season