College football is moving toward a playoff, but slowly, as usual

It took from 1869 ? the first game between Rutgers and Princeton ? until last April to even contemplate a sort-of, kind-of, half-baked playoff.

Glaciers have moved faster than college football.

So don't get steamed or act surprised if we tell you a formal announcement of the four-team model proposed only weeks ago may not hit its target release date.

Following a late-April dispatch on BCS letterhead that included the words "we will present to our conferences a very small number of four-team options," it seemed logical to anoint June 20 as the day it might be ratified and forwarded to university presidents for a June 26 rubber stamp.

June 20 is Wednesday.

The commissioners are still meeting in Chicago and the presidents are still convening next week in Washington.

The tying up of strings, though, could continue after everyone was supposed to start summer vacation.

"The presidents may or may not make their final decision," BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock conceded this week about next week.

This is starting to feel like the rugby-scrum BCS title game, in which Louisiana State didn't cross midfield until the fourth quarter against Alabama.

What happened?

The commissioners left Florida locked in chorus-line unanimity on the four-team concept that, in 2014, would replace the controversial Bowl Championship Series, which inspired one book title that began with the words "Death to . . ."

The public rejoiced, yet the BCS neglected to include the important bailout qualifier, "pending a food fight between the distinguished decision makers . . ."

The underlying problem has always been that what is best for the Southeastern Conference is rarely what is also good for the Big Ten, Pac-12 or Rose Bowl.

The 11 BCS commissioners and Notre Dame thought they could amicably work out the four-team details.

The Big Ten and Pac-12, led by Jim Delany and Larry Scott, said emphasis should be given to conference champions, schedule strength and Rose Bowl preservation.

Why? Because, starting in 2017, the conferences will start beating each other up annually in a series of nonconference games, making the road to the national title more difficult.

The Pac-12 already plays a nine-game league schedule, compared with eight for SEC teams.

The SEC remains adamant that any playoff should not get caught up on "conference champion" labels.

Why?

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