I know it’s way too premature to start booking tickets to Phoenix, AZ or Dallas, TX for New Year’s but this is a great article on how the New Year’s 6 Bowls (as they are now called) are put together. Much like the BCS, it’s still very much a cartel. However, there is certainly room for BYU if they get into the top 10 or so of the rankings. (And remember – that’s top 10 of the new College Football Playoff rankings, not the AP or Coaches Poll. We keep hearing this independent panel of 13 experts may not align with the rankings).

The other interesting caveat is that the “group of 5,” i.e., the non power 5 conferences, automatically get a team in. In the BCS system a team from that group had to attain a certain ranking. That is no longer the case. The team selected may be the 33rd best team in America but they will still be one of the 12 participants.

Great article from Jerry Palm of CBS. You’ve probably read him before when it pertains to ranking, the BCS computers, etc. The article is two weeks old but is still relevant and gives a fantastic break down of how the new system works.

How BYU gets to play in a big six bowl