The BCS might not be instituting any full-fledged playoff system anytime soon, but the main stumbling blocks toward the playoff might be tumbling down. Bud Withers of the Seattle Times reports that athletic directors from the Big 10 and Pac-12 conferences have come to a consensus--they would agree to a plus one format that would pit the top four teams in the country against each other to determine a true national champion.
Of all the conferences, the Big 10 and Pac-12 have been the two most resistant to the playoff format because it would jeopardize the future of the Rose Bowl game and its traditional Big/Pac matchup. However, it appears that the Big 10 and Pac-12 would acquiesce to a "+1" format if the Rose Bowl game was assured to be between Big 10 and Pac-12 every year, with the Rose Bowl also getting the BCS title game every five years (the Cotton Bowl in Dallas would also be added to the BCS rotation). This can be put into place after 2014, when the current TV contract between ESPN and the BCS expires.
Of all the major bowl games, the New Year's Day event in Pasadena is clearly the marquee game, and it's great to see the Big Ten and Pac-12 work toward a compromise that satisfies the two parties and gives college football fans something closer to what they all want.