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“I think there's some belief that ACC would play three divisions, have two highest-ranked play in postseason,” said Bob Bowlsby, chairman of the new NCAA Football Oversight Committee. “Really, nobody cares how you determine your champion. It should be a conference-level decision.

Planter's Punch wrote:First I have heard of the ACC wanting to have 3 divisions. I have heard them wanting to make the move so that the two highest ranked teams at the end of the year play in the championship game rather than the division champions. It makes sense for ratings, because in some recent years, the Coastal division has been lacking while the Atlantic division has had most of the top teams for the year. Three divisions sounds like a headache, waiting for the other P5 conferences to poach teams they want. But hey, I would be happy for SMU to join that headache and gain the exposure and revenue.

First I've heard as well, and I would discount it. There would still be a decent chance of the two highest-rated teams being stuck together in one of the three division

"I'm fairly confident we'll act to put in place a tiebreaker that will determine our champion," said Bowlsby. "That will eliminate one of the variables from last year."

Bowlsby continues to champion an NCAA proposal his league and the ACC have put forward that would "deregulate" conference championship games, eliminating the longstanding 12-team, two-division requirement. The change is widely considered a formality but must first wind its way through the NCAA legislative maze -- from the Division I Football Oversight Committee to the FBS legislative council. Realistically, the earliest it could be adopted is October, with an intent to go into effect for the 2016 season.

"Should a league be forced into (expanding) in order to (get into the playoff)?" Bowlsby said. "If anybody among the FBS institutions or other conferences had any objections to us deregulating that rule, this situation should have made that objection go away. Otherwise, the other (conferences) are clearly dictating what we do."

The only reason the Big 12 hasn't already determined a formal tiebreaker policy is the debate bogged down when it got beyond two-way ties. Bowlsby said three-way ties (and more) would be solved during two sets of league meetings in May. The league's athletic directors and coaches meet next week in Phoenix; presidents and chancellors meet later in the month.

Bowlsby declined to outline potential options for solving three-way ties.

"There's more than one way to skin a cat," he said Bowlsby. "Probably the simplest is to get to two as soon as possible and then use head-to-head."