Swinging the Balance of Power

Responding to a question on whether or not the recent announcement that two BCS commissioners (Mike Tranghese, Tom Hansen) and Notre Dame's AD Kevin White are leaving and/or retiring will better the chances for a college football playoff, Stewart Mandel of SI says probably not. Mandel suggests that the deck is so far stacked among the remaining commissioners against a playoff that even if the incoming replacements were in favor of a playoff, it would like not "swing the balance of power."

I wonder... if Tranghese in particular was a driving force - a leadership force - for keeping the BCS, removing that influence may have more of an effect than we realize. Mandel may be right when he writes that commissioners "act primarily as mouthpieces for their member schools' presidents and chancellors". That said, it seems there is growing support among institutions, if not the overwheming support that exists among fans, to see a post-season championship playoff.

I imagine that the timing to retire for Tranghese and Hansen was well designed to ensure one last extension of the current BCS system.