The group of university presidents and chancellors that oversees the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) has been expanded from its former eight members to 12 members, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman, the group's chair, announced last week.
The Presidential group will now include one representative from each of the 11 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences and Notre Dame-mirroring the composition of the group of commissioners and the Notre Dame athletics director who together manage the BCS. The Sun Belt Conference will be represented by WKU President Dr. Gary A. Ransdell.
"This is a good action for all 11 FBS conferences," said Ransdell. "It gives the Sun Belt Conference a larger voice in future BCS matters. It also affirms the role of responsibility that presidents must play in the governance of the Football Bowl Subdivision."
"This is an important step forward for the Sun Belt Conference and all 11 conferences affiliated with the BCS," said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Wright Waters. "Dr. Ransdell will have a crucial voice for the Sun Belt Conference on critical BCS issues and we are excited about his inclusion."
The group of college presidents and chancellors was formed in 2003 to oversee the management of the BCS. Originally it consisted of eight members-one representing each of the conferences that created the BCS arrangement in 1998, one representing Notre Dame, and one representing the other five conferences which officially joined the group in 2003.
"We have said all along that a 'seat at the BCS table' is an important step for our league to reach its full potential," said Sun Belt Conference Executive President Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Chancellor of Troy University. "Dr. Ransdell is a visionary leader and will be an excellent representative of the Sun Belt on this committee."
The BCS is a five-game arrangement for post-season college football that is managed by the 11 Bowl Subdivision conferences and Notre Dame. Its purpose is to match the two top-ranked teams in the final BCS standings in a national championship game and to create competitive match-ups in the four other BCS bowl games.
"We believe the event will be further enhanced by every conference having a seat at the presidents' table, just as it has benefitted from every commissioner being involved," Perlman said. "The group has always operated by consensus, and that will continue.
"This is a diverse group with diverse perspectives, and we look forward to engaging with our presidential colleagues. The purpose of the BCS remains the limited one of matching the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 teams in a national championship game and creating other exciting bowl-game matchups while preserving the heritage and success of the bowl system, and remaining cognizant of the welfare of our student athletes."
