I don't think the Orange Bowl has a lot of choices. The Big 10 and Pac 12 are locked up, as are the Big 12, and SEC. Assume that #2 SEC sticks with the Sugar and #2 Big 12 sticks with the Fiesta, and you run out of choices real quick. Also, assume 1 each from Big 10, Pac 12, Big 12 and SEC, so everyone else gets knocked down a peg further. Now you are at #4 SEC or Big 12, #3 Big 10 or Pac 12.
I suspect that the Big East will get an alternating deal with the Fiesta and Orange, with the two bowls taking turns with first choice, but under no obligation to choose a Big East team unless that team is in the Top 15 or Top 20. The Fiesta would have no problem taking Boise State or Houston, and the Orange wouldn't object to Louisville, Rutgers, Cincinnati, USF or UConn.
Where the Big East will get in trouble is if the champ is 8-4. I don't think any major bowl wants an 8-4 Big East team
AA on ESPN gave a decent view of the new playoffs, essentially saying that the only change in this round is that the Big 5 have gotten their AQ status while the BE has been relegated to the non-AQ status.
Amazingly this automatically locks in huge $'s for the Big10, PacX, Big12, SEC and ACC. If i'm not in that group, how do i let this happen. And where does ND land? That's the next shoe to drop in this. It's not feasible for them to have a guaranteed spot each year, so do they share a spot with the BE going to the Orange?
If the ACC champ goes to the playoffs, and they send an 9-3 team ranked #30 to the orange bowl (for some reason the ACC get's to pick who to send, not the comittee we've heard so much about), while a 10-2 BE team goes to the Podunk Bowl the general public should be outraged. this current system is going to have that happen multiple times every year.
we've literally watched 40% of the schools grab guaranteed rights to 90% of the BCS money without so much as a peep.
And that 40% includes Duke, BC, Northwestern, Indiana, Iowa State and WF while schools like Boise, Houston, UofL, and Cincy are waiting in the alley hoping for scraps.
I expected this to happen, but not so blatantly and with a little more pushback.