Bill Hancock served as Executive Director of the former BCS and holds the same title of the new College Football Playoff. He has achieved a unique trifecta in college athletics.  Serving as the first director of the NCAA Final Four, the first director of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and the first director of the College Football Playoff.

He took some time out of his busy schedule to discuss the big questions regarding the new college format that helps determine the next National Champion.

Football Insiders: What is the biggest difference between the BCS and CFP?

Bill Hancock: There are a lot of details to take care of but a lot of similarities also. Same kind of governing structure. Same kind of board. The big thing for us is we have a staff in Texas. As you may remember with the BCS, it was just me. We’re doing good. We’re lucky to be part of this.

Football Insiders: The BCS was always under such scrutiny. Do you think the CFP will cure some of those arguments?

Hancock: One of the great things about college football is the passion. The passion leads people to have opinions about it. I wouldn’t have it any other way. People care. I will say this about the BCS obviously we’ve moved on but I believe history will look fondly on the BCS. It did great things for college football. Gave us a match-up of one and two in a bowl game that almost never happened before. It also brought a new interest to the regular season that we didn’t intend, but it did. I’m starting to hear from the BCS critics who said, “You know Bill, I get it. It as a good thing.” We had it for 16 years but in two months we will have the playoffs.

Football Insiders: When watching these weekly rankings unfold over the next several weeks, what should fans be prepared for under this new format? 

Hancock: That’s a really good question. I think at its heart, people should think of this playoff as being very similar to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. There is a selection committee that will pick the teams. They will assign them to sites to play. Then there will be a tournament. Of course, ours is four and theirs is 68 but the philosophy is identical. There are some differences of course. Many differences but one which is the selection committee meets every weekend and puts out an interim ranking. We think that is important to the regular season. We think fans deserved to know where there team is ranked. We have had two rankings that we feel very good about. That have generated a lot of discussion and lots of interest in this regular season. It’s all good.

Football Insiders: If this is successful fans will push the idea that the College Football Playoff expands. What is the timeline for this four-game playoff and the opportunity to expand to six or eight teams?

Hancock: We intentionally set this for the long-term. We have this four-team tournament contracted for 12 years. That’s because we wanted folks to realize that it is stable. There is no discussion in our group at all about changing it. I’ve heard from some media people, of course, who would like to change that. They care but the fact is we have to keep in mind the importance of the regular season. We have to keep in mind how good the bowl system is for college football. For teams at the top and the bottom its a win-win. It lets us have a regular season be very meaningful. Maybe even better than it was in the BCS days. It also lets us keep the bowls without going too far. It also fits within the academic calendar. We’re proud of what we have.

Football Insiders: Under the old BCS it appeared losing late in the season hurt a team much worse than losing early in the season. Will the selection committee hold teams accountable for each blemish on their record and examine the entire body of work over the course of the season?

Hancock: It’s about the entire body of work. This is probably the most significant change over the BCS, having this human committee. Folks are sitting around a table looking at each other debating, discussing and pulling out stats. Not being bound to just what they (the teams) did last week. Being bound to the entire body of work. That is a significant change over the polls.

Football Insiders: Do the discussions become heated amongst the committee members?

Hancock: There have been some pointed debates. This is what we wanted when we selected this selection committee. We wanted folks that brought perspective to this and smart people who love the game and can make smart judgments. That’s what we got. I wouldn’t have it any other way.