Notre Dame Reclassified by BCS

Trying to find a new college football standings formula was not the only business bowl championship series officials conducted in three days of meetings here.

Notre Dame’s status has been reclassified in the new four-year BCS contract, which begins in the 2006 regular season.

In the current BCS contract, Notre Dame has special status as an independent football program. The Irish earn an automatic BCS berth if they finish ranked in the top 10 or have at least nine wins. And if they qualify, they get to keep the entire share of a BCS payout -- roughly $16 million.

In the new contract, BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg said Wednesday, “Notre Dame is treated like a member of a conference.” That means Notre Dame is guaranteed a BCS berth if it finishes in the top eight of the final BCS standings and can be considered for an at-large with a top-12 ranking.

The financial payout also changes: If Notre Dame makes a BCS game, it will receive a $4.5-million payout, the amount a conference champion receives because the rest of the $16 million is shared by other member schools.

In the new deal, the Irish are guaranteed money in years they don’t make a BCS game. Like schools affiliated with a BCS conference, Notre Dame will receive a $1-million annual payout no matter how they finish.

The BCS also settled on minimum standards for automatic qualifier criteria in future years.

The six current BCS conference champions will retain their automatic berths through the 2007 season. In the last two years of the new contract, a conference’s status will be subject to review based on its overall strength.

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-- Chris Dufresne