ODU president to chair committee looking at FCS

Old Dominion University president John Broderick was elected chair of the Football Championship Subdivision presidents Friday and will serve in that capacity for two years.

Those could be two ground-breaking years as the FCS attempts to create a more recognized and popular tournament, beginning with the expectation that the field for FCS playoffs will expand from 20 teams to 24, possibly as early as this fall.

Broderick's election took place as commissioners, athletic directors, school presidents, NCAA representatives and representatives from ESPN met in Frisco, Texas, for the FCS Summit.

Frisco will be the site of today's FCS title game between Sam Houston State and South Dakota State. Kickoff on ESPN2 is set for 1 p.m.

Broderick said that FC Dallas Stadium, which seats 20,000, is sold out for the event, but there is no guarantee the championship game will remain in Frisco. This is the second year of a three-year deal for the game to be played there.

"Frisco is a great site, but that's just one of the issues we have in front of us," Broderick said. "We are developing a committee of 10 or 11 people that will work on how to improve and expand this tournament.

"The neat thing is there is a commitment there. It's not if we expand and improve, but when and how we do it."

Broderick said the committee - it will include a select group of ADs, school presidents, NCAA representatives and conference commissioners - will tackle the task of branding the championship event to make it more recognizable across the country.

"Is this a playoff? Is it a championship series? Should we have four regional champions? A Final Four?" Broderick said. "There are a number of things to look at, including the timing of the tournament and its championship game.

"The great thing is we were all talking about what FCS football is, not what it isn't. I had a lot of people today who were telling me that they are proud of the great product we have."