There will be a new ranking system next year to replace the former BCS system. Named the College Football Playoff Rankings, it'll be released October 28, or a week later than the BCS typically was, and will eventually determine the four participants (as well as a top 25) of the first annual college football playoffs and those thereon after, ESPN reported.

Besides its slightly later release date, the College Football Playoff Rankings, or CFPs, also differ from the BCS in the release day. They'll published on Tuesdays over the Sunday schedule previously followed by the BCS.

A third CFP-BCS split is the presence of computers. Along with the Harris Poll, the AP poll, and USA Today poll, the BCS famously used a six-computer sytem to rank each team by scores. The CFPs will be determined the old fashion way: by a 13-member committee that meets in Arlington, Texas.

Most likely, the BCS will still exist in some form, though I'm not sure exactly what purpose it will serve.

At first, it seemed odd to me that the committee would extend their rankings to the top 25. If only the first four count, why not stop there? Compiling a top 25, however, allows teams to measure how close they are to playoff consideration while also holding the committee accountable. If they're unusually down on a program, that program deserves to know.

There was some debate about publishing the CFPs every other week (perhaps to give the selection committee more time to digest a team's play), but the weekly system was eventually chosen.

Another topic of debate was whether to require all teams to play the same number of conference games. CFP executive director Bill Hancock dismissed that question by emphasizing the importance of strength of schedule over conference record.

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott, whose league plays nine conference games while some others only play eight, didn't seem to agree.

"Ideally," Scott told ESPN, "we would all run the race on a similar course."