Remember all the talks about a new College Football playoff? Well, while that’s still the plan – going ahead with a four team playoff with yet to be determined venues and format, the two best conferences in the BCS era decided to make a power move of their own, announcing a deal that will put the Big 12 champions against the SEC champion on New Year’s Day, starting 2014.

Basically, an upgraded Cotton Bowl. A few things that have come out of all the playoff talk and BCS changes – Returning or moving to New Year’s day bowls, while the Pac-12 and Big Ten, while slipping away in general strength in comparison to the Big 12 and especially the SEC, are trying to preserve the Rose Bowl’s place in the the whole bowl season and amid the playoff changes.

The tendency is to keep the Rose Bowl, which wasn’t to the taste buds of Bis 12 and SEC big shots. Be it as part of a national Semi Final, pitting the Pac-12 and Big Ten teams against each other; Some plus one format, or just the usual bowl game between the best teams in the conferences not involved with the national title, the Rose Bowl is staying. The other BCS bowls? Fiesta, Sugar, Orange? We’ll see.

And here comes in the new alliance between the Big 12 and SEC – A new January bowl tradition is born. This new game will provide a great matchup between the two most successful conferences in the BCS era and will complement the exciting postseason atmosphere created by the new four-team model.

Like with the plans for the Rose Bowl – the intention is for the conferences champions to play, but if they are involved in the four team playoff that will have nothing to do with the bowl games, the next teams in line will step up and take their place.

From all these power plays between conferences, all trying to have their pull and say heading into the meetings which will determine the new way of deciding a champion in College Football, it’s amazing to see how well the Big 12 have managed to rebound after losing Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri and Texas A&M.

It seemed everyone was deserting ship, although Oklahoma and Texas managed to withstand the strong courting from the Pac-12. Remember the Pac-16 talks? Now? West Virginia and TCU are joining the fray, while Florida State, of all schools, seems on its way to join the Big 12. Big losers? Big East and ACC. Even Notre Dame’s days as an independent might be coming to and end. Strange days indeed.