Discussions are continuing among officials from schools in Bowl Championship Series conferences and those in a coalition group representing other Division I-A leagues about the best way to make Division I-A football postseason play more equitable.

After a November 16 meeting of 13 presidents representing BCS and coalition conferences, the group announced in New Orleans that it would ask the 11 Division I-A conference commissioners to select consultants of their choice and meet with them within 60 to 90 days to develop recommendations on how to more specifically achieve that goal and guide the future direction of postseason football.

The group of presidents and chancellors then will meet again to consider the recommendations and forward them to their respective conferences.

Both sides said numerous models for an improved system were discussed, though no one scenario was selected. Officials did, however, rule out the possibility of an NFL-style 16-team playoff, saying it would intrude too much into the academic calendar and not be in the best interests of student-athletes.

"It was a very constructive day. This is a complex process for everybody involved," said Tulane University President Scott Cowen, who leads the coalition group. "There was clearly enough common agreement on a number of things for us to craft this detailed process and for us to come back again in 60 or 90 days with some specific proposals, hopefully, from our commissioners.

"So I would say that is as good an outcome as could be expected."

David Frohnmayer, president of the University of Oregon, described the day as a meeting of theory-testing and vigorous dialogue. He said the BCS as it stands today is not dead, but he called the current system a "point of departure" for any changes that might be made in the future.

"Any time you have a system in which there are those who feel excluded or disadvantaged and there exists possible ways to accommodate them so there can be a greater sense of collegiality and high competition, we'll try to take those steps and make those changes," said Frohnmayer. "We wish it to be inclusive. That's the spirit in which we approach it."

NCAA President Myles Brand, who also called the conference a success, facilitated the meeting.

"I would put this in the win column," he said. "A process was agreed upon by all parties to go forward in a constructive way. It was a frank dialogue. I think this is the most you can expect at this meeting and it was accomplished."

The four bowls that make up the BCS are the Rose Bowl, the Nokia Sugar Bowl, the FedEx Orange Bowl and the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Of the eight teams selected to participate in the four bowls, two are at-large bids that may be given to a non-BCS school. Since the system was developed in 1998, however, that has never occurred.

The six BCS leagues are the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Pacific-10 and Southeastern Conferences. The University of Notre Dame also is part of the BCS.

The coalition leagues are Conference USA, and the Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt and Western Athletic Conferences.

Cowen said substantial progress has been made since September 8, the last time both sides met. He also reiterated a desire to settle any disagreements without help from Congress or the courts.

Since September 8, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on the BCS system, looking at possible antitrust issues.

Frohnmayer said he was confident there are no violations of antitrust laws in the BCS system.

"This is not a legal matter," he said. "It is a matter of accommodating colleagues in Division I-A football, and we're going to do our very best to do that."

Presidents and chancellors representing the BCS conferences at the meeting included Frohnmayer; Marye Anne Fox of North Carolina State University; David Hardesty of West Virginia University; Robert Khayat of the University of Mississippi; Harvey Perlman of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln; and Graham Spanier of Pennsylvania State University. Also present was the Rev. Edward Malloy of the University of Notre Dame.

Representing the coalition leagues were presidents Cowen, Kermit Hall of Utah State University, John Peters of Northern Illinois University, Gerald Turner of Southern Methodist University and Stephen Weber of San Diego State University, and John Welty of California State University, Fresno.