re: Thinking about the four team playoff, how long until we get to eight?

You'll see a rapid push for change if something like this happens:

Notre Dame goes 12-0
two teams from one conference either SEC or Big 12
Big 1G totally out...

Remember it took the Mulligan Bowl to get away from the BCS...

Delaney and his PAC 12 counterpart were all about protecting their deal with the Rose Bowl, but were rapidly finding their conferences irrelevant in the national college football picture, this is one reason I really like the pairings for the playoff because it breaks up the traditional Rose Bowl pairings...

and to shut Eddie George up...Talahassee is only 20 miles further to Pasadena than Columbus and if you drive, you don't have to worry about snow covered interstates!!!