Despite reports that he could be heading to South Bend to coach at Notre Dame, TCU head coach Gary Patterson signed a contract extension through 2016.

He also talked about the current BCS bowl system (via ESPN.com):

“Is it easier to win one game for a championship? Or to have to win four?” Patterson asked. “If you have a playoff, you practice and get on a plane and play. And if you lose, it’s over. If you go to a bowl game, you’re there seven days and the kids can enjoy a place and get rewarded.”

“Ninety percent of the teams [in the BCS] don’t have an opportunity to win a national championship,” Patterson said. “It’s the same 10 teams. We’ve now gone to a BCS over 80 percent of the Big 12, 80 percent of the SEC, 80 percent of the Big Ten. We’ve achieved something that all those other teams talk about because they are part of a conference that can get there. We’ve now jumped over a hurdle by going to a BCS game.”

Some media outlets are already spinning this by saying Patterson doesn’t want a playoff. But if you read his comments, he isn’t necessarily saying that he wouldn’t want college football to adopt a playoff system, he’s just listing some pros to a bowl structure.

It’s nice to see TCU reward Patterson for his hard work over the last couple years and here’s hoping he doesn’t ditch them for an opportunity to coach at a bigger program. He recognizes that he has a decent shot of competing for a national title right where he is, and that has been proven this year.

I would love to see what TCU could do against Florida, Alabama or Texas. Everyone thought that ‘Bama would run Utah over last year and the Utes pulled off one of the better bowl upsets of the decade. Remember, we’re not talking about a full playoff schedule – we’re talking about one game. The Horned Frogs could definitely hang.

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