The Big Ten, which helped squash the notion of a four-team playoff to crown a national champion in college football several years ago, is taking another look.

BCS executive director Bill Hancock said Tuesday night that’s good news.

“Our process is working perfectly,” Hancock said. “One of good things about our process is that there’s no timetable so that a deliberate and thoughtful decision can be reached.

“The tricky part is our 11 conference commissioners and the Notre Dame AD may have 12 different opinions about the direction we should go over the next six to eight months.”

Hancock, who still expects a conclusion in July, said the group of BCS decision-makers will meet again at the end of this month.

Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis said all of the Big Ten athletic directors are comfortable exploring the possibility of a four-team playoff.

“Four is better than two,” Hollis said.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith agreed and said the discussions stem from feedback “that we need to do something different,” especially after the recent BCS title game between LSU and Alabama drew lower ratings that other championship games.

The Chicago Tribune reported Monday that one idea before the Big Ten calls for playing the two semifinal games on the campuses of the higher seeded teams, with the national championship held in a city awarded hosting rights.

The so-called plus-one format – two semifinals plus the title game – was proposed in 2008 by the commissioners of the SEC and ACC. It was shot down by the leaders of the Big Ten, Pac-10, Big East, Big 12 and Notre Dame.

The 11 Bowl Championship Series conferences have already met to discuss possible changes to the system starting in 2014. NCAA president Mark Emmert has said he supports a four-team championship playoff and is strongly against a 16-team format.

Despite the Big Ten’s interest in a playoff, there is at least one big hurdle: The Rose Bowl, with its storied history to two of the nation’s biggest conferences.

“The Rose Bowl is extremely important to Michigan State just as it is to every school in the Big Ten and Pac-12,” Hollis said. “There are more questions than answers about how any format would work, including where the games would be played and what the bowl-type experiences would be like in a championship format.”

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon, who is open to any option that includes keeping the conference and Pac-12 tied to the Rose Bowl, said he’s not sure the plus-one model will please everybody.

“I know a lot of people would love to see one more great football game, but I’m not sure this type of playoff will make it more fair,” Brandon said.

“At some point, you have to draw the line. With four teams, there will be controversies about who those four teams should be because it’s usually not clear.”

Smith said there are too many bowl games, lagging ticket sales and teams are already playing “too deep into January” with players who happen to be students, too. He had reservations about a playoff where students play back to back games.

Still, he said there was a need to discuss the format now.

“This is the window of time before we go and do something with another partner, or current partner, we don’t want to just do the same thing without trying to address some of those issues,” he said.

Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany, who declined comment Tuesday, has acknowledged he would consider the prospect of a four-team field.