The committee decides based on their rankings (after the contract/auto-bids are filled) who will go to the games. Not the bowl executives concerned about selling beer and renting hotel rooms.

A #5 ranked BYU (by the committee) in any year going forward would not be by passed for another team (like BYU 1996 was). It can't be according to their rules. Even in the year with the lowest # of "at-large" bids available #5 will be taken.

So there actually is more opportunity to be in the NY6 and the playoff games. Especially in a year the Rose/Sugar host the semi-final games.

Will that opportunity be corrupted by a biased committee that puts out rankings that will never include these other teams? Maybe, but that is a conspiracy that we probably need to see play out before we can proclaim it.