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Attention, playoff advocates and anti-playoff traditionalists. I know you’re out there in your college-football foxholes, eyeing each other warily.

You BCS haters are intent on gaining ground for your playoff dream. And you purists are steadfastly trying to hold that bowl line, fearing a playoff would diminish the regular season and ruin the bowl system.

I can sympathize with both points of view. The problem is, people who advocate a 16-team playoff, or any kind of playoff in December, don’t grasp the unique appeal of college football with its uneven scheduling and quirky, bloated bowl system.

On the other hand, two teams chosen by voters and computers leaves a lot to be desired because it can deny opportunity to deserving candidates.

It seems to have worked out this year. Give credit to undefeated BCS crasher TCU, which seems content with its high-profile trip to the Rose Bowl, for not whining about not getting a shot at the title. Listen for grumbling, though, if the Horned Frogs handle Wisconsin in Pasadena. From TCU and playoff proponents.

Any number of scenarios could have sparked verbal skirmishing. What if Boise State hadn’t stumbled at Nevada? If Wisconsin or Ohio State had run the table? Then you would have had five unbeatens, a veritable smorgasbord for the voters and computers.

What if Auburn doesn’t make its miracle comeback at Alabama, and Oregon doesn’t hang on in its two-point win at Cal? These aren’t far-fetched BCS numbing possibilities.

I’m not all that exercised about the current BCS system, partly because it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. And partly because it doesn’t bother me as much as some playoff advocates, who really strike me as part-time college fans.

That said, I’d prefer a system that could handle — gasp! — three, four or five legitimate championship contenders if it could be done without adversely affecting the bowls and the regular season.

I believe a little eight-team playoff would accomplish those goals. If four New Year’s Day winners advanced to a Final Four and a championship game, you would have a true Bowl Championship Series.

Three more games. Two more weeks. That’s been my slogan for a long time.

Here’s how my seeded eight-team playoff would work this year. It would start with four games Jan. 1:

Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 8 Virginia Tech.

Rose Bowl: No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Stanford.

Orange Bowl: No. 3 TCU vs. No. 6 Ohio State.

Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 7 Oklahoma.

The four winners would play a week later, perhaps at two of these venues, or at locations such as San Diego, Dallas or Houston. A week later, there would be a true championship game.

It’s not perfect. Teams such as Michigan State and Arkansas still would be left out. But leaving out the ninth team is a lot more palatable than leaving out the third team.

One important note: There’s no Big East team in my scheme because four-loss Connecticut is not deserving. That’s a tweak the BCS ought to adopt immediately for its current setup. There needs to be a minimum standard for each of the six automatic-bid leagues — a standard UConn does not meet this year.

My goal is to have a minimally invasive way of including every team that has earned a national-championship shot and has a legitimate chance of winning it. That’s often three teams, never more than five teams. Why not plan for it?

I don’t see how winning your league to advance diminishes the regular season. It makes it more important. In addition, if a committee seeds the playoff, strength of schedule becomes a factor. Schools that play nonconference patsies would have an incentive to ramp up their schedules in my bowl-preserving playoff.

Please note that this year, the Big Ten’s beloved Rose Bowl with a Pac-10 opponent could have been worked out. So could the other bowl tie-ins, such as SEC champion Auburn to the Sugar Bowl.

It’s not really my issue, but obviously there would be a huge financial upside to three more games in two more weeks.

Something tells me the powers behind the BCS throne fear the possible loss of control — to the NCAA and to antitrust sniping — more than they covet an even bigger cash windfall.

But that’s not my primary concern. I’m just interested in exploring better ways to crown the national champion. And take another step toward diminishing the no-man’s land between the playoff and bowl factions.

Peace on earth. And the gridiron. Happy Holidays.