Back to work: what teams--and the BCS--do in the next several months will shape the 2004 season.(Matt Leinart)(Bowl Championship Series)(Interview)

Matt Leinart was asked how Southern California, with a group of talented but inexperienced skill players, somehow developed into a national champion. The quarterback who has an answer for every problem on the field, pointed to success off it.

"We basically lived with each other during the summer," Leinart said.

In short, offseason preparation translates to success when it matters most.

As a new offseason begins, how six questions are answered will determine what happens in 2004.

1. How will the BCS be restructured?

The BCS conference commissioners aren't in complete agreement, but there likely will be one key change to the formula: A team will have to win its conference championship to be eligible for the BCS national title game.

Another change, though not as important, will be the addition of a fifth BCS game to give schools from non-BCS conferences greater access, both to the exposure and the dollars that BCS games provide. The fifth game will begin in 2006 and probably will pay about half of what the current BCS bowls pay. The non-BCS team with the best BCS number automatically will get a bid. Look for the Citrus, Cotton, Gator and Peach Bowls to vie for the game, but they won't be bidding for a spot in the rotation for the national title game. It will stay with the top four BCS bowls--Orange, Rose, Fiesta and Sugar.