COLORADO SPRINGS -- Perhaps the most significant issue discussed by the Big 12 football coaches Tuesday, the first day of the conference's annual spring meetings at the Broadmoor Hotel, was their desire for players to be given five years of eligibility, taking away the opportunity for a redshirt season. The plan has been discussed in the past and received unfavorable response from faculty athletic representatives and others.

Coaches argue that most college students require five years to graduate from college these days without the pressure and time commitment of being student-athletes. They also correctly point out that many football players already use five years of eligibility to play four, with one of those seasons as a redshirt.

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach hopes to persuade those who have been against it in the past. The coaches have an ally in commissioner Dan Beebe, who said he plans to recommend that the issue be revisited.

"I think it's just got to be done by logical argument and by data," Beebe said of convincing naysayers. "If the data doesn't support my supposition, then I should probably wave the white flag."

Coaches seem to be unanimously in favor of more bowl games. "If they added a few more it would suit me," Leach said.

The count of games recently rose to 34, meaning 68 teams or well over half of Division I, will be playing in some sort of bowl game next season. There were 32 bowl games last year and 71 bowl eligible teams. Seven teams were passed over.

While there appears to be enough wiggle room to justify adding the two new bowls and maybe even one more, Beebe is among those who believe there are already too many. He said there could come a time when there aren't enough bowl eligible teams available and that would give the sport a black eye.

"We commissioners are vehemently opposed to putting in a 5-7 team just to keep a bowl game alive," he said. "We're certainly setting ourselves up for embarrassment with the possibility that a bowl game wouldn't play anybody."

Football coaches also discussed their desire to be able to have phone contact with walk-ons during the summer months before they officially join the program. Changing the rule would make things uniform for scholarship recruits and walk-ons.