WASHINGTON -- A dozen university presidents whose approval was the final major barrier to a college football playoff gave their endorsement here Tuesday night, after a quicker-than-expected three-hour meeting, months of preparations by conference commissioners, and years of anticipation among many fans of the sport. The approval was, in effect, the last step in the melting away of longstanding presidential opposition to a playoff. The playoff replaces the old Bowl Championship Series beginning with the 2014-15 season, although under the new, 12-year structure, six of those ever-so-lucrativ...