WASHINGTON (AP)—A senator whose undefeated home state school was bypassed for the college football national championship last season urged President Barack Obama on Wednesday to ask the Justice Department to investigate the Bowl Championship Series, citing Obama’s own concerns about the way the top team is crowned in building a case for action.
“Mr. President, as you have publicly stated on multiple occasions, the BCS system is in dire need of reform,” Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said in a 10-page letter to Obama calling for an antitrust probe of the BCS. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter.
That's keep Hatch in the Senate another six years right there. I echo his sentiments.
I say be careful what they ask for. It could go back to the old bowl and poll system and drop the BCS altogether. Until they schedule some really quality OOC games they're going to run into this. That might mean to get someone like UF it will be an away game with no return trip. They (Utah) have won some bowl games against quality folks but, without question each one was against a team that lost out on the MNC the game before with the exception of Pitt, that lucked into the Big East Championship by beating WVU in a game they really had no business winning.
Would I like to see a playoff, sure, but I'm wary that this approach will get us one.
Can I borrow your towel? My car just hit a water buffalo.
I thought the old bowl and poll system made more sense than the BCS. Remember that under the present BCS system, the University of Florida would have had no chance at winning their first national title in January 1997. They wouldn't have gotten to play FSU again. Their best possible outcome would have been #2.
BCS robs voters of choice. Voter choice is imperfect, but it's a better system than saying in early December, okay, ONLY these two teams are now eligible to be national champions. If a #3 team that is only infinitesimally inferior to #2 BURIES #4, shouldn't that #3 be eligible? Not under the BCS.
A playoff, if properly populated (I recommend the Toothy method), would be best. But the bowls & polls was far better than the system we have now.
BCS didn't start till the '98 season with the first BCS game being UT and FSU. That was the old bowl alliance system that the Rose Bowl wasn't part of. We got the rematch in the sugar bowl but only got the nod in the polls because #4 tOSU beat #2 Arizona State in the Rose Bowl.
Can I borrow your towel? My car just hit a water buffalo.
Meant to add that there is no way we win the first one if there is a BCS as both ASU and FSU were undefeated and would have played in the game. The last two would be much less likely without the BCS because as a 1 loss team we would have played a non-undefeated team in the Sugar Bowl while tOSU would have played USC in the Rose bowl with the winner likely the champ and OU would have played someone in the Fiesta Bowl and likely have stayed undefeated.
Can I borrow your towel? My car just hit a water buffalo.
Meant to add that there is no way we win the first one if there is a BCS as both ASU and FSU were undefeated and would have played in the game. The last two would be much less likely without the BCS because as a 1 loss team we would have played a non-undefeated team in the Sugar Bowl while tOSU would have played USC in the Rose bowl with the winner likely the champ and OU would have played someone in the Fiesta Bowl and likely have stayed undefeated.
You make a valid point. OU wasn't undefeated, though -- remember the three-way Big 12 clusterf***?
I still think: 1) prove it through playoffs, or 2) let the voters decide after a series of traditional bowls, before 3) lock in the eligibles on December 6 and lock out everyone else.
Yeah, this is a good discussion, but I really don't like the idea of our Congress working on this topic at all...they have MUCH more important things to be focusing on.
Yeah. I don't think Congress is working on it. I think Orrin Hatch suggested a Justice Department probe. Antitrust violations aren't a legislative matter; they're legal.
Yeah. I don't think Congress is working on it. I think Orrin Hatch suggested a Justice Department probe. Antitrust violations aren't a legislative matter; they're legal.
The broader point stands against a DOJ probe, IMO. Don't they have more than enough to investigate right now? It seems to me that it would be a little more important for them to focus on bigger fish. Of course, using the DOJ to investigate antitrust issues within a college sport while the rule of law crumbles throughout the economy and government would be rather fitting for this period of America's decline and collapse.
I've never met a retarded person who wasn't smiling.
LOL...I knew Toothy's response would get this kind of rebuttal from AA...and thus, i said nothing...I knew I wouldn't have to. I'm getting to know you all too well I guess.
How does one administer a +1 4-team game? Seems absolutely chaotic to me. Any ideas?
Don't know if there is sarcasm here or not but I'll bite. Run the BCS the way it is now, place 1 v 4 in one bowl and 2 v 4 in the other. +1 game of the winners of two said games. Still not perfect but it's much less likely that you're leaving out a real contender if you get 4 teams in. It still makes the regular season mean a lot and gives the chance for an undefeated Utah to get in. I still say those teams (the Utahs of the world) can scream all they want, but until they bolster their SOS, they're going to have to go undefeated and hope there aren't 4 others from the big boy conferences that are also undefeated.
Can I borrow your towel? My car just hit a water buffalo.
