Senator Pushes College Playoff Reforms

(AP)  Shortly after winning last year's presidential election, Barack Obama said he was going to "to throw my weight around a little bit" to nudge college football's Bowl Championship Series to move to a playoff system.

On Wednesday, Sen. Orrin Hatch took him up on that.

Hatch asked the president to launch a Justice Department investigation into the way the BCS a complex system of computer rankings and polls that often draws criticism crowns its national champion.

"Mr. President, as you have publicly stated on multiple occasions, the BCS system is in dire need of reform," Hatch, R-Utah, wrote in a 10-page letter, obtained by The Associated Press.

Hatch, who held a hearing on the BCS in July, told Obama that a "strong case" can be made that the BCS violates antitrust laws.

Under the BCS system, some conferences get automatic bids to participate in top-tier bowls while others don't, and the automatic bid conferences also get far more of the revenue. Hatch's home state school, the University of Utah, is from the Mountain West Conference, which does not get an automatic bid. The school qualified for a bid last season but was bypassed for the national championship despite going undefeated.

The system "has been designed to limit the number of teams from non-privileged conferences that will play in BCS games," he wrote.

Hatch said that the BCS arrangement likely violates the Sherman Antitrust Act, because, he argued, it constitutes a "contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce," quoting from the law.

He said that the system "artificially limits the number of nationally-relevant bowl games to five. The result is reduced access to revenues and visibility which creates disadvantages to schools in the non-privileged conferences." Hatch is the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary's subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights.

The senator said that the hundreds of millions generated by college football "are hardly trivial sums," given that many schools use such revenue to fund things like other athletic programs.

The White House declined to comment. The Justice Department and BCS officials had no immediate comment.

Hatch's letter comes a few days after the BCS released its first standings of the year. And on Monday, a group of college football fans launched the Playoff PAC, with the hope of electing more lawmakers who will pressure the BCS to switch to a playoff system. Several lawmakers have introduced bills this year aimed at forcing a playoff system, but none of the bills has moved.

[endurorob_5]

O.K. the bcs system is unfair. So is a lot of life. It does not require the government getting involved. Sooner or later the fans will force a change. Government has much more important things to do like blocking socialized health care.

[aldon61]

I can't believe that a "conservative" like Hatch is asking for government interference into a sports organization. Look, I don't like the BCS the way it's set up, but know what? With enough public pressure, they will eventually get it right. Government has NO BUSINESS investigating this. Little things like Healcare Reform, Iraq, Afghanistan, Government Bailouts, etc should be the correct focus of this congress. Senator Hatch, GET A LIFE!

[afmcalax]

Oh yeah this is one of the most important issues facing America today. Here it is the Party of NO neglects its duty when it comes to the economy, health care reform, Wall Street reforms, government corruption, environmental degradation, increasing radicalization of the christian right, increasing scientific stupidity, and decreasing societal civility BUT getting amateur student athletes to extend their season, risk the possibility of injury, and stay out of the class room even longer so a bunch of congressmen can go on corporate junkets to the bowl games IS the true Republican cause. Solve the tough issues first and then spend your time on the BS issues!

[stuart-johns2]

Sen Orrin Hatch is concerned that the Collegiate Football Program violates anti-trust laws? How does he reconcile this with his support for big insurance and his criticism of the attmpt to do away with their anti-trust laws exemtion??

So anti-trust laws for football are okay but not for big business??

Gee, Hatch. How did the country come to hate the hypocrisy of the republican extremsists???

[brianbwb-2009]

The issue of amateurs not being able to receive a share of the hundreds of millions of dollars generated by their work should also be addressed, as it amounts to a form of indentured servitude, even slavery, as athletes are not paid for their labor.

Senator Hatch does indeed have a valid point, but I find it ironic, and typical of the Republican to quote law when it is to his advantage, and then disregard, or ignore law when it is not.

Perhaps an independent group should take up this cause, as the GOP's branding is now a serious negative, and harms any cause they might advocate, even the all-too-rare good cause.

[stuart-johns2]

Yeah okay Mr. Libertarian. Servitude, slavery???? You must have watched PBS lastnight. I watched that too. Is the military servitude? Is it slavery? Are you going to take that same argument the gamut and say that taxes are tantamount to slavery too? The Libertarians do.

[timdgrim]

Orin was 'hatched'! From a dumb chicken's egg.