Matheson among group seeking BCS solution

WASHINGTON — A Utah congressman is among the House lawmakers upset with the way college football names its national champion think they have found an ally in President-elect Barack Obama.

Noticing Obama's recent comments favoring a college playoff series, they wrote, informing him of their pending legislation calling for a federal investigation of the Bowl Championship Series for illegally restraining trade, which deprives non-BCS schools of post-season revenue.

In a "60 Minutes" interview that aired Nov. 16, Obama said he backed creating a college football playoff system instead of the BCS selection process, which is based on computer rankings and polls of coaches and media representatives.

"I don't know any serious fan of college football who has disagreed with me on this," said Obama in the interview. "So, I'm gonna throw my weight around a little bit. I think it's the right thing to do."

On the eve of his convincing Election Day victory, Obama — perhaps sensing a winning issue — said on "Monday Night Football" that he thought it was time "'that we had playoffs in college football" rather than computer rankings.

The three lawmakers — Reps. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii; Mike Simpson, R-Idaho; and Jim Matheson, D-Utah — said the BCS is rigged against the 53 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A) universities that are not members of the six largest conferences, potentially costing them millions annually and frustrating fans over which team is the national champion.

A Justice Department investigation of the BCS is "the best way for the federal government to take action to end this illegal system," the lawmakers' letter said. "With the support of the U.S. Department of Justice, we believe the BCS system could be replaced with a fair, inclusive playoff system."

The lawmakers' resolution filed in April is still before the House Judiciary Committee and Education and Labor Committee, which haven't taken any action. They argue that the process of selecting a college football national champion restricts the opportunity to compete for the title in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

It also limits access to more than $185 million in post-season revenue to the 66 teams in the BCS conferences and the University of Notre Dame, which is independent. The other teams received $32 million in postseason revenue, the lawmakers said.

6 conferences form BCS

The BCS conferences include the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pacific 10 and Southeastern conferences. Each is assured an automatic annual berth in a BCS bowl game — Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl or the national championship game.