"This is all fun to talk about, but there is a lot of money involved," he said. Millions, as a matter of fact. It goes deeper than just the profits from one game. "How do you attract the best athletes to your school?" The best athletes want to go where they have a chance to win a national title and garner attention. Because of this, rich conferences will keep getting richer and stronger, and the rest will just be ugly stepchildren.

Shurtleff will know in a few days whether his office thinks it's worthwhile to challenge the system on antitrust grounds. In any case, he wouldn't go it alone. He thinks many other states — presumably ones without BCS conference schools — would join in.

It may be a tough case to win, considering all Division I-A conferences, not just the six with automatic BCS bids, agreed to the system.

If the courts don't work, there is one other avenue. President-elect Barack Obama said he favors a playoff system. Utah Rep. Jim Matheson sent Obama a letter of support, signed by other lawmakers.

Shurtleff said he may ask the Department of Justice and the new administration for help, if he decides to pursue the case.

My guess is the new president will say there are more important things on which to spend his time and energy.

Jay Evensen is editor of the Deseret News edito?rial page. E-mail: even@desnews.com. Visit his blog at www.deseretnews.com/blogs.