Congress to examine BCS quandary

WASHINGTON — The political football that is the Bowl Championship Series lands in Congress this week as lawmakers examine whether the system for awarding a national championship is fair.

BCS coordinator John Swofford is among the witnesses invited to Friday's hearing.

Several lawmakers are pushing bills on the BCS. Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, for example, has sponsored legislation that would prevent the NCAA from calling a college football game a "national championship" unless it results from a playoff system.

Barton is the top Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee; Friday's hearing will be held in that committee's commerce, trade and consumer protection subcommittee.