Swofford said, "The answer to that is the polls … reflect what's happened on the field," and the BCS works to match the top two teams — according to several polls it chooses — in the BCS championship game.

But Thompson said pollsters and computer rankings never can know for sure which teams are the best unless they play each other. So the Mountain West has proposed an eight-team playoff where the top eight teams play in the four current BCS bowls, with the winners meeting in a semifinal, and those winners meeting in a championship game.

Rush complained that the current system gives the six BCS conferences an $18 million guarantee each to distribute to their schools, while the five non-BCS conferences including the Mountain West receive only $9.5 million combined. "How is this fair? How can we justify this system?" the chairman said.

Boise State University Athletic Director Gene Bleymaier noted that his school has the winingest program in the nation over the last 10 years, and finished undefeated in 2004, 2006 and 2008. But it was invited to a BCS bowl only in 2006, when it defeated the traditional football power University of Oklahoma.

"Three times in the past five years Boise State has won all of its games and in the current system, never came close to playing in the national championship game," he said. However, at least five teams that were ranked lower in the polls played in BCS games when Boise State was excluded, he said.

Boise State is a member of the Western Athletic Conference, which also includes Utah State University.

But Swofford said the current system benefits college football with big paydays, and helps cities that host bowls by attracting large crowds and money in holiday seasons. Also, the current system allows 68 colleges — more than half of all big schools — to play in some sort of postseason bowl game.

He said that would end if a playoff were created. "Sponsorship and television revenues that historically have flowed into bowl games will inevitably follow (to the playoff system), meaning that it would be very difficult for any bowl … to survive. Certainly the 29 games that are not part of the BCS would be in peril."

Derrick Fox, CEO of the Valero Alamo Bowl, seconded that. "If a playoff is created, the television in the post-season will flow to that playoff. Likewise, the sponsorship dollars. And when that happens, the midtier bowl and most assuredly the smaller bowls will simply go out of business."

Swofford said bowls are not just games, but weeklong events with many activities. He said a playoff would stop that. "We cannot reasonably expect fans to travel to distant locations around the country multiple times during the month of December or January and stay in each host city for three or four days."

Rush asked all witnesses if they felt the current system would change without Congress forcing it. None did, beyond some possible tweaking. Bleymaier of Boise State said that is regrettable, considering possible coming lawsuits and interest by Congress.

Of course, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has said he is looking into whether the BCS violates antitrust laws, and may sue. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, has promised his own hearings on the BCS later, and said he may introduce legislation seeking reform — and possibly mandating a playoff system.

E-MAIL: lee@desnews.com