Comments about ‘BCS system isn't fair — so what?’

That's pretty much how I feel about it.

Sport have refs to keep the rules applied equally, you can't say that the rules were applied equally. All the strength of schedule was determined early on. Florida's strength of schedule isn't as tough as it seemed when you look at where everybody ended up. In the end, they beat four currently ranked teams (Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, and Oklahoma). Utah did the same (Alabama, TCU, Oregon State, and BYU). Florida had a loss to Mississippi, but Utah didn't. If the rules were applied equally, Utah would've been playing for the championship because they had the better record (same # of ranked wins, but no losses)!

the lawsuit issue was about restraint of trade and not about fans being able to chest thump. And the BCS systems appears to restrain trade to many.

This is a ridiculous article that ignores the fact that the NCAA is a business. Businesses must obey U.S. law, including antitrust laws.

Being a good sport is a value our children need. Doug's view and the view of the BCS runs counter to good sportsmanship. Let's face it, the NBA and MLB are a business about money. But they understand that poor sportsmanship is bad for the industry. They don't stack the championship deck with the same big dollar teams every year.

That's what they call throwing the fight.

If you could eliminate the biases of the voters - this IS a big popularity contest, nothing more - and just judge the teams on the merits of their wins and losses, Utah would be national champions. Take all the names off the teams and assign numbers or code names. Then compare all the teams against all of the other teams and I believe Utah [known as team 3526] would be the logical choice because they did not lose a game and for who they beat. This would be more fair - but still not as good as a playoff system that decides it on the field.

This is the most logical column i've read on the subject. Move on, Ute fans.

If it were just fun and games then this column would be correct. However, it is a multimillion dollar industry and people are conspiring to keep it all to themselves and laughing all the way to the bank. If it were anything besides sports, it would have been stomped out years ago. Because it is a sports organization, then it is looked at as less of a big deal, but millions of dollars are still millions of dollars. All universities, especially state-funded universities deserve a fair chance at that money that is being enjoyed by those who have figured out a way to horde it for themselves. This is absolutely a legal issue and I commend our AG for getting involved in order to smash out this blatant violation of the laws of our great nation.

Joe, but all pro sports leagues are granted exemption from anti-trust laws by Congress

The article is entertaining (and revealing) as it pokes fun at all the unfairness associated with sports, whether it be college or professional sports. However, most folks are missing the point that given the present circumstances, the time is right to challenge the BCS system. Those circumstances include an undefeated 13-0 Utah being ranked 2nd behind 13-1 Florida just because the latter team was in the "right" BCS bowl game.

AG Shurtleff happens to be the most public and well-equipped by virtue of his office to advance the challenge. We at the Utah Justice Foundation believe the time for an investigation of the BCS for anti-trust and/or any other violations is now!

Justice for future college teams most deserving of the National Champion Title will be done eventually, and yes it will require the assistance of attorneys.

Finally, thank you Utah UTES for a spectacular season and for providing the "celebrated cause" to justify the war now unleashed on the BCS and its supporters.

It was disappointing to see Mr. Benson repeat, and thereby sustain, the fiction that the 1984 number one poll finish by BYU was the impetus for the succession of adjustments to the bowl system that started with the Bowl Coalition in 1992, became the Bowl Alliance in 1995 and turned into the BCS in 1998.

This inaccuracy gets quite a bit of play on the DeseretNews.com message boards. With staff columnists parroting it as well, it may be a long time before it gets corrected.

Are we really to believe that the 1984 BYU anomaly was so grave that an eight-year effort, not succeeding until 1992, was required? Ahhh, nah.

The real impetus for the change was that the rigid ties of conferences to the big bowls sturcturally precluded bowl-game matchups that might have been desirable in a given year for giving clarity to the final rankings. This raised the specter of disagreement between the various final polls, the so-called "split national championship" scenario.

The Bowl Coalition was conceived as a remedy to split national championships, not to national championships by upstarts like BYU (whose controversial 1984 championship, by the way, was not split).

HELLOW....its Money....thats it.....Money!!! Anyone who believes that fairness and competition were the underlining reasons for forming the BCS is a taste out of touch with reality. Bucks, MuLa, The Green Stuff, Coins etc., etc., etc. Hard working kids believing that they are just as good as anyone else, wanting only a chance to provo it, isn't what the NCAA and the choosen few BCS schools are about. ITS JUST $, $, $.

The BCS system is bogus.....especially when you guarentee spots to certain conferences. Why should a #17 or #18 (whatever they were rated) Virginia Tech team play in a BCS game. It's a no brainer, if you have 4 BCS bowls - #1 and #2 play for the title and #'s 3 through 8 play in the other 3 BCS bowls.
The current system is an absolute joke. The only guarentees - #1 through #8 play in the BCS. How can anything other than that make sense??

Sounds like the man who wrote this is bitter the Utes went 13-0 and left the cougars in the dark. Sorry man, the BCS is messed up. I care.

I may not be a fan of any Utah team, but after watching the game where the utes won the Sugar Bowl, making them 13-0, I have to say they should've put them at the Championship Game, Oh but NO, They decided to put better known colleges there. The Utes are 13-0, Every single team has lost a game, but not the Utes, but Still, They put them in the Sugar Bowl, Instead of The Championship Game!!!???? Shame on BCS for doing this, SHAME...SHAME...SHAME. As of this point on, The BCS won't stand for: Bowl Championship Series, It will forever stand for Bogus Crappy System. Period.

If Utah Had A Stronger Shecudle They Wouldnt Hav Gone Undfeated I Garuntee It . If They Play a Team Like Oklahoma,Texas,Florida, Texas Tech,Oklahoma State, LSU, usc Cal,i garuntee They Would Have Won Against Any Of Those Teams Except Maybe USC u c i live IN UT And aLL tHE tEAMS sUCK The Best Team In The MWC Is TCU Who Is Undfeated And @ The #4 Spot Now TCU Does However Desver 2 Go To A Major Bowl Game. Not The NationalChampship Game. If Texas Loses Then Yes TCU Will Most Likey b iN The # 2 oR 3 sPOT. cAZ tEXAS pLAYS 4 tHEIR cONFERECE gAME And The SFC Conferce Tile Is #1 Forida And #2 Alabama. So Who Ever Loses That Game Wont B N THe Top 5 Texas Wil hopefuly Lose EVEN Thought I Like Them I'd Rather C TCU Vs Bama For The National Championship Game. GO