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Senate reviewing how college football picks No. 1

By FREDERIC J. FROMMER

WASHINGTON (AP)

Everyone from President Barack Obama on down to fans has criticized how college football determines its top team. Now senators are getting off the sidelines to examine antitrust issues involving the Bowl Champion Series.

The current system "leaves nearly half of all the teams in college football at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to qualifying for the millions of dollars paid out every year," the Senate Judiciary's subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights said in a statement Wednesday announcing the hearings.
Under the BCS, some conferences get automatic bids to participate in series, while others do not.

Obama and some members of Congress favor a playoff-type system to determine the national champion. The BCS features a championship game between the two top teams in the BCS standings, based on two polls and six computer ratings.

Behind the push for the hearings is the subcommittee's top Republican, Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah. People there were furious that Utah was bypassed for the national championship despite going undefeated in the regular season.

The title game pitted No. 1 Florida (12-1) against No. 2 Oklahoma (12-1); Florida won 24-14 and claimed the title.

The subcommittee's statement said Hatch would introduce legislation "to rectify this situation." No details were offered and Hatch's office declined to provide any.

Hatch said in a statement that the BCS system "has proven itself to be inadequate, not only for those of us who are fans of college football, but for anyone who believes that competition and fair play should have a role in collegiate sports."

In the House, Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, the top Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee, has sponsored legislation that would prevent the NCAA from calling a football game a "national championship" unless the game culminates from a playoff system.

Link to source.

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You know, I'm glad that during this nations time of crisis, our Senate has decided to take on an issue vital to our nations security and well being. College Football.

Leaving aside all arguments about whether or not the Senate has any right to interfere with the program, WHAT THE F@%K ARE THESE A*%HOLES THINKING?????

Seriously, we have a deficit looming of just under $2 trillion, issues with the budget, the very real possibility that this administration is going to nationalize a large chunk of the private financial sector, tensions with both North Korea and (to some degree) the Mexican drug cartels, and Senator Orrin Hatch decides to take on the BCS?

If anyone still has any faith in our federal government, this is a great reason to loose it.

I've already written my senators about this, and I'm considering writing senator Hatch about this as well. This constitutes yet another perversion of our already grossly perverted system.

As an American, I am both ashamed and disgusted by this display of idiocy from the senate.

What the hell is this nation coming to when Congress tries to regulate college sports?


*For the record, I was disgusted by the participation of congress in the MLB steroids debacle. However, this is certainly worse given the political climate as of late.*

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