Congress Decries BCS, Warns Government Action May Be Needed

Swofford Defends BCS System, Says It Increases Interest In Regular Season

Three members of Congress Friday during the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection hearing on the BCS "decried the manner in which college football decides its national champion and warned that government action could be implemented should changes not be made voluntarily by the sport's administrators," according to Steve Yanda of the WASHINGTON POST. U.S. Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), who has introduced legislation that would "prohibit the NCAA from advertising its national champion in football as such unless it was produced via a playoff system," Friday "levied the most pointed criticisms of his peers" toward the BCS. Barton: "Sooner or later, you're going to have to try a new model, and that's why we're here today" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/2). Barton and U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) accused the BCS system of "unfairly allocating millions of dollars and stacking the deck against conferences whose teams might have a legitimate shot at the title." ACC Commissioner and BCS Coordinator John Swofford at the hearing "defended the system, saying it had preserved the traditional bowl system and increased interest in the regular college football season" (DAILY OKLAHOMAN, 5/2).

TIME TO INTERVENE? ESPN.com's Heather Dinich noted Barton's introduced legislation "doesn't call for a dismantling of the current system; rather it's designed to prevent the BCS from advertising its final game as the national championship, arguing that it's a violation of the free trade act." Swofford, when asked if the BCS would change to a playoff format if the bill passed and was signed by President Obama, said, "I don't know the answer to that. It hasn't been discussed at any level." Each conference will discuss the issue at "their upcoming spring meetings," where they also will review the Mountain West Conference's proposal for an eight-team playoff. BCS officials will meet next month to discuss the matters (ESPN.com, 5/1). Boise State Univ. AD Gene Bleymaier, when asked at the hearing whether Congress should intervene, said, "The only way this is going to change is with help from the outside." Swofford after the hearing said, "Any time Congress speaks, you take it seriously" (N.Y. POST, 5/2).

DEFENDING THEIR TURF: Swofford during the hearing said that the BCS "'represents the marketplace' with the more bankable conferences getting a bigger share of the money and the power." Swofford also noted that the BCS "has taken steps in recent years to boost the opportunities available to teams in the five non-BCS conferences" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 5/2). In Utah, Dick Harmon responded to Swofford's argument, and wrote, "It's not about blocking, tackling, throwing and catching passes or undefeated teams. It's about a marketplace that rewards TV ratings, geography of TV sets, media markets, traditional and historic bowl ties, bowl committees and their budgets, parades, revenue sharing, conference affiliation, pacts, contracts, pieces of paper, exchange of money and Nielsen Ratings. Thanks, John. You cleared it all up" (DESERET NEWS, 5/3).

WHAT'S NEXT? ESPN’s Joe Schad: “The bottom line here is that even though there was pressure from legislators in the past that has helped open opportunities for schools like Boise State and Utah, the forcing of more revenue-sharing or the forcing of a playoff seems unlikely. What could be more likely is taking just a part of the Mountain West proposal which would not create a playoff, but create a committee to determine BCS participants” (“College Football Live,” ESPN, 5/1). SI.com's Andy Staples wrote the hearing "offered a faint glimmer of hope for everyone who wants to see a college football playoff." Perhaps "nothing will come out of the public evisceration" of Swofford, and maybe the BCS "will continue to frustrate college football fans for decades." Staples: "Or maybe, just maybe, the wheels have begun to turn toward a more satisfying postseason. Either way, it sure was fun to watch the BCS supporters squirm Friday" (SI.com, 5/1).

BETTER THINGS TO DO: In N.Y., Dick Weiss wrote, "Don't expect anything to change soon. ... Any court challenges would be most likely shot down." Meanwhile, Weiss noted only three members of the 30-person subcommittee attended the hearing, and wrote, "You'd think most of the members of this subcommittee would have better things to do with their time" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/2). ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan said the timing of the hearing “is so very poor.” MacMullan: “We’ve got a swine flu outbreak in this country right now, our economy is in the dumpster, people are unemployed, newspapers are closing all over the country.” Fanhouse.com’s Jay Mariotti: “They can talk until they’re blue in the face and nothing is going to change, until at least 2014. I don’t mind the discussion, I just think that after awhile we get worn down by it because until the TV network involved in it decides to push the BCS into it, nothing’s going to change” (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 5/1).