BCS, Latest Sports News, NCAA Football NEWS
U.S. Congress: Stay The Hell Out Of College Football
Published by MoonDog on May 4, 2009
Members of the U.S. House and Senate are attempting to push through legislation that will force college football to ditch the Bowl Championship Series in favor of a playoff format.
The proposed legislation being sponsored by Representatives Joe Barton (R-Texas) and Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) is a clear demonstration of the U.S. government attempting to intervene where it doesn’t belong.
Earlier this year, Barton introduced a bill that would force college football to do away with the BCS, mostly as a result of Utah’s omission from the BCS national championship game this past January.
The Utes completed the regular season undefeated but weren’t given an opportunity to play for the BCS title. Utah was instead invited to play in the Sugar Bowl – one of the five BCS bowl games – where they upset Alabama 31-17.
U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has put the BCS on the agenda for the Judiciary’s antitrust subcommittee this year, and Utah’s attorney general, Mark Shurtleff, is investigating whether the BCS violates federal antitrust laws.
Taking into account the list of important issues facing the nation, it seems the U.S. Congress would focus its efforts on something other than sports.
As a proponent of a playoff, I wouldn’t have a problem with a format that incorporates the bowls. However, I am absolutely opposed to any forced playoff as a result of government strong-arming.
The federal government has proven it can’t manage anything well, so why should we believe they could force a playoff system on college football that would work?
Moreover, the fact Congress is even entertaining such a measure is a waste of taxpayer dollars and the subject matter clearly falls well outside of their purviews.
Aside from the political wrangling is the issue of non-BCS programs being left out of the national championship discussion. Point in fact, non-BCS programs aren’t being freezed out as some would suggest by the BCS system itself, but rather are being left out by the voters in the coaches poll.
No one honestly believes that agendas aren’t being addressed after the BCS conference champions are crowned and the final standings are released.
Prior to the 2008 BCS championship game, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit helped sway voters with his opinion regarding the teams he believed were most deserving of a chance to play for the title.
LSU, a team with two losses and ranked No. 7 in the BCS prior to the SEC championship game against Tennessee, didn’t appear to have a chance going into the final weekend of play.
Yet with their victory over the Vols, and after Herbstreit’s pleas, LSU jumped five spots to No. 2 in the final BCS standings, overtaking a one-loss Michigan team that suffered its only defeat to No. 1 Ohio State.
While Herbstreit or anyone else in the media is entitled to offer their opinions, the perception at that time was that he was making a case against Michigan more than being in favor of LSU.
In addition, the television networks – while not publicly endorsing or denouncing the selection process used to determine the participants in the BCS national championship game – play a huge role in the BCS’ long term success.
The BCS’s new four-year deal with ESPN, worth $125 million per year, begins with the 2011 bowl games. That deal was negotiated using the current BCS format.
Contrary to what anyone at ESPN may tell you, no one at the network wants to see a non-BCS team square off against one of the powers from the six BCS conferences in the national title game.
Why?
Ratings. TV ad sales are the life blood for any network. Despite how deserving a team from outside one of the BCS conferences may be, ESPN knows its ratings would fare much better if the game featured teams from the BCS conferences.
Higher ratings potential means more ad sales. With the larger revenue stream, ESPN can continue to dole out millions every four years to keep the BCS bowls on its network.
The push Congress is making to legislate college football comes at a time when the only objections to the BCS system are coming from the non-BCS conferences.
In 2003, Auburn, Oklahoma and USC completed their regular seasons undefeated, but as a result of BCS standings, the Tigers were left out of a chance to play for the national championship.
Even though Auburn deserved an opportunity to play for the BCS title, there weren’t any senators or congressmen from the state of Alabama attempting to pass a bill that would force a playoff.
What seems to escape everyone, particularly the supporters of a playoff format, is the fact college football has generally been dominated by the same programs for decades.
Penn State, Texas, Alabama, USC, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma and others built successful programs as far back as the 1960’s. Just like the free enterprise system, businesses must compete against one another and the marketplace determines which of those businesses become the most dominant.
The system is no different in college football. The schools that have produced the strongest programs did so by developing a product that was attractive to viewers and television networks.
In the end, the real motives of the non-BCS programs aren’t being discussed. Teams like Utah and Boise State don’t seem to be as interested in becoming BCS national champions as they are with getting what they believe is their share of the money.
And make no mistake, at the root of all this is money. What the U.S. Congress is attempting to do is tantamount to redistribution of wealth, period. In reality, this legislation will essentially give preferential treatment to non-BCS programs in an effort to gain a bigger portion of the BCS money pie.
No longer will competition on the field really matter. Congress will potentially force college football to employ a playoff system for no other reason than to appease the lesser programs.
Since when is competition and survival of the fittest a bad thing? At least in college football we haven’t had to be subjected to the mindless twits – politicians – ruining the nation, but now it appears they want to ruin the game I love.
I’ve got some advice for the U.S. Congress: stay the hell out of college football before you screw it up just like everything else.
Similar Posts:
- U.S. Representative Barton Calls BCS ‘Communism’
- Non-BCS Programs Need To Stop Whining
- Which SEC Team Will Win The BCS Title?
- New Political Action Committee Undertakes Elimination Of The BCS
- Mountain West, WAC Sign BCS Contract
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...1,256 views
10 so far
 |
 |
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
Monday Madness, A Look At Other Great Stories | Paneech on Mon, 4th May 2009 10:47
[...] Collapses: Video * Sports Rubbish Carl Crawford: The Straw That Stirs The D-Rays * Josh Q. Public US Congress: Stay The Hell Out Of College Football * Moondog Sports Two Saints With Odd Names Get Busted * Zoner Sports Goalie Jaroslav Halak Gets [...]
Pinkies Up!!! Michael J. Fox Edition on Mon, 4th May 2009 16:41
[...] U.S. Congress: Stay The Hell Out Of College Football (MoonDog Sports) [...]
lawvol on Mon, 4th May 2009 16:51
Apparently, great minds think alike:
The US Congress and College Football: An Epidemic in the making | Gate 21
Well said, you stay classy…
Mike Oxbig on Mon, 4th May 2009 17:03
Fukkin RACK!!!
I’m glad the U.S. Government is stepping in and righting a wrong. They gotta start somewhere…might as well be here. Besides, just because there are a million other more important things in the world that need attention doesn’t mean we should just turn a blind eye to such blatant antitrust violations such as this. I’ll take Uncle Sam in a first round TKO of the NCAA and the dozen or so fat cats lining their pockets while shafting tens of millions of fans, students, and universities not in the BCS club.
ShooterB on Mon, 4th May 2009 20:53
Barton calls BCS Communism, offers communistic solution. Gotta love it!
How in the world are congressmen allowed to stay in office when they waste time on bullspit like this?
There is also a sense of irony when greedy corrupt politicians make laws that determine what is just and fair. Cue the music, it’s time for Alanis Morissette to make a sequel.
MoonDog on Tue, 5th May 2009 00:39
Your post was more hateful than mine – I like that.
MoonDog on Tue, 5th May 2009 00:41
Well, I can’t agree with you. I don’t want the government sticking their noses into anything, especially college football. You’re not alone in your opinion, I’m not alone in mine. However, I do believe we all agree that college football would be better served with some form of playoff, but not as a result of government intervention.
MoonDog on Tue, 5th May 2009 00:45
Well said. What really drives me crazy about this whole issue is how Congress is attempting to make a point when they have none to make. Moreover, the proposed playoff format will still need some sort of selection process, most likely involving the polls and computers, just as they do now. Are the pollsters and computers suddenly going to think a 12-0 Boise State team is better than an 11-1 Florida team? Please.
In the end, the same teams that dominate the BCS will be the same teams dominating a playoff.
Thanks for chiming in.
The US Congress and College Football: An epidemic in the making | Gate 21 on Tue, 5th May 2009 07:43
[...] fact that the reaction to these congressional antics have been so uniformly negative is hardly surprising. This sort of media-whoring by elected officials is precisely why most [...]
Bloggination Domination | Zoner Sports on Wed, 13th May 2009 09:17
[...] U.S. Congress: Stay Out of College Football MoonDog Sports [...]