Congressman calls for BCS hearing

[edgecy 3]

Congressman Joe Barton of the House Energy and Commerce Committee has called for a hearing into the BCS system saying that its method of determining who's #1 is too "deeply flawed." One of the main reasons for this is because of the 2004 season when Auburn and Utah were both shut out of the national title game.

Hopefully we can see a playoff spurred out of this...

[Ryan Sanders 123]

Either a 8 team or 4 team playoff would be best. 8 team playoff would take up about 3 weeks, and a 4 team playoff would take up just 2 weeks. :-/

[edgecy 3]

Personally I'd like to see 8 teams. Nothing wrong with a few extra weeks of football

[tgr4lfe 220]

If a playoff is in store. They will have to go all out to accomodate all the bowls. Why not a 16 team playoff. That is 15 total games start to finish. I think that would be the ideal playoff!!

[Guest Tigrinum Major]

If a playoff is in store.  They will have to go all out to accomodate all the bowls.  Why not a 16 team playoff.  That is 15 total games start to finish.  I think that would be the ideal playoff!!

203090[/snapback]

A playoff would never involve the bowl games with the exception of the big finale game. Too many logistics problems if teams such as Oklahoma had to play in say Shreveport, then Dallas, then Atlanta, then Pasadena. And that is a fairly sane schedule. Imagine a Utah having to play in Nashville, then Atlanta, then Phoenix and finally Miami.

A playoff will have to have some home games for higher seeded teams. The bowls are antiquated and useless anymore anyway. Too many with too many mediocre teams getting bids.

[AUTrey 0]

I think this is stupid. What place does Congress have in football? I'm glad to know my Government is concentrating on important things like College Football, and not on trivial matters like Welfare, Tax. and Social Security Reform, the War on Terror, or the confimation of Supreme Court Justices. This is dumber than when they got involved in the steroids investigation in MLB.

The NCAA and the BCS may have problems, but they are not Congressional problems.

Also, for the record, I am very much against the idea of a playoff. How many times have you seen a Wild Card team win the Super Bowl or a #5 seed come out of nowhere to win March Madness?

[edgecy 3]

I don't think there's anything wrong with a wild card winning the Super Bowl or the #5 seed winning March Madness, those teams at least have a CHANCE to play in the title game. The way the BCS system is set up right now, there is not even a chance for teams that are deserving to go, 2004 Auburn is the perfect example.

[TexasTiger 12,947]

'Deeply flawed'

Congress calls hearing on Bowl Championship Series

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/foot...ongress.bcs.ap/

Posted: Friday December 2, 2005 6:48PM; Updated: Friday December 2, 2005 9:15PM

HOUSTON (AP) -- Calling the Bowl Championship Series "deeply flawed," the chairman of a congressional committee has called a hearing on the controversial system used to determine college football's national champion.

A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, charged with regulating America's sports industry, announced Friday it will conduct a hearing on the BCS next week, after this season's bowl matchups are determined.

"College football is not just an exhilarating sport, but a billion-dollar business that Congress cannot ignore," said committee Chairman Joe Barton, a Texas Republican. Barton's panel is separate from the House Government Reform panel that tackled steroids in baseball.

The committee announcement called the hearing, scheduled for next Wednesday, a "comprehensive review" of the BCS and postseason college football.

"Too often college football ends in sniping and controversy, rather than winners and losers," Barton said. "The current system of determining who's No. 1 appears deeply flawed."

Yeah, it's deeply flawed. But what is a more deeply flawed Congress going to do? Find a way to get a cut? Keep to messing up the things we are already accustomed to you messing up. Leave football alone. It can self destruct all on its on.

[AUTrey 0]

I don't think there's anything wrong with a wild card winning the Super Bowl or the #5 seed winning March Madness, those teams at least have a CHANCE to play in the title game. The way the BCS system is set up right now, there is not even a  chance for teams that are deserving to go, 2004 Auburn is the perfect example.

203096[/snapback]

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it. What I am saying is don't tout a playoff system as a way to find a "True" champion. It's not. A wild card is not a true champion, a #5 seed is not a true champion. The best team is the true champion. If a team goes undefeated in the regular season, then loses in the playoffs to a team that went 9-2 or 8-3, who is the true champion? Those teams should not have a chance to play for the title. Think of it like this...if Tennessee had beaten AU in the SECCG last year, would you believe they were the "True Champion?" This year, if Oregon or ND beat USC and won a playoff, or if OSU were to beat Texas and win it all, would they be the true champion? I think not. There are four brackets in the NCAA basketball tourney...conceivably, a 5 seed could be ranked #20 in the overall rankings. In the current BCS rankings, Boston College is ranked #20. Even Wisconsin, a team we scoff at playing in a bowl, is #18. Are you saying they should have a legitimate chance to win it all...and if they put it together for a couple games in a row and managed to actually pull it all off...that they should be the "True Champion?"

I think we will never have a true champion. No system is perfect. With that in mind, I say we go back to the old system, that everyone knew was flawed, and even the system itself knew it was flawed. Atleast that way we can enjoy it all, and not complain about everything.

[WaDE'05 8]

Oh, wow! Congrees is involved now. They will surely make some headway with this issue. We can all just sit back and breathe a sigh of relief, the politicians are gonna take it from here, boys. Finally, finally this whole mess will be sorted out. Thank God for Congress! Every one get out your pen and paper and write your local representative. Make sure this issue is at the top of his priority list.

If Pro is the opposite of Con then what is the opposite of Progress?

BTW, I'm with Tubs on this one. A plus one would be ideal.

[AUTrey 0]

Thanks for the reassurance. I was worried Congress might get nothing done. I feel better now, now I can sleep.

[War Eagle 96 10]

We don't need a playoff. We just need an option on an extra game if we need to break a perceived tie after the BCS bowls are played. Playoffs make the regular season less important.