Justice Department looking into BCS System

[mlyonsd]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Justice Dept. has 'serious questions' for NCAA on college bowl process

(CNN) -- In a letter to the NCAA disclosed Wednesday, the Justice Department said it has received several requests for an antitrust investigation into the current Bowl Championship Series system, and it wants information to help it decide what to do.

That controversial system makes it very difficult for teams in some athletic conferences to qualify for major bowl games, potentially costing millions of dollars in revenue to those not chosen.

"Serious questions continue to arise suggesting that the current BCS system may not be conducted consistent with the competition principles expressed in federal antitrust laws," Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney told NCAA President Mark Emmert.

The decision to release the letter came hours after Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a major opponent of the current system, demanded further consideration of the issue in a face-to-face appearance with Attorney General Eric Holder at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Holder responded by disclosing the Justice Department had sent a letter to the NCAA on the issue Tuesday.

In her letter, Varney asked Emmert to explain why college football does not have a playoff when so many other college sports do. She also asked what steps, if any, the NCAA has taken to create a playoff, and whether the NCAA has determined that there are aspects of the BCS system that do not serve interests of fans, colleges, universities, and players.

Officials acknowledge the NCAA is not legally required to respond, although lawyers following the case expect the association to do so.

Antitrust lawyers have been watching the debate grow for more than two years, to see whether the Justice Department will jump into the case.

One antitrust expert who declares himself neutral in the case says he doubts Justice will launch a probe because it has a full plate of more pressing issues.

"There is a problem, but not an antitrust problem," said Gordon Schnell of the New York firm Constantine Cannon. A court could never require a football playoff, but they could break up the current BCS system, he said.

Currently, the BCS system limits automatic bids to the winners of the Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference, Pac 10 and the Southeast Conference, thereby leaving out other conferences, including almost all schools in the Rocky Mountain Region. Only two remaining at-large spots are available to all other colleges and universities.

CNN's Terry Frieden contributed to this report



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http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/05/04/ncaa.bcs/index.html

[Bane]

Awesome. /sarcasm.
Posted via Mobile Device

[BigMeatballDave]

Not a good idea. I loathe the BCS, but all this will do is eliminate it.
This will not help create a play-off.

[DaKCMan AP]

Waste of time & money. The current system is the best it's ever been and the government should stay out.

[Fritz88]

Playoffs. Fuck yeah.

[Hydrae]

Yep, just the pressing issue to tie up the Justice Department with. :rolleyes:

[Frazod]

Sure didn't take BCS Ballwasher Boy long to chime in, did it? :whackit:

Normally, I don't want the government involved in sports, but FUCK THE BCS. It's not like the government doesn't waste billions a day on stupid shit anyway. But anything that takes that wretched, bloated, horrid ridiculous embarrassment down works for me. ANYTHING.

[kepp]

"Tax-payers paying for Justice Department to look into BCS System"

[BigRedChief]

Yep, just the pressing issue to tie up the Justice Department with. :rolleyes:While on the surface, I would agree. In reality those guys waste such much time on BS, no biggie for me.

They are suppose to represent the people. The people wanted steriods gone from baseball, baseball wouldn't act so congress did. The people want a college football playoff system. The people/colleges in power like it to stay the way it is now. If the representives of the people give the people what they want instead of arguing the same arguments over and over again over the budget etc..why the hell not?

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Shocking that fans from BCS schools benefiting from this system would be opposed to this.

[Graystoke]

Now that Osama is dead Obama will have some time to get this sorted out.

[Frazod]

Shocking that fans from BCS schools benefiting from this system would be opposed to this.

Yeah, funny how that works. :rolleyes:

You know what I'd really like to see? Rotating bowl sites to venues all over the country, not just in the south. What a crock of shit that is. I wonder how well all those Texas cocksuckers would travel if they had to fly to Chicago to watch their team play in a bowl game instead of just drive a couple of hours?

[SuperChief]

"Fuck murder and rape . . . the BCS will not stand!"

[Skyy God]

"Tax-payers paying for Justice Department to look into BCS System"

99 of the 120 D-1 football schools are public, state- and/or federal-funded universities.

Nope, no government interest there whatsoever.

[Titty Meat]

While on the surface, I would agree. In reality those guys waste such much time on BS, no biggie for me.

They are suppose to represent the people. The people wanted steriods gone from baseball, baseball wouldn't act so congress did. The people want a college football playoff system. The people/colleges in power like it to stay the way it is now. If the representives of the people give the people what they want instead of arguing the same arguments over and over again over the budget etc..why the hell not?

You are a huge dumbass.

[DaKCMan AP]

People forget the mess college football was before the BCS. You hardly ever got a bowl game that featured #1 vs #2 and non-major conference teams could never make the Rose Bowl. Regular season games had less meaning because there was no 'BCS Championship game'. As long as you won your major conference, you went to the big bowl game. You could still get crowned NC if some other team lost in a different bowl game. The BCS has given a Championship game in the sense that the teams ranked #1 and #2 at the end of the regular season will play, and the winner will be crowned.

The BCS has gotten it right most of the time and has resulted in the growth of college football interest.


- 49.6 million fans watched an NCAA football game at the 639 schools this past year. That's an increase of nearly 3 percent from the prior season.

- Thirteen FBS teams played in front of more than a million people on the season (Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, LSU, Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Georgia).

- Four FBS teams saw increases of more than 10,000 fans from last year (Louisville, Northwestern, Rice and Eastern Michigan).

- College football has 103 million fans, 61 percent of which are men. Twenty five percent of the total college football fan base has a household income of $100,000 or more and 32 percent of the total fan base is married.

- CBS' coverage of the of the Iron Bowl, the matchup between Auburn and Alabama on Nov. 26, was the highest rated college football game of the 2010 season on any network.

- Ten bowl games produced ratings jumps of more than 20 percent, including the Insight Bowl — between Iowa and Missouri — which saw a ratings jump of 460 percent. Forty three percent of America watched at least one of the 35 bowl games.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/42340628

- An average of 2.01 million households watched a game on ESPN in 2007, an amount nearly 25 percent higher than the average of 1.64 million in 1998, the first year of the BCS.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?id=3402083

[Valiant]

Like others have said, it is bs that it takes our doj to look at the crap system in place. If not this they would find something else.

There is zero valid reasons why every other college sports have playoffs but d1 football does not. Shit there is a way to get bowls and playoffs together in the same system. the money will still be made.

[BigRedChief]

You are a huge dumbass.LMAO
Thats the best you got?

Name calling is the last resort of a limited mind.

[KC native]

People forget the mess college football was before the BCS. You hardly ever got a bowl game that featured #1 vs #2 and non-major conference teams could never make the Rose Bowl. Regular season games had less meaning because there was no 'BCS Championship game'. As long as you won your major conference, you went to the big bowl game. You could still get crowned NC if some other team lost in a different bowl game. The BCS has given a Championship game in the sense that the teams ranked #1 and #2 at the end of the regular season will play, and the winner will be crowned.

The BCS has gotten it right most of the time and has resulted in the growth of college football interest.

Translated as "since the sec gets pretty much an automatic ticket and a complimentary ball wash, I'm cool with the current system."

[BigMeatballDave]

Normally, I don't want the government involved in sports, but FUCK THE BCS. It's not like the government doesn't waste billions a day on stupid shit anyway. But anything that takes that wretched, bloated, horrid ridiculous embarrassment down works for me. ANYTHING.I agree, but I dont care to go back to the old system.

If there's a more corrupt organization, its the NCAA.

[Skyy God]

I agree, but I dont care to go back to the old system.

If there's a more corrupt organization, its the NCAA.

The DOJ is pushing for a playoff system, not the pre-BCS one.

[BigMeatballDave]

The DOJ is pushing for a playoff system, not the pre-BCS one.

Doesnt matter. If the BCS is actually investigated, to prevent any lawsuits, it may just fold. The old format would be in place.


Nothing can force the NCAA to create a play-off.


I'd love to see a play-off system in place, but this isnt the way to go about it.

[Skyy God]

Doesnt matter. If the BCS is actually investigated, to prevent any lawsuits, it may just fold. The old format would be in place.


Nothing can force the NCAA to create a play-off.


I'd love to see a play-off system in place, but this isnt the way to go about it.

You think the BCS guys want to lose their jobs? The Fiesta Bowl f*cktard was making $600K per year.

IMO, they're way, way more likely to modify the system due to pressure rather than fold up the tent.

[vailpass]

Excellent. We need more of the federal government involved in every facet of our lives.

[Brock]

you're just going to end up with a different shitty system.

[Skyy God]

you're just going to end up with a different shitty system.

Yeah, like an 8 team playoff?

That would totally suck. ;)

[Simplex3]

While on the surface, I would agree. In reality those guys waste such much time on BS, no biggie for me.

They are suppose to represent the people. The people wanted steriods gone from baseball, baseball wouldn't act so congress did. The people want a college football playoff system. The people/colleges in power like it to stay the way it is now. If the representives of the people give the people what they want instead of arguing the same arguments over and over again over the budget etc..why the hell not?

The people don't own MLB or the NCAA, so why is it any of their business?

[vailpass]

The people don't own MLB or the NCAA, so why is it any of their business?

There's one, get him up against the wall.

[Skyy God]

The people don't own MLB or the NCAA, so why is it any of their business?

I'll repeat. 99 of the 120 D-1 football schools are public, state- and/or federal-funded universities. Combine that with federal grants to private school students, and the government is involved, whether you like it or not.

[Simplex3]

I'll repeat. 99 of the 120 D-1 football schools are public, state- and/or federal-funded universities. Combine that with federal grants to private school students, and the government is involved, whether you like it or not.

They aren't the NCAA, whether you like it or not.

[vailpass]

I'll repeat. 99 of the 120 D-1 football schools are public, state- and/or federal-funded universities. Combine that with federal grants to private school students, and the government is involved, whether you like it or not.

So every private business with which a public school does business is subject to federal regulation?

[FAX]

Strange article. To my mind, this is more of an antitrust issue than the NFL deal going on.

Government grants, scholarships, federal and state support ... all that stuff is involved. College football has needed a playoff system for decades, but the BCS apparently prefers power to impartiality. It's time those BCS bastards were assaulted by Seal Team Six and buried at sea.

FAX

[kstater]

Doesnt matter. If the BCS is actually investigated, to prevent any lawsuits, it may just fold. The old format would be in place.


Nothing can force the NCAA to create a play-off.


I'd love to see a play-off system in place, but this isnt the way to go about it.

The NCAA wants a playoff system. The BCS does not.

[vailpass]

The NCAA wants a playoff system. The BCS does not.

When you say 'BCS' who do you mean? What is the BCS comprised of?

[BigRedChief]

The people don't own MLB or the NCAA, so why is it any of their business?

I'm not saying they have a right or it's any of their business. I was just pointing out that they waste a helluva lot of time with partisan bickering so who cares if they waster more time?

[Bearcat]

People forget the mess college football was before the BCS. You hardly ever got a bowl game that featured #1 vs #2 and non-major conference teams could never make the Rose Bowl. Regular season games had less meaning because there was no 'BCS Championship game'. As long as you won your major conference, you went to the big bowl game. You could still get crowned NC if some other team lost in a different bowl game. The BCS has given a Championship game in the sense that the teams ranked #1 and #2 at the end of the regular season will play, and the winner will be crowned.

The BCS has gotten it right most of the time and has resulted in the growth of college football interest.

2010 -- regular season ended with 3 undefeated teams
2009 -- postseason ended with 2 undefeated teams
2008 -- regular season ended with a bunch of 1-loss teams, and undefeated Utah and BSU... the postseason ended with an undefeated team that didn't play for the NC.
2007 -- One 1-loss team and a bunch of 2-loss teams.
2006 -- Not yet...
2005 -- The BCS GOT IT RIGHT!!! PBJ PBJ PBJ PBJ !!!!!

Yeah, the system is better than it was, but that doesn't mean it works. Saying we forgot what it used to be like is like someone telling a homeless person who wants to go from a homeless shelter to a crappy apartment "you don't need it any better... remember, you were sleeping on a street the other night!"

[BigMeatballDave]

The NCAA wants a playoff system. The BCS does not.Not buying this. If the NCAA truly wanted it, it would be in place.

The current system is a cash cow. Last time I checked, the NCAA was not a non-profit organization.

[Garcia Bronco]

When you say 'BCS' who do you mean? What is the BCS comprised of?

He doesn't know it, but he meams the schools.