Congressmen inform Obama of bill to strike down BCS

Calling the BCS "fundamentally unfair," three Congressmen have written Barack Obama to inform the president-elect of a bill they proposed earlier this year to strike down major college football's postseason system.

As first reported by CBSSports.com this week, the resolution, which never made it to the floor this year, will be re-introduced early next year. H. Rs. 1120 calls for the Department of Justice Antitrust Division "to investigate and bring appropriate actions against the parties of the BCS."

The six-page letter and accompanying fact sheet concludes by telling Obama, "This ... is the best way for the federal government to take action to end this illegal system."

The letter is signed by three of the resolution's four sponsors -- Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) and Jim Matheson (D-Utah). They hope to bring political pressure on the BCS to change believing a playoff "would be less restrictive."

The Congressmen refer Obama to 2004 when Senate and House Judiciary Committee hearings on the legality of the BCS forced the commissioners to be more inclusive. After those hearings non-BCS schools were given a larger share of the financial pie and allowed easier access to BCS bowls. Since then both Boise State and Hawaii have played in BCS bowls. In the first seven years of the BCS, only Utah, among non-BCS schools, was able to qualify for one of the four major bowls.

The letter makes note of playoff proponents Michael Adams (Georgia president) and Bernie Machen (Florida president).

"With the prestige of the presidency and vigorous pursuit by the Department of Justice in support of fairness and equity," the letter states, "we are certain the BCS will be persuaded to resolve the issues ... to the benefit of the nation's colleges and their fans."

Obama twice this month has spoken of his desire to institute an eight-team playoff in Division I-A.

The full text of the letter appears in Dodds and Ends.