The calls for the NCAA to drop the BCS system and hold playoffs are getting more frequent, and now they’re coming from Congress.

Representative Joe Barton of Texas, who is the ranking Republican on the House and Energy Committee, is sponsoring a piece of legislation that would force the NCAA to drop its BCS ranking system and adopt a new method of determining the national football champion.

According to Barton, the proposed bill would “...prohibit the marketing, promotion, and advertising of a postseason game as a ‘national championship’ football game, unless it is the result of a playoff system. Violations of the prohibition will be treated as violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act as an unfair or deceptive act or practice.” Quote: Newsday

The Republican Congressmen cites the fact that several undefeated teams will not be allowed to play for the championship this season, and therefore will be missing out on millions of dollars of potential revenue. Florida and Oklahoma (both 12-1) will meet on January 8th to decide who is the national champion, but Boise State and Utah, who were both undefeated will not get a chance to play.

Barton is not alone: fellow Texas Republican Michael McCaul and Illinois Democrat Bobby Rush are also co-sponsoring the bill.

While a playoff tournament is the preferred method of crowning a national champion, the legislation itself would not dictate that playoffs must take place: only that the current BCS model be thrown out.

Our Take:

The BCS rankings system is unfair and un-American. Several deserving schools are left out every year based on the fact that a computer decided they were less worthy to be called a champion than other schools with identical records.

I sincerely hope that one day the NCAA will adopt a college football playoff: it’s the only legitimate way to decide who the real champion is.

However, I don’t think that the change we’re looking for should come from Congress. We are currently fighting two wars in the Middle East, struggling with the greatest economic crisis in 80 years, and plunging ever deeper into debt both publicly and privately. Now is not the time for any branch of our government to spend its time frivolously, or for a single penny of our taxes to be wasted on issues that aren’t of vital importance.

Joe Barton has some good ideas about reforming college football, but I’d rather see him spending his time trying to come up with a solution for climate change.