Barton Bill To Enforce BCS Playoff, Politician Calls BCS a "Cartel"

Once again the government has seen fit to throw its hat and vote into the ring where the BCS is concerned. 

A report in the Dallas Morning News this morning states that the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee will vote today on a bill that could bring about a playoff system in college football. 

The bill is called The Barton Bill—named after Virginia state representative Joe Barton. 

Barton states that the way the BCS awards championship berths is unfair to other schools, and he hopes the bill will help change the "false and deceptive" practices used in deciding who should have a shot at playing for the national title. 

He goes on to say: "The BCS isn't about having an open, fair competition. It is about maximizing profits for the elite BCS schools. It is a cartel."

Now, there is no question that the BCS has been known to skew toward the major conferences. The Big 12, Pac-10, SEC, and Big 10 have been the primary beneficiaries of this system and that would not likely change. 

However, it's uncertain if this bill will indeed have the impact that Barton hopes it will. Specifically, will it change the way the BCS does business?

When asked why Barton felt it was prudent to tackle the BCS playoff debate when it's clear that there are more important things going on in the world today, he states that college football is a big money-making industry and should be subject to the same types of scrutiny that any other corporation would be—that they aren't above reproach.  

The reason for all the recent hoopla is due to the fact that TCU, Cincinnati, and Boise State all finished the season undefeated, yet none were afforded the opportunity to play in the national championship game. 

In Barton's estimation, a playoff system was needed at that point to determine who was worthy of the title shot. He feels that the system, as it stands now, gave the other teams an unfair shake. 

It's important to note that the bill itself wouldn't change the system directly. It would simply change the marketing of the "national championship" game itself. 

The BCS wouldn't be allowed to call a game the "national championship" unless it was the result of a playoff. It's an issue that seems to have a good head of steam going into the initial vote.

A House subcommittee will discuss and vote on the bill today. It will then move to full committee for further analysis. 

It's clear that this is an issue that isn't going away anytime soon.

Stay tuned.