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Withabout one third of the bowl games complete, the results show the Western Athletic Conference's claims to be competitive do not hold water.

By Michael P. Tremoglie Tremoglie's Tea Time Blog The past several years there has been a proliferation of football bowl games with sponsors of one sort or another that lead to awkward sounding names. For example, the Menicke Bowl, the Chick-Fil-A Bowl or - my personal favorite- the GMAC Bowl ( shouldn't this really be called the Stimulus Bowl or the Bankrupt Bowl). Since our esteemed Congress has assigned importance ...

Even Saban knows who will win.

FOR WEEKS, frenzied sports broadcasters argued wildly over whether Alabama, Florida or Texas were the best football teams in the land. Imagine the media buildup to the bowl season if the bowl teams were rearranged on graduation success rates. “This is ESPN’s College Game Day! The big question of this season is ‘Who will face Navy and its 93 percent graduation rate in the Bowl Championship Series showdown? Will it be Northwestern, at 92 percent? Or Boston College at 91 percent? .............................................. While Alabama deserves to be in the actual national championship game with a graduation rate of 63 percent...

There are few things more aggravating than witnessing a conservative who praises free markets, small government and individual liberty be elected to office only to have him transform into a sanctimonious busybody who knows no restraint in interfering with the private affairs of free citizens.  A spectacular example of this took place this week in Washington D.C. “What can we say — it’s December and the BCS is in chaos again,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He said the BCS system is unfair and won’t change...

I’m always amazed at the arrogance of politicians who believe that no aspect of American life can carry on without their guidance. The latest is example is Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX). Barton has introduced legislation that would require Division I college football to implement a playoff system or be fined if they call any of the Bowl Games a “National Championship game.”

Texas – not TCU, nor Cincinnati or Boise State – is playing Alabama in the BCS championship game because, well, its name is Texas. The system is designed to reward the big brands of the sport. Just as important as what you did this week, or this month, is what you did a decade ago. Perception is everything. The BCS sells this as fair.

There's certainly an argument to be made that college football's Bowl Championship Series (BCS) isn't an ideal system, but just to what degree should the federal government come in an regulate this multi-billion dollar industry? According to Andy Staples, a writer for Sports Illustrated's Web site, SI.com who appeared on the Fox News Channel's Dec. 9 "Studio B," the industry should revamped from a regulatory aspect because of issue of "fairness." He was asked by host Shepard Smith why it is appropriate for Congress to be meddling in the college football. "It is funny because everybody says, ‘Why is Congress...

If the BCS did elections for us: 2012 Elections breakdown BCS rankings: 1.) Barack Obama. Big state winner who is the defending champion. Both the AP polls and USA Today polls have him at #1. 2.) Charlie Crist. Big state winner who may win multiple statewide elections for major conference offices of Senate and FL Governor. Popular among AP and USA today pollsters for a Republican. 3.) Mitt Romney. Strength of schedule was weak, but hails from a "big" state. Low polls rankings, but "big" BCS state calculation puts him at #3. 4.) Hillary Clinton. A loss to a then-unseasoned...

A House subcommittee this morning passed legislation that would force college football to switch from the current Bowl Championship Series to a traditional playoff system. "There are quite a few steps to go still in this process, but today's subcommittee vote is important because it will help the BCS finally start to respond to overwhelming public sentiment in favor of a playoff," Matt Sanderson, spokesman for the anti-BCS Playoff PAC, told CBSNews.com.

I was checking the latest BCS poll and I noticed all the matchups involve top 10 teams. I wonder if this is the first time this has happned. Usually a "less deserving" team gets in because of the automatic conference entry, a la ACC or Big East, or Notre Dame or a bowl game will pick a team with a bigger draw. Rose: THE Ohio State University vs. Oregon: 8 vs. 7Sugar: Florida vs. Cincinnati: 5 vs. 3Fiesta: BSU vs. TCU: 4 vs 6Orange: Iowa vs GT: 10 vs 9

This should feel like a just reward for an offseason where the non-automatic qualifiers extolled their virtues in front of Congress, then reached unprecedented heights in the BCS era on the field. It can't be understated that for the first time, two teams from outside of the major conferences have been granted access behind the BCS' velvet rope as No. 3 TCU and No. 6 Boise State will meet in the Fiesta Bowl. "I think the Fiesta Bowl, to their credit, is putting two very, very deserving teams on the field against each other," WAC commissioner Karl Benson said. It's...

Like the Christmas holiday season, when December rolls around, the sports pages fill with columnist complaining about the lack of a college playoff for what used to be refer to as Division I football. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see a playoff in Bowl Championship football. The problem is no one has come up with a system that would objectively seed teams for such a playoff. Without a plan, any playoff would be 7 teams plus Notre Dame every year. Proponents say just seed the top 8, 10, or 16 teams of the BCS. But If the...

Sportswriters Show They Are Not Bright Lights College football is a game -- a very profitable game -- played by unpaid college kids. The kids play for pride and a chance to go onto the pros. The universities, the television networks like ESPN, the bowl organizations and others reap the profits by exploiting them. So lets stop the annual whining about ...

Top 10 BCS: 1: Florida 2: 'Bama 3: Texas 4: TCU 5: Cincinnati: THE Football Team of Ohio 6: Boise State 7: Oregon 8: THE Ohio State University 9: Iowa 10: GT

The bowl picture looks nice and neat if No. 2 Texas beats Nebraska in the Big 12 title game. It gets really messy if the Cornhuskers pull a huge – but not unprecedented – upset over the Longhorns. Remember Texas did the same to Nebraska in 1996. In 2003, K-State rolled top-ranked Oklahoma, five years after Texas A&M ended the No. 2 Wildcats’ title hopes in double overtime. Should the Cornhuskers beat Texas, Nebraska will head to the Fiesta Bowl. Texas won’t head to the BCS title game and instead appears set for the Orange Bowl. So what does that...

Top 10: 1: UF 2: 'Bama 3: Texas 4: TCU 5: Cinn 6: Boise State 7: GT 8: Oregon 9: Pitt 10: THE Ohio State University

Top 10: 1: Florida 2: 'Bama 3: Texas 4: TCU 5: Cincinnati 6: Boise State 7: Georgia Tech 8: LSU 9: Pitt 10: THE Ohio State University

Top 10: 1: Florida 2: 'Bama 3: Texas 4: TCU 5: Cincinnati 6: Boise State 7: Gerogia Tech 8: LSU 9: USC 10: Iowa Computer put 'Bama back up over Texas. TCU leaped over Cincinnati to take the top spot for highest ranked non-BCS team. Despite losing LSU gained a spot. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/polls/bcs/

The likelihood of outrage seems inevitable this year in college football: The BCS controversy, which even President Obama has issued proclamations about, seems ready to explode, since six undefeated teams - two from minor conferences - survive with only three games left in the season. Two conferences, Mountain West and Western Athletic (WAC) are excluded from automatic participation in the BCS, and must compete for one of two wildcard teams, and both still have undefeated teams. But should a team which has gone undefeated and unchallenged take a slot from Alabama or Florida, which are likely to also go undefeated......

Charlie Weis likes his team's chances of earning a Bowl Championship Series berth -- if No. 19 Notre Dame keeps winning. Gator Bowl president Rick Catlett does, too. Catlett said the Gator Bowl would love to have a Fighting Irish team that finishes 10-2, but can't imagine it happening.

WAC commissioner Karl Benson told the Idaho Statesman on Wednesday that Boise State is struggling to schedule a BCS-conference opponent for 2011 — even with the help (and exposure and money) of ESPN behind the effort. The Broncos are not asking for a return game in Boise. Just one road game. And about 10 teams have turned the Broncos down, according to Benson. "They're running into a situation where nobody will schedule them, nobody will take them," Benson told the Statesman's Chadd Cripe. The story is starting to get some national attention as ESPN.com's Bruce Feldman has begun tweeting about...

1 Florida 2 Texas 3 Alabama 4 Iowa 5 Cincinnati 6 TCU 7 Boise State 8 Oregon 9 LSU 10 Georgia Tech

So now the geniuses who run the BCS have decided that the answer to their problems is better spinning. A story in yesterday's Sports Business Journal reports that the BCS is considering hiring someone whose job would be to defend the BCS against people like me--and many, many others--who think it is a complete and utter shame. In fact, John Marinatto, the new commissioner of The Big East, who as of now would be in charge of the BCS next year--the ACC's John Swofford is doing it right now--is quoted as saying that the BCS commissioners believe they have not...

On Sept. 5, while Florida feasted on Charleston Southern and Texas opened with Louisiana-Monroe, the Oklahoma Sooners played a strong BYU team on a neutral field. That’s when Sam Bradford sprained his shoulder while being sacked, an injury that derailed OU’s title hopes. A week later, while Florida annihilated Troy and Texas blew out Wyoming, Southern California played at Ohio State.

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) said Monday that they are backing a federal political action committee "dedicated to discarding the Bowl Championship Series and instituting a competitive post-season championship for college football." The people behind Playoff PAC – whose tagline is "Beat the BCS. Save College Football." – believe that the Bowl Championship Series is "inherently flawed," the group said in a press release. "It crowns champions arbitrarily and stifles inter-conference competition," the group argued. "Fans, players, schools, and corporate sponsors will be better served when the BCS is replaced with an...

<p>WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers who have been trying to prod college football to replace the Bowl Championship Series with a playoff system now have the Washington equivalent of a booster club: a political action committee.</p> <p>A group of college football fans launched the Playoff PAC Monday with the goal of electing similarly minded members of Congress. The hope is that if there's enough pressure from Congress, the BCS -- a complex system of computer rankings and polls that often draws criticism -- will voluntarily change to a playoff system. The BCS released its first standings of the season on Sunday.</p>

The Florida Gators held the No. 1 spot in the first Bowl Championship Series rankings, despite playing a relatively weak schedule and struggling offensively in recent weeks. The Gators (6-0) had .989 points, giving them a 0.36-point lead over No. 2 Alabama in the standings, released Sunday for the first time this season.

Does anyone want to advance to the BCS title game? Tim Tebow drove Florida for a winning field goal against Arkansas. Several contenders teetered on the edge of extinction Saturday. Florida survived Arkansas 23-20, and Texas snuck by Sam Bradford-less Oklahoma 16-13. Some fell off the edge. Ohio State was stunned by Purdue 26-18, and Virginia Tech was dumped by Georgia Tech 28-23. The first BCS standings of the season will be released Sunday afternoon. No matter how they look this week, we likely will end up with the winner of the SEC title game playing USC or Texas for...

Boise State's potential to play in the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game has quickly emerged as the theme that will define the Broncos' season. Boise State hit No. 5 in all three major college football polls Sunday - the highest regular-season ranking achieved by a team from a conference that doesn't have an automatic BCS berth since the system began in 1998. Of the four teams in front of the Broncos, at least two will lose because of head-to-head meetings. The top two teams play for the title Jan. 7 in Pasadena, Calif.

Lou Holtz discusses the AP Top 25 poll and then defends his choice of Notre Dame for the BCS title game

Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch urged the Justice Department on Tuesday to investigate college football's Bowl Championship Series for what he views as violations of antitrust laws. Hatch made the comment after conducting a standing-room-only hearing in the Senate subcommittee with antitrust oversight, where he serves as the top Republican. "Frankly, there's an arrogance about the BCS that just drives me nuts," he told reporters. "Hopefully this hearing will open the door to have some people reconsider their positions. And if nothing else, the Justice Department ought to be looking at this."

.....Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who chaired the hearing of the antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights subcommittee, said the BCS bowl “regime” is best described as a violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act--a law aimed at protecting against monopolies and business arrangements that stifle competition.........

WASHINGTON (AP)—Tackling an issue sure to rouse sports fans, lawmakers pressed college football officials Friday to switch the Bowl Championship Series to a playoff, with one Texas Republican likening the current system to communism and joking it should be labeled “BS,” not “BCS.” John Swofford, the coordinator of the BCS, rejected the idea of switching to a playoff, telling a House panel that it would threaten the existence of celebrated bowl games. Sponsorships and TV revenue that now go to bowl games would instead be spent on playoff games, “meaning that it will be very difficult for any bowl, including...

WASHINGTON -- The coordinator of the Bowl Championship Series told Congress Friday that a switch to a playoff system -- favored by fans, President Barack Obama and some lawmakers -- would threaten the existence of celebrated bowl games. Sponsorships and TV revenue that now go to bowl games would instead be spent on playoff games, "meaning that it will be very difficult for any bowl, including the current BCS bowls, which are among the oldest and most established in the game's history, to survive," said BCS coordinator John Swofford in prepared testimony. "Certainly the twenty-nine games that are not part...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Everyone from President Barack Obama on down to fans has criticized how college football determines its top team. Now senators are getting off the sidelines to examine antitrust issues involving the Bowl Champion Series. The current system "leaves nearly half of all the teams in college football at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to qualifying for the millions of dollars paid out every year," the Senate Judiciary's subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights said in a statement Wednesday announcing the hearings.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Everyone from President Barack Obama on down to fans has criticized how college football determines its top team. Now senators are getting off the sidelines to examine antitrust issues involving the Bowl Champion Series. The current system "leaves nearly half of all the teams in college football at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to qualifying for the millions of dollars paid out every year," the Senate Judiciary's subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights said in a statement Wednesday announcing the hearings. Under the BCS, some conferences get automatic bids to participate in series, while...

The Mountain West Conference is pushing for an automatic annual entry into the Bowl Championship Series' postseason lineup, USA Today reported on its Web site Monday night. The newspaper said that presidents and chancellors of the league's nine schools, along with commissioner Craig Thompson, will press for a meeting with BCS coordinator John Swofford, to discuss an automatic berth into the BCS. "I would not be optimistic," Thompson said. "As I explained to them (the Mountain West presidents), it's a series of legal contracts among 11 conferences, four bowls, two TV partners with yet another TV partner coming in. I...

After determining the Big-12 championship game participants, the BCS computers were put to work on other major contests and today the BCS declared Germany to be the winner of World War II. "Germany put together an incredible number of victories beginning with the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland and continuing on into conference play with defeats of Poland, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. Their only losses came against the US and Russia; however considering their entire body of work--including an incredibly tough Strength of Schedule--our computers deemed them worthy of the #1 ranking." Questioned about the...

NCAA football star Tim Tebow helped bring the spotlight to his team and his faith Thursday night, leading No. 1 Florida to a 24-14 win over No. 2 Oklahoma for the BCS championship. The Gators quarterback ran 22 times for 109 yards and completed 18 of 30 passes for 231 yards. Other numbers for that night? 3 and 16. John 3:16, that is. As he has done throughout the season, Tebow used his black under-eye markings Thursday night to share Scripture, this time donning the most popular Bible verse in America. For many, the reference was simply a personal form...

Tim Tebow took over for Florida and the top-ranked Gators grabbed a 14-7 lead over No. 2 Oklahoma after three quarters at the BCS national championship game Thursday night. With two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks and offenses that combined to average 99 points per game in the regular season, the Gators and Sooners were expected to trade scores most of the night at Dolphin Stadium. But the defenses came up with most of the biggest plays in the first 30 minutes, and Tebow was the show in the third and forth quarter. Florida wins 24- 14.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President-elect Barack Obama says he still thinks there needs to be a playoff system for determining the country's college football champion. Obama, asked what he thought about Florida's 24-14 victory Thursday night over Oklahoma in the BCS championship game, congratulated the Gators and said he'd sent a message to a friend whose son plays for the team. At the same time, he said, "If I'm Utah, or if I'm USC or if I'm Texas, I might still have some quibbles." Obama said, "That's why we need a playoff."

We've reached the final game of the college football season. I know that we've had some arguments regarding who really should be the national champion (and due to my own bias I've tried to stay away from it). But anyway, somebody decided #'s 1 and 2 for this game a long time ago and here they are. The BCS National Championship Game: Florida vs. Oklahoma (8:00 pm, FOX) The last two Heisman trophy winners take to the turf for the waterford crystal shaped football from Sears (or at least it used to be from Sears). Leading up to this game,...

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/colleges/articles/2009/01/03/20090103spt-fiesta.html RULES-LINK ONLY

1. Utah ... national champion?! Why not? I still don't believe this is the best team in America, but without a playoff, it's all about the résumé. This wasn't a fluky win and this wasn't a case of Alabama coming out flat. Utah straight-up whipped the Tide on both sides of the ball, and remember, this was against a team that was No. 1 for most of the year and was a quarter away from playing for the national title. This was a great, great 'Bama team, and Utah beat it like a drum. This isn't 1984 BYU; that Cougars...

The regular season in college football has come to an end, wild and woolly as it was. Some would like to use it as a legitimate excuse for a playoff system, some modification for the BCS system, or just something to discuss on 3rd dates. Other people, like Norm Chow, have said (and I paraphrase) "I'm against a playoff system. I wouldn't have wanted to see our '84 (byU national championship) team have to prove it on the field." (In case you were wondering, yes, I have waited almost two weeks to post that). :) (One more parenthetical note: the...

First up, its the NCAA Divsion III National Championship/2008 Stagg Bowl Wisconsin-Whitewater (13-1) vs Mount Union ESPN2 Saturday 11AM Eastern. Montana Grizzlies (14-1) vs. the Richmond Spiders (12-3) Friday Night for the Football Subdivision Championship 8:00 PM on ESPN2 And BCS Bowl season begins with Navy vs Wake Forest in the Eagle Bank/Congressional Bowl

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Taking aim at a BCS system he said "consistently misfires," a member of Congress planned to introduce legislation Wednesday that would force college football to adopt a playoff to determine the national champion. Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, didn't specify what sort of playoff he wants -- only that the BCS should go. "In some years the sport's national championship winner was left unsettled, and at least one school was left out of the many millions of dollars in revenue that accompany the title," Barton said in...

BCS Selection Show on Fox 8 PM EST Final Rankings- AP Top 25Sun Dec 7, 2008 1. Florida 2. Oklahoma 3. Texas 4. Alabama 5. USC 6. Penn St. 7. Utah 8. Texas Tech 9. Boise St. 10. Ohio St.

Florida Upsets No. 1 Alabama For SEC Crown SEC Championship: Florida 31, Alabama 20 Florida appears headed back to the national championship game after Alabama picked the worst possible time for its first loss of the season. Tim Tebow threw three touchdown passes -- including the decisive score with just under three minutes remaining -- to lead the No. 2 Gators to a 31-20 victory over No. 1 Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship game on Saturday. The win should be enough to give Florida (12-1) a spot in the BCS title game for the second time in three years....