House panel passes college football playoff bill

I agree, for some teams the BCS bids are unfair because it means not laying claim to National Champion, but if you eliminate BCS bowl games you also eliminate the revenue generated for the schools on account of them accepting bids. Instead of having 8 schools that get anywhere from $5 Mil to $20 Mil, you now only have 2 teams in the national championship that will receive a purse from the sponsor or co-sponsors.

For example, Tostitos gets a pub every single time the Fiesta Bowl logo is displayed, their logo is on the field and on the jerseys. Everywhere you look, Tostitos are getting pub. You can't honestly say that Nokia is going to shell out the money it does for the Sugar bowl if it means that their logo won't be on every product.

What this will boil down to is the top two teams receiving less money, and the other eight teams receiving significantly less money for their programs.

If they can definitely say that the 4 winners of the quarter finals get a sum of money, then the 2 winners of the semi-final get a sum of money, then the National Champion takes home the grand prize and each game leading up to that is sponsored by a different company then you could make a case.

It all comes down to the money.

Well, at least our government has their priorities straight. They should work on a bill that proposes a uniform yellow color for road stripes. Next a bill that proposes that all companies that use television advertising have a cute little spokes-animal since kids think they are funny. After that, they should debate a bill that proposes they have chicken salad sandwiches for lunch.

It's not like our government has anything better to do right?

/SARCASM

Capitol Hill = The biggest waste of time, money, space, resources, and humanity in the country.

Actually, I don't consider them human. I think our politicians are a step and a half above spore mold, but below head lice. Lobbyists are even with spore mold. Anyone that works with, for, or at the "news organization" TMZ is three steps below spore mold.

It's not like it's taking time away from important bills. Have you seen a typical House schedule? Half their day is dedicating airports and declaring it National Chipmunk Day or whatever. They obviously have some free time. And a vast majority of the BCS schools are public institutions, so it's not like the gubmint is sticking its nose in private business.

You have got to be kidding me. This is what we are paying congress for?

I support the idea of a college playoff system, but Congress has more important things to do then this.

Hey, they are so much smarter than us, this must be good.

Thank goodness we have so many highly intelligent people running this country. Without them, hey we might have a crisis, or do something stupid like spend our granchildren's money. No wait...

....we have a +10% rate of unemployment, but WHO CARES! We need to figure out how we are going to crown a college football national champion!! Thats SO much more important..... </sarcasm>

There is a hint of irony in this a actual possible regulation of interstate commerce between state institutions (state public universities) which does for once fall inside the Constitutional scope of Congress instead of their 'more important' business in passing un-Constitutional bills like dictating all American's buy health insurance.

Which is worse, unimportant but legit work or important but illegit work? Why don't we shoot for important but legit work or is that too much to ask for?

I couldn't find "football" (or any mention of sports) in the Constitution.....

"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.

Thanks for taking time away from unimportant matters like the economy, security, energy, healthcare, etc. and dealing with this Joe.

This is what we pay them to worry about?

I do have to say if they would stick to trival matters and away from real issues we would be beter off.

Is this real? i feel like i'm reading an artical out of the Onion.

The Congress needs to say out of these matters. Isn't there a university national committee for athletics? YES. Congress needs to keep their hands out of other's cookie jars. This is not their place.

I'm enjoying this. If Congress can find time to declare National Petunia Day, they can sure find time to do this. Besides, it'll pi$$ off the BCS folks, and they been pi$$ing me off for years.

Plans are to set up a stimulus to pay for playoff system! Also setting up a system, similar to Electoral College, to select which teams will be in the playoff "Job Creation at its best"

What people do not understand is that any time there is that much money involved, and Congress gets their fingers in it, follow the money and see where a bunch of it gets funneled off. There are payoffs somewhere.

Let me see if I get this straight...

1. They have time to write and vote on a stupid bill like this
2. They don't have time to read a real bill that... you know, actually matters because it's too long

While I believe that the NCAA FBS champion should be determined by a playoff; I disagree with Congress getting involved. HOWEVER, I understand WHY they think they can get involved. It all stems from the fact that EVERY school in the nation gets federal funds via student loan and grants. Plus, under the Interstate Commerce clause in the Constitution; Congress has the right to step in and regulate the schools and their athletic systems.

Most colleges and universities have students not only from multiple states, but from foreign nations. This fact results in each school crossing state and national boundaries. It is the job of Congress to regulate commerce running between the states and international trade. Those are their primary reasons for interfering with the NCAA's BCS Commission.

They have much more important matters to take up, but they always find time to take care of meaningless items that might help them get re-elected. That's the way it always has been, and that's the way it will always be.

Barrow said before the vote, although he stressed he didn't like the current Bowl Championship Series, either.

The "he" in the above sentence (emphasis mine) in essence, sums up the attitude of this bunch of jokers. Who the f cares whether Barrow likes or hates the Championship Series ? What right does he have to tinker with a f#$^-ing game

tomwcraig,

It all stems from the fact that EVERY school in the nation gets federal funds via student loan and grants.

Good point. Another lesson (for those who need it anyways) that federal money (as with all money given as "help" (except in emergencies)) always comes with strings attached.

By the way, not every school accepts federal dollars, though I agree that such schools are so rare that they are statistically insignificant. Here's one.

Hey Congress needed a little break from all the hard thinking. Don't employees goof off at work for a little bit every now and then? No one works 110% 24/7 at work. Come on now.

The measure passed by voice vote in a House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee

Lookee here. What the hell is the House Energy and Commerce Committe doing discussing NCAA playoffs...... Have these idiots gone compeletely out of their minds.

The subcommittee chairman, Rep. Bobby Rush, an Illinois Democrat who co-sponsored the bill, said, "We can walk and chew gum at the same time."

Yep, aren't you a bonafide Einstein ?! ....... Priceless !

What in the blue blazes? There are lots of other more tangable and worth while things to look into other then the BCS. Let the NCAA deal with their own problems.

“Shortly after his election last year, Barack Obama said there should be a playoff system.”

Why are you folks attacking efforts to improve the BCS system? I have finally found one thing that I can agree with Obama and his liberal twits about.

I would rather have the liberal jokers in congress messing with the NCAA rather than playing with and screwing up health care, cap and trade” crap, immigration & amnesty, etc. This keeps them busy until we can get the Democrats and Obama out of government.

“Reps. Zach Space, D-Ohio, and Bart Stupak, D-Mich., made similar arguments.”

To have the representative from Ohio agree with anyone on anything from Michigan is completely unnatural and unacceptable (even an abomination). They both must have gone to that school “up north” (Ann Arbor). Woody Hayes is probably rolling in his grave. This will improve you knowledge of important facts about Ohio State:

Woody was famous for his hatred for Michigan and anything that had to do with the state (he referred to it, of course, as "that state up north" or "that team up north") . One night on a recruiting trip in the state of Michigan, an assistant noticed that the car he was driving was going to run out of gas. He let Woody, who was dozing in the passenger seat, that he had to pull over for gas. Woody refused, and the assistant drove on. The assistant, who saw the weather was starting to get bad, began to become worried about getting stuck in the middle of nowhere, and once again stressed his desire to pull over and get gas. Woody erupted: "No, goddammit! We do NOT pull in and fill up. And I'll tell you exactly why we don't. It's because I don't buy one goddam drop of gas in the state of Michigan! We'll coast and PUSH this goddam car to the Ohio line before I give this state a nickel of my money!" The assistant knew he wasn't kidding, and they barely made it across the border and sputtered into the first gas station they found in Ohio. http://bucknuts.com/osuhistory/coachhayes.htm

I thought this was a joke......sadly, it is not. For the umpteenth time this year, I am thoroughly ashamed to say that these jerks represent the American People. With a couple wars going, health care, the economy in shambles, rampant unemployment,and scores of other problems to address, they choose to fix college football ??? WTF ?

The college football championships are unfair. Really great teams don't get to compete for the title....due to corporate greed. But do we really need congress to fix this ?

Can't they find something more constructive to do with their time ?

Vote 'em out.

a House subcommittee approved legislation Wednesday aimed at forcing college football to switch to a playoff system to determine its national champion.

I agree the BCS sucks and needs to be changed, but WTF does congress have to do with it? I just don't understand where our government is headed???