We Need Government Solving the BCS Problem About As Much As We Need Football Coaches Writing Laws...

We've heard about this before, most recently in an interview with President-Elect Obama: Government officials throwing their two cents' worth in about the Bowl Championship Series vs. a possible college football playoff system. It's not the first time this has happened--a Texas state senator filed a bill that would have prohibited Texas colleges from participating in any postseason game that wasn't part of a playoff system, as outlined in this 2005 post--but now a Texan is attempting this nonsense on a national stage:

Taking aim at a BCS system he said "consistently misfires," a member of Congress planned to introduce legislation 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.

He said the bill – being co-sponsored by Reps. Bobby Rush, an Illinois Democrat, and Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican – "will 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."

Congressman Barton, you've done a lot of good things during your tenure, but this is not one of your shining moments. The BCS isn't perfect, but government intervention isn't the way to go, either. I may be in favor of solving this problem on the field (as I said a few weeks ago), but a legislative solution would be just as bad as having it solved in the courts.

Let the coaches, athletic directors and university presidents solve this problem, Rep. Barton; you stick to writing laws. Besides--isn't there some sort of financial crisis going on at the moment? I would think that would be more worthy of your attention.

WIth any luck, this bill will fail as badly as the one in 2005 did here in Texas. I'll keep you updated, of course.