Utah AG briefs Justice Dept. on BCS gripe

WASHINGTON, March 3 (UPI) -- Utah's attorney general Tuesday sent a 90-page briefing to the Department of Justice outlining his objections to the Bowl Championship Series playoff system.

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said Tuesday he discussed the controversial system with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Christine Varney, the chief of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, while in Washington for the National Association of Attorneys General, Legal Newsline reported.

"The attention and the goodwill that Utah would have gotten from playing in the championship game is priceless," Shurtleff said, noting that the University of Utah's team was not considered for a title-game berth after completing the season as the only undefeated team in Division I.

Shurtleff said the BCS could face lawsuits from multiple states and the federal government over its system.

"This could be a multi-hundred million (dollar) lawsuit. Ultimately the goal is not to get money but to get them to change the system to be more competitive," Shurtleff said. "We are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars if not billions, and these are taxpayer-funded institutions and if they are doing something illegal then we need to do something about it."

Shurtleff said Holder and Varney were "very interested" when he expressed his concerns in Washington.