Hatch: Probe into BCS being considered

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Friday the Justice Department is considering whether to investigate the legality of the Bowl Championship Series.

Hatch asked President Barack Obama in October to encourage the department to look into the BCS because he believed a case could be made it is in violation of antitrust laws. The senator announced Friday he had received a four-page letter from the department indicating an ongoing discussing is taking place aimed at deciding whether to proceed with a full-scale investigation.

The letter said the Obama administration was looking into options other than possible antitrust violations "to address concerns with the college football post-season."

"I continue to believe there are antitrust issues the administration should explore, but I'm heartened by its willingness to consider alternative approaches to confront the tremendous inequities in the BCS that favor one set of schools over others," Hatch said. "The current system runs counter to basic fairness that every family tries to instill in their children from the day they are born."

At present, only representatives from the ACC, SEC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-10 can gain automatic entry into the most lucrative bowl games at the end of the regular season.

The other five conferences playing major college football -- the Sun Belt, WAC, MAC, Conference USA and Mountain West -- do not have automatic berths.

Major college football is the only sport sponsored by the NCAA that does not have a season-ending playoff system.