(December 10, 2008)—Saying the BCS “consistently misfires,” Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis, plans to introduce legislation Wednesday that would force college football to adopt a playoff system to determine the national champion.
Barton, the Waco native who’s the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee didn't specify what sort of playoff he wants, but only that the BCS should go.
He said the bill is co-sponsored by House Democrat Bobby Rush of Illinois and Michael McCaul, a Republican whose district extends from suburban Austin to suburban Houston.
For the record, Barton graduated from Texas A&M University in 1972 and later earned a Master’s of Science degree from Purdue University.
The BCS was created in 1998 by the six most powerful conferences.
Since then, the system has been tweaked to make it easier for teams from smaller conferences to qualify for the top games.
The sites for the four BCS bowls - the Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta - take turns hosting a championship game between the top two teams in the BCS standings.
This season, 12-1 Florida and 12-1 Oklahoma will meet in the BCS title game on Jan. 8 in Miami.
