BCS - in case you missed it

[Pony_Fan]

BCS critics unite
07/23/2003

By AL CARTER / The Dallas Morning News

College football moved a step closer to open revolt Tuesday when a group of presidents challenging the Bowl Championship Series announced the formation of a coalition to fight for greater consideration on issues in the NCAA's Division I-A ranks.

Blasting the BSC as a cartel and a possible violation of antitrust laws, officials representing 44 schools announced a new alliance – the Presidential Coalition for Athletics Reform – to press grievances against the BCS and the NCAA.

Tulane president Scott Cowen, who chaired a Tuesday teleconference during which the coalition was formed, said the group plans to push for a revamping of the bowl selection process, tighter academic standards and a reconsideration of tougher criteria for Division I-A membership.

The rallying point for the group was clearly the BCS, a coalition of five major conferences that sets the criteria for participation in major bowl games, including the national championship game in Division I-A.

"The BCS," Cowen said, "is anti-competitive, has the characteristics of a cartel, and we welcome the fact that there will be congressional inquiries looking into the BCS."

Six conferences – the Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10, Southeastern, Atlantic Coast and Big East – make up the BCS.

Cowen said the anti-BCS coalition consists of five conferences – the Western Athletic, Conference USA, Sun Belt, Mid-American and Mountain West – as well as independents. He said 44 of the 52 non-BCS-aligned schools have joined the coalition. That includes WAC member SMU, C-USA member TCU and Sun Belt member North Texas.

Cowen said coalition members have agreed to attend a meeting proposed Monday by the BCS oversight committee. That meeting, called to discuss concerns of the non-BCS schools, is set for Sept. 8 in Chicago.

Cowen stressed the importance of having a "two-way conversation." Returning fire to the BCS' refusal to consider an expanded playoff format, he urged both sides to "come to the discussion with an open mind."

Comments by officials of the non-BCS group indicated a major conflict ahead.

Bill Greiner, president of the University of Buffalo, called the actions of BCS-affiliated schools "classic cartel stuff" and compared the BCS to John D. Rockefeller's oil monopoly in the 19th century.

"There are some people who are, or think they are, the haves," Greiner said. "And for reasons that escape me, they intend to do their damnedest to beat on the have-nots."

Cowen said it is not the intent of the new coalition to force membership into the BCS. Said Cowen: "Our preference would be that the BCS system go away completely and be replaced by some other system – just like we have in every other NCAA-sponsored sport."

Cowen acknowledged that Tulane has discussed the BCS with antitrust lawyers and hinted at litigation.

"That would be a very, very last result, as far as I'm concerned," he said. "It would not be productive for higher education for our institutions to be suing each other. But we cannot rule out any options right now."

Cowen said his group also plans to fight tougher NCAA standards, most involving higher funding, for maintaining I-A membership. The standards are set to go into effect next year.

Rice president Malcolm Gillis said the new requirements are "well designed to try to reduce the number of schools in Division I-A."

"They want to drive people out of competition at the Division I-A level," Greiner said. "That, I think, is just plain, flat-out wrong."