BCS crackdown?

President Obama spoke for more than 70 minutes the other night without once mentioning college football’s Bowl Championship Series. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t on his list of things to do. apparently.

This afternoon Sen. Orrin Hatch’s office sent out an e-mail that said President Obama had responded to a letter from Hatch about the BCS. Here’s what the president said, quoting directly from the e-mail:

“The Department of Justice is reviewing your letter as well as other materials to determine whether an open an investigation into the legality of the current system under the antitrust laws,” said the letter to Hatch. In addition, the letter said that the Obama Administration is “exploring other options that might be available to address concerns with the college football post-season.” Included among the options the Administration is considering are proposals to encourage the NCAA to “take control of the college football post-season,” asking a governmental or non-governmental entity or commission to “study the benefits, costs, and feasibility of a playoff system,” asking the Federal Trade Commission to “examine the legality of the current system under consumer protection laws,” exploring whether other agencies may play a role in enacting reforms, and legislative efforts aimed at fixing the BCS system.

I think a word was left out of the first sentence, but I just cut-and-pasted it from the e-mail.

My take? I’m as big a fan of a football playoff as the next guy. I think the Utes could have run the table two years ago and beaten anyone in the nation.

But government commissions to study benefits and costs? The FTC looking at consumer protection laws? As bad as I think the BCS is, I don’t think government has any business getting involved. Surely the president has enough on his plate without directing a lot of energy toward college football.

What do you think?