Republicans have attacked President Barack Obama mercilessly for his involvement in virtually every issue from Chicago's bid to host the Olympics to his harmless but ridiculously overhyped address to the nation's schoolchildren. So we find it somewhat hypocritical that Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, now wants Obama to inject himself into another issue: The college football Bowl Championship Series.
Hatch, under the guise of his role on the Senate Judiciary's subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights, on Wednesday "asked the president to launch a Justice Department investigation into the way the BCS — a complex system of computer rankings and polls that often draws criticism — crowns its national champion," according to The Associated Press.
Hatch has his nose out of joint because the University of Utah does not play in a BCS conference; the undefeated Utes qualified for a BCS bowl bid last season, but were passed over by the selection committee.
In his 10-page — 10 pages? — letter to Obama, Hatch contends the BCS "artificially limits the number of nationally-relevant bowl games to five.
The result is reduced access to revenues and visibility which creates disadvantages to schools in the non-privileged conferences."
If college football needs to change the way it determines its champion, coaches, university presidents and the National Collegiate Athletic Association can handle the matter appropriately. But since it is not a matter of national security, nor does it affect our nation's ability to conduct international trade, then we are hopeful Obama will do the same thing with Hatch's letter as he has with lots of the flak that the GOP has thrown his way: Ignore it.
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