October 20, 2009
Posted: October 20th, 2009 03:00 PM ET

From
Playoff PAC was formed to push for a playoff in the college football championship series, according to one of the PAC's organizers.
Playoff PAC was formed to push for a playoff in the college football championship series, according to one of the PAC's organizers.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - A new political effort is afoot to reform to the NCAA Bowl Championship Series. Playoff PAC, a federal political action committee, was launched Monday by six men bound together by law school ties or work on Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.

The new organization is "dedicated to establishing a competitive post-season championship for college football," according to a statement posted on the PAC's Web site www.playoffpac.com.

"To that end, Playoff PAC helps elect pro-reform political candidates, mobilizes public support, and provides a centralized source of pro-reform news, thought, and scholarship," organizers said in the statement.

Bentley Peay, who helped create the PAC and is one of its six board members, said in a phone interview Tuesday that the group's goal is to ratchet up political pressure in support of getting a playoff instituted in the BCS.

In past years, Peay said, other efforts to pressure the BCS to change, like petition drives and boycotts, had been "unorganized and ineffective." The PAC was created to support and defend candidates who are petitioning or arguing for a playoff.

Proposals calling for similar changes have been circling on the Hill for years, and the PAC already has some congressional support. In a statement on the PAC's Web site, Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch said he backs having a playoff in the championship series.

"I'm supportive of all reasonable efforts to ensure that students and schools are treated fairly and a national playoff system being advocated by Playoff PAC seems like a reasonable way to accomplish that goal," says Hatch.

Peay says the PAC is already at work to garner more support in Congress.

Filed under: Uncategorized


Randolph Carter, I'm no expert but...   October 20th, 2009 4:38 pm ET

Violent ground acquisition games like football are a crypto-fascist metaphor for nuclear war. Have a nice day!

Bonus points if you can tell me what movie I stole that from.

Steve (the real one)   October 20th, 2009 4:37 pm ET

Any politician that has the time to work on the BCS (College Football) is NOT doing what the people sent them to do and needs to be bounced out of DC RIGHT NOW I don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent, or anything else! You have that time on your hands? Then consider working for ESPN and clear a seat for somebody who will work for us!

Danny   October 20th, 2009 4:32 pm ET

It's about time.... the BCS system has been unfair for too long. It was going to have to be an outside force, because the NCAA would never go for it. The NCAA would profit greatly. With a 16-team playoff, the NCAA will get 15 games including a National Championship game (and they could still have all of the endorsements and all the other meaningless Bowl games (like the Insight.com Bowl etc) NCAA-F is the only major major sports organization not to have a playoff system. Its about time....

Baffled Bovine   October 20th, 2009 4:28 pm ET

Funny, my college-going daughter told me that college is about getting an education, not about football.

These guys must not have anything worthwhile to do and today must be a slow news day for CNN and anyone else that reported this drivel.

dave   October 20th, 2009 4:27 pm ET

Where in the constitution does it say the gov't shall decide how national sports champions are crowned? What a waste of time. This is a bigger waste than the congressional investigation into steroids use by the MLB.

Jeffery Meaux, Sr.   October 20th, 2009 4:25 pm ET

Have we forgotten what an education is alll about? Students get expelled for missing that many classes.

S.B. Stein E.B. NJ   October 20th, 2009 4:24 pm ET

Is this really important? Colleges and universities are for learning not primarily for sports. I think we have our focus incorrect.

put it on the back burner   October 20th, 2009 4:22 pm ET

Don't get me wrong, I like football and the bowl system does seem a little objective, but seriously? With everything going on in the world do we really need the government to spend time debating college football? I feel like the economy, social security, education, global warming, and a few other pressing issues should probably be dealt with first.

AntiRush   October 20th, 2009 4:20 pm ET

Talk about something that the government should not be involved in.

Pee Wee   October 20th, 2009 4:14 pm ET

CNN,

Please keep this incredibly substantive 'political' new coming. I don't think I'd have been able to get to sleep tonight not knowing that someone wasn't on the case of the schoolyard football championships.

Where do you guys get this stuff? Just pull it off the AP wire or your press release e-mailings?

What did Ron Bloom do before becoming the manufacturing czar? I have a full-time job and am working so I don't have time to do all of the investigative footwork, I always thought that was the press' (notice, proper use of a possessive apostrophe?) role.

What good are you if you can't fulfill that role? Maybe there's a reason Fox is beating the pants off of everyone else?

Sniffit   October 20th, 2009 4:10 pm ET

What an utterly absurd thing to pop into existence. Should read something more like "6 idiots, concerned about their college football betting, form PAC to pool their money with other idiots concerned about their college football betting in order to influence political candidates and elections based on whether candidates support their version of the best way to organize college football betting." What a freekin farce.

Ray E.   October 20th, 2009 4:10 pm ET

We don't need a playoff. We need to cut the 12 plus schedule back to 8 games and go back to the traditional bowl games. These students are supposed to be there for an education. If I want to see Pro Games I will tune in on Sunday.

Moderate Democrat   October 20th, 2009 4:10 pm ET

Ok, so we have pathetic morons jumping all over Obama's case for fund raising, yet here we have some retards forming a PAC all about COLLEGE FOOTBALL.

Wonder how many of the rejects condemning Obama are going to be here condemning these totally 'got nothing better to do then football' retards.

And we wonder why the GOP sucks to high heaven as it does. It's do nothing morons like these and the posters that 'conveniently' avoid condemning these litte turds for doing nothing worth while during their entire existance (which is standard practice for republicans).

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