Utah AG, Justice Department meet regarding "Antitrust" & BCS

[silverfox]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5763731

I had a feeling this was going to be the next step to try to force BCS into Playoff system.

“
You get the DOJ behind [an investigation], and the BCS will finally say, 'OK, we'll go to a playoff.'
”
-- Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff

[Spence]

If the DOJ gets involved at all in this - at any level - anyone having to do with it should be fired. This is silly. The national champ isn't sanctioned. It is no different then of I started a blog and handed out a national championship. If means nothing except you won football game against a good team. Yeah.

[donovan]

Boxing went through just what you say, Spence and the courts said...do whatever you want...not our concern.

[WoVeU]

Boxing went through just what you say, Spence and the courts said...do whatever you want...not our concern.

Was that back in the 80's? Over the WBA, WBC, IBF...then WBO I think...different "sanctioning bodies"?

[donovan]

Around then..maybe earlier ....

[silverfox]

Yeah... I see the correlation between professional boxing and NCAA/BCS college football.

It will be interesting to see how this all works its way out. The Cam Newton investigations aren't going to help the cause any (whatever that is) as it illustrates that money corrupts. To play the game you gotta bring in the bucks. It takes bucks to make bucks.

The BCS Glass Ball Trophy is the holy grail of all that is good.

As the season gets into crunch time the debates will get intense.

[Spence]

Yeah... I see the correlation between professional boxing and NCAA/BCS college football.

It will be interesting to see how this all works its way out. The Cam Newton investigations aren't going to help the cause any (whatever that is) as it illustrates that money corrupts. To play the game you gotta bring in the bucks. It takes bucks to make bucks.

The BCS Glass Ball Trophy is the holy grail of all that is good.

As the season gets into crunch time the debates will get intense.

It isn't just the money - as a matter of fact I would say it has very little to do with the money. The cheating comes with the quest to win. There has been cheating long before there was a Crystal trophy or evem a single championship trophy. Ohio State makes a lot of money, having a championship may boost that a little, but basically that money is there anyway. If there was no championship at all boosters and other people close to these programs would still cheat.

[Spence]

Yeah... I see the correlation between professional boxing and NCAA/BCS college football.

It will be interesting to see how this all works its way out. The Cam Newton investigations aren't going to help the cause any (whatever that is) as it illustrates that money corrupts. To play the game you gotta bring in the bucks. It takes bucks to make bucks.

The BCS Glass Ball Trophy is the holy grail of all that is good.

As the season gets into crunch time the debates will get intense.

It isn't just the money - as a matter of fact I would say it has very little to do with the money. The cheating comes with the quest to win. There has been cheating long before there was a Crystal trophy or evem a single championship trophy. Ohio State makes a lot of money, having a championship may boost that a little, but basically that money is there anyway. If there was no championship at all boosters and other people close to these programs would still cheat.

[billybud]

SMU cheated back when there was no crystal football....so did others.

High schools are caught cheating every year (bringing in good athletes from out of their territory, mainly). To cheat in order to better our situation is human. Some find legal ways to cheat...loopholes. That's why we have corporate and tax lawyers.

Boise is probably the one team that does not need to cheat. There is no incentive when you only lose two conference games in ten years. In the SEC, the races are so tight year after year, that folks get tempted to cheat to push them that little bit ahead.

[WoVeU]

If the Judiciary would take an Anti-Trust Case and render judgment against the BCS and NCAA you can rest assured that this branch of government has fully hijacked the whole country...we will have witnessed a coup with no blood shed whatsoever.

Anti-Trust is is wholly meant to be a consumer protection, and, ironically, a device to keep the market free. Utah suits up and plays football the same way FSU, WVU, and Ohio State does. They rake a gate and pull in many other derivative monies. To apply anti-trust I would have to see the NCAA disallowing a school from selling more than so many tickets, or not permitting a stadium expansion...or even saying this team or conference is not permitted to schedule a game with some other. The NCAA is not in that business. To try and extend that to say that not getting a fair chance at an invitation to a specific game (this is all it is) is Anti-Trust just won't fly. This would be like saying Good Housekeeping could not sponsor a trade show inviting only the top 5 suppliers of cleaning, furnishing, and decor. Because, again, that is all it is, an event...with invitees.

Further, these AT suits have ZERO chance of even being heard as long as there are entities other than the BCS who rank teams and deem a champion. With the AP and all the other polls out there, including this one, and even people like Sagarin and others who's rankings play into the BCS...no way, just no way. There is nothing preventing CFP and/or the Users Poll from commissioning a National Champion Trophy and issuing to the school ranked #1 EOY. This portion of the argument is NOT trivial.

[donovan]

SMU cheated back when there was no crystal football....so did others.

High schools are caught cheating every year (bringing in good athletes from out of their territory, mainly). To cheat in order to better our situation is human. Some find legal ways to cheat...loopholes. That's why we have corporate and tax lawyers.

Boise is probably the one team that does not need to cheat. There is no incentive when you only lose two conference games in ten years. In the SEC, the races are so tight year after year, that folks get tempted to cheat to push them that little bit ahead.

I love a good chortle, early in the morning. Well, at my age, right after a good morning constitutional. (I do agree with Spence and Mr. Billybud. I don't think money is a consideration at all in college football cheating. It is just the tool that is used. And the majority of cheating in college football is from boosters running amok. And many of those guys are experts in cheating in many other areas.

[Spence]

Very true. You have boosters who want buildings named after them, booster who just support the programs because of the sports, and the you have the groupie boosters who have a need to " be a part" of the program. Those are the guys you have to watch. They are almost always cheating

[billybud]

Yeah Utah! That team that was deserving on the field.

[silverfox]

Yeah Utah! That team that was deserving on the field.

It is hard to set an example when you get your doors blown off!

[WoVeU]

Yeah Utah! That team that was deserving on the field.

Case dismissed! Evidence inadmissable!