Hancock, Ex-Bush Cronies Helps Spread the BCS' B.S.

Bowl Championship Series coordinator Bill Hancock was a guest of Adam Gold and Joe Ovies earlier this week on 620 The Buzz in Raleigh. Hancock made it clear he is against expanding the current system into a plus-one format, where the top four teams would play with the winners squaring off in a title game.

"Here's their problem with the four-team playoff," he said. "It would not stay at four. Every bracket has grown ... Pretty soon you'll have eight. Pretty soon, somebody whose No. 5 will say, 'Wait a minute, that's not fair, we need in.' And they would change it to an eight-team playoff."

My question: What's wrong with that?

You can listen to the interview by clicking here.

In recent weeks, Hancock has surrounded himself with former members of the George W. Bush Administration to help defend the indefensible system. This includes the high-profile hiring of the communications firm owned by Ari Fleischer, the former White House Press Secretary.

Late last month, there was the launch of the website Playoff Problem. According to domain records, Playoff Problem is registered to Trent Duffy of HDMK.

Duffy held several positions in the Bush Administration, including Deputy Assistant to the President and Chief Deputy Press Secretary. He did not answer our email for comment.

The site's pitch includes this: "We have decades of experience working in the White House, Capitol Hill, national political campaigns and the private sector, and we have been engaged in hundreds of high profile public policy battles."

Nothing like getting Washington insiders to help do the dirty work. ...

While Hancock and his former Bush cronies continue to lobby for the status quo, this year's lineup of BCS games is already running into trouble. First came the curious pairing of BCS outsiders Texas Christian against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Instead of having David vs. Goliath matchups involving say, Boise State-Iowa and TCU-Georgia Tech, the BCS decided to go for a David vs. David matchup of the Horned Frogs and Broncos.

This, of course, was a way to sidestep controversy should the Davids beat the Goliaths.

Other problems are cropping up. The Florida-Cincinnati matchup in the Sugar Bowl lost its luster Thursday when Brian Kelly decided to become Notre Dame's coach. He won't be around for the bowl, meaning he values his new gig more than coaching an undefeated team in a lousy BCS game.

One has to wonder if Kelly would have coached the Bearcats if they were playing in the BCS title game.

Texas, of course, was a questionable choice to play Alabama in the BCS title game. As John Feinstein wrote in the Washington Post, the Longhorns did not beat a team that finished in the top 20. In the Big 12 title game against Nebraska, Texas managed only 18 rushing yards. Hardly the stuff of a champion.

Had Texas lost, Cincinnati would have been paired against Alabama. Cincinnati mysteriously passed TCU in the final BCS standings despite a defense that failed miserably down the stretch. Opponents dented the Bearcats for an average of 36.5 points in the last four games.

It's clear the little guys will never be on equal ground in this corrupt system. The Mountain West and Western Athletic conferences hit the jackpot this year, but the leagues would have been off as forces of change. Last July, they had a chance to stand up to the BCS but backed down. Huge mistake. Imagine the outcry today had TCU and Boise State been prohibited from competing in the top tier of bowl games simply because they didn't believe in a rigged system.

Feinstein writes that "there's no one out there willing to stand up to the BCS bullies."

He's right.

Comments

[Matt]

Texas did lose in the Big XII Title Game--the Texas Alum-led referees for the Big XII and BCS decided the game, instead of letting the on-field action (read: McCoy being a punch-drunk idiot and letting the clock expire) dictate the results.

And considering Texas choked against the #3 defense (which left its offense back in Lincoln...), and Texas will be now going up against the #2 defense in the nation (complete with a more-than-competent offense), there's no reason to think this game will be anything less than a blowout in favor of 'Bama.

TCU and/or Cincinnati would had easily provided a higher quality opponent for 'Bama and a better game. Instead, Texas cheats their way to a title game, and the college football world as a whole suffers for it.

[R]

Really? This is Bush's fault too? wow!! I think bush was behind usc's bad season also, not to mention charlie boy getting the ax at notre dame.....Damn you G.W. Bush, damn you...

[Pete]

Wow. I knew it. I just knew Bush was behind this. My fridge died the other day and you know what...clearly, Bush is at fault. You see,when it died I had to go to the store (using gas/oil...making Bush rich) and buy some more beef (which came from Texas, which in turn increased state revenue and made Bush's political cronies look good). As any clear thinking person would, I wrote an article called, "Ex-Bush Cronies Killed My Fridge...and college Football Playoffs, Too." Makes perfect sense to all rational people.

[chris]

Even when they hire the lobbyists the BCS folks can't help but trip over themselves saying stupid things. I wonder if it even occurred to him that as he's complaining about how playoffs would inevitably expand nearly everyone is sitting around nodding their head thinking, "Yep, that's the plan, that's what we want." To them the problem is everyone else's solution.

[scioto]

The reality based community thanks you for posting the facts that several members of the Bush administration are lobbying against a playoff.

[J.Pike]

I'm not in favor of a full blown playoff - a plus-one would be the most I would be in support of. As an "anti-playoff" person, I am absolutely embarrassed by this amateur website. All their reasoning is completely irrelevant, and it makes them look like, well, it makes them look like incompetent fools.