Cubin Takes Stand for Wyoming Football

Cubin Takes Stand for Wyoming Football

Questions BCS Commissioners About MWC's Chances Under Current Scheme

Washington - Congresswoman Barbara Cubin (R-WY) today took representatives from the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) to task for the way the system discriminates against teams from the Mountain West Conference, including Wyoming.

The BCS was established in 1998 to pair the top two teams in the nation against each other in an end of the year bowl game to determine a true national champion. Unfortunately, the top two teams are determined under the BCS through a series of human polls and computers and not through a playoff on the field.

Cubin cited Wyoming's victory over UCLA in the Las Vegas bowl as proof that polls aren't always the best indicator of who is the better team.

"Wyoming went to the Las Vegas Bowl and played UCLA and UCLA was furious they had to play Wyoming - and then we whupped ‘em.," said Cubin. "People's opinions don't necessarily reflect what the results will be."

Rep. Cubin is a member of the subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, the panel that called the BCS representatives before Congress. The hearing today was intended to investigate whether the BCS is fair to smaller schools or if it is just a cash cow for the major conferences.

"If you're from the Mountain West you're not going to have the chance to play for the national championship," said Cubin. "If you had a playoff it seems to me that might reflect the ability of the players a little bit more."

Cubin cited the case of Utah last year as the Utes went undefeated through the regular season but were prevented from playing for the national championship because human and computer polls had them ranked outside the top two spots.

"What scenario would make it possible for a Mountain West team to play for a national championship," asked Cubin of the commissioners. "Would they have to front load their schedule with a whole bunch of difficult road games… and if that's the only scenario there is, is that fair?"

No legislation is expected from Congress to mandate changes to the BCS, but panel members said they hoped the hearing would raise awareness of the inherent inequities of the system and move the discussion about a playoff forward.

http://www.house.gov/cubin/news/2005/December7e.html