Hatch's bomb is incomplete pass

Republicans have attacked President Barack Obama mercilessly for his involvement in virtually every issue from Chicago’s bid to serve as host of the Olympics, to the minutiae of health care reform 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.

After the election last fall, Obama — an ardent sports fan — mentioned that he would “throw my weight around a little bit” to try to get Division I-A football to move to a playoff system. And while the president has spread himself pretty thin since taking office, thankfully he has left the business of college sports championships off his plate.

Hatch has his nose out of joint on this issue 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, we’re certain coaches, university presidents and the National Collegiate Athletic Association can handle the matter. 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 punt on Hatch’s recommendation and ignore it. He has more important things on which to focus his attention. However, if he could turn the Hoosiers’ football program into a Rose Bowl winner, well ...