The Hill News

The Department of Justice put the pressure on the NCAA on Wednesday, demanding answers about college football's Bowl Championship Series (BCS).

In a bow to proponents of a playoff in college football, the director of the Justice Department's antitrust division asked why the NCAA hadn't implemented one for the sport.

"Why does the Football Bowl Subdivision not have a playoff, when so many other NCAA sports have NCAA-run playoffs or championships?" asked Christine Varney, the assistant attorney general in the DOJ's antitrust division.

She asked what steps the NCAA has taken in the past to establish a playoff and whether the NCAA has any current plans to set up a playoff system, which is used in college basketball, hockey, and other athletic programs.

The BCS has been under public scrutiny for years, but has recently faced political pressure from advocates for a playoff. After the University of Utah's 2004 undefeated team was deni! ed a shot at the BCS national title game, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) called for the abolition of the existing system.

Additionally, supporters of a playoff founded a political action committee, Playoff PAC, to help build political support for a change in the system.

The system's been under increased political scrutiny after organizers of the Fiesta Bowl fired its CEO for allegedly promising to reimburse employees for political contributions to state officials in Arizona. That's put the Fiesta Bowl, a BCS-affiliated game, at risk of being dropped from the championship series.