House Panel Passes Bill That Would Require College Football Playoffs

A House panel has passed a measure that would require NCAA Division I football to adopt a playoff system to determine a national champion.

The bill approved Wednesday by a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee would ban college football promoters from using the term "national championship" unless that title contest is the result of a playoff, the Associated Press reported.

The legislation was sponsored by Texas Republican Joe Barton, who said the current Bowl Championship Series is unfair and won't change unless prompted by Congress.

Some lawmakers on the subcommittee said Congress has more important issues to discuss than college football, and the head of the BCS agreed.

"With everything going on in the country, I can't believe that Congress is wasting time and spending taxpayers' money on football," BCS executive director Bill Hancock told the A.P. "We feel strongly that managing of college sports is best left to the people in higher education."

Barton maintains that Congress should get involved because "at this level, college football is a multibillion-dollar business" not much different from other businesses that have government oversight.