Shortly after his election, Obama said he was going to ‘‘to throw my weight around a little bit’’ to nudge college football toward a playoff system.
Hatch, who held a hearing on the BCS in July, told Obama that a ‘‘strong case’’ can be made that the BCS violates antitrust laws.
Under the BCS system, some conferences get automatic bids to participate in top-tier bowl games while others don’t, and the automatic bid conferences also get far more of the revenue. Hatch’s home state school, the University of Utah, is from the Mountain West Conference, which does not get an automatic bid. The school qualified for a bid last season but was bypassed for the national championship despite going undefeated.
The system ‘‘has been designed to limit the number of teams from non-privileged conferences that will play in BCS games,’’ Hatch wrote.
He added that the system ‘‘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.’’
Bradford gathering information
Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford called off a news conference, at which he planned to discuss his future after injuring his throwing shoulder.
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said that Bradford needed time to gather more information before making a decision.
‘‘He just wasn’t ready to fully answer everything that’ll want to be asked and for sure what he wants to do just yet, until he has a few more people to visit with,’’ Stoops said.
Bradford was coming off of one of the most prolific seasons in NCAA history when he opted to come back for his junior year instead of entering the NFL. He was considered a top prospect after throwing for 4,720 yards and 50 TDs last season.
Bradford was hurt in the season opener against Brigham Young and returned to play one full game before being reinjured against Texas last Saturday.
Officials suspended
