Notes, Quotes and Slants
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Pirate
Notebook No. 159
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist |
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Cowen crusade nears junction
Two steps forward: Tulane President Scott Cowen making
progress on BCS front
©2003 Bonesville.net
NEW ORLEANS Scott Cowen wasn't bluffing when he vowed to
buck the system.
Over the past five months, the Tulane University president
has been on a mission to reform the Bowl Championship Series, the system
that determines the national championship in NCAA Division I-A football.
It has been a journey that has landed him countless
headlines and television appearances, not to mention a couple of trips to
Capitol Hill. Along the way, Cowen formed an organization, the Presidential
Coalition for Athletics Reform, which has representation from almost every
non-BCS school.
Considering the 113-year old Green Wave football program
flirted with extinction before the mission began, few could have predicted
this scenario: Thanks largely to Cowen's efforts, change is on the horizon
for the football postseason, with a more inclusive system an almost certain
result.
"Clearly the whole issue of the BCS and the possible
restructuring of it got a lot more attraction and visibility than I
originally thought it was going to get," Cowen said in an interview before
last Saturday's ECU-Tulane game at the Louisiana Superdome. "We, to date,
have made a lot of progress in the sense that the world is now educated on
the issue.
"I think there has been a general sentiment out there that
there should be change. I think our colleagues on the other side have even
agreed there should be change. And now we're entering the home stretch to
decide how significant that change will be, and I think that's what we are
going to know in the next 90-120 days."
"I feel like we are moving in the right direction," Cowen
added. "We've got a long way to go because we don't have an end result yet.
But, everybody seems to be on the same page in trying to figure out how to
take it from where we are now to something different in the BCS system."
Something different has been the battle cry for non-BCS
schools since the system made its debut in 1998. That fall, Tulane finished
12-0 but did not participate in a BCS bowl because its league Conference
USA does not receive an automatic bid.
Marshall had a similar argument one year later and Texas
Christian was on the cusp of crashing the BCS party this season until its
dream was derailed by Southern Miss last Thursday. Cowen's hope is that
schools from C-USA and the Mid-American Conference no longer will be forced
to finish undefeated and pray that the computer gods are merciful.
All signs are pointing toward a more inclusive approach,
which may not have been the case had Cowen not stepped forward.
"We'll never know the answer to that," Cowen said. "Clearly,
us being there has kept more attention on the issue, more pressure on the
issue, and I think has had a very valuable impact of educating people on,
just generally, the BCS.
"Even in the popular press, there are very few articles that
I ever see there are always some that are supportive of the system just
the way that it is now. Just about everybody is vying for a change in the
system, even schools within the BCS are starting to say that."
At least that was the message last Sunday when the
Presidential Coalition met with the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee.
The two sides convened for four hours in New Orleans to
discuss broad principles that should guide postseason play. Each group also
presented a concrete postseason model that individual presidents will share
with presidents and commissioners from their respective conferences.
Each conference commissioner, if he hasn't already done so,
will hire an outside consultant who will study the models and see if they
have credibility. Commissioners from all 11 Division I-A conferences are
expected to convene sometime in the next 90 days to pinpoint a couple of
ideas to recommend to the presidents.
Though change appears imminent, Cowen is guarded in his
optimism.
"My hesitation is I'm a guy who wants results," Cowen said.
"So, until I see what is it that we are really going to change, I'm going to
reserve final judgment until we see whether there is, in fact, a change.
"Have we come a lot farther than I thought we would, and are
we on a path to a resolution that seems reasonable? The answer to both of
those questions is yes. I want to see what the end result is and I don't
know what that end result is yet."
Gaining momentum
While the cartel-like tendencies of the BCS have received
most of the attention, Cowen's argument for change is two-fold.
Not only does the system not grant access to outsiders, it
also doesn't meet its primary goal of crowning a true national champion.
"It's extraordinarily exclusive," Cowen said. "And there are
ways to make it looser to provide more access. That's all we've asked for
all along, and I think that's in everybody's interest.
"Secondly, even under the current system, it doesn't
determine a legitimate national championship for Division I-A. A lot of
people, especially fans, want to see that."
The evidence is mounting.
Perhaps this year more than any other has been the sign of a
need for change. Though Oklahoma if it finishes undefeated deservedly
will fill one spot in the national title game, its opponent is less clear.
Several one and two-loss teams are in the mix, which almost assuredly will
lead to controversy when the BCS selections are made.
Also, breakout seasons by several non-BCS schools, four of
which are currently ranked in the Top 25, offer valid arguments for change.
To compare, the MAC currently has two nationally ranked teams, compared to
just one for the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Even more intriguing was the case of TCU, which peaked at
No. 6 in the BCS standings, but fell two spots one week later after a win.
"It certainly would be another data point over the last
several years," Cowen said. "Here's a school that was perfect, and other
schools that had two losses were getting ahead of them.
"I never put too much stock into whether TCU got in or
didn't as either proof for or against the system. I think what would have
been interesting, but it wouldn't have happened, if TCU had ended up in the
Top 6 of the BCS. But I think everybody projected even the BCS people
projected they maxed out two weeks ago at No. 6."
Pursuit of a playoff
Representatives for both the BCS and non-BCS schools have
chosen not to disclose the postseason models they are considering because
they don't want them subject to public debate.
They did, however, confirm last Sunday that a playoff
similar to the one used in Division I-AA is not being examined though
Cowen is quick to point that not all playoff models have been eliminated
from consideration.
"Be careful about what we said on Sunday," Cowen said. "What
we said was that the traditional 16-team, NFL-style playoff, we weren't
going to look at that.
"There are other models of playoffs other than that, and we
have not ruled those out. So, for example, there has been a lot of
conversation about having a national championship game after the bowl
season. That's a form of a playoff."
Just not the type of playoff he eventually would like to
see. Cowen advocates the traditional, 16-team playoff in Division I-A and
believes one will be put in place sometime in the future.
"I think sooner or later, people are going to go there,"
Cowen said. "I just think it's begging to go in that direction. Anything
less than that, even if we drew a modified playoff, we're still going to say
that's got problems with it.
"The other thing is, we (have a playoff) in Division I-AA.
We do it in all other divisions. Now, what is different about Division I-A
is the historic bowl system and bowl tie-ins. That's what makes it a little
more complex."
Not so complex, though, that it can't be done.
Cowen believes that there can be a marriage between the bowl
system and a playoff in which individual playoff games could become bowls.
For example, one first round game potentially could take place at the
Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
Logistically, it would be too difficult for such a radical
change to be put in place when the current BCS agreement runs out after the
2006 season.
"That would be too much of a jump given where we are now to
that," Cowen said. "The key is whether we make a substantial step forward in
that direction.
"We're not going to push right now anymore for that course
of action because that's not going to realistically come about. Therefore,
we ought to take a look at ... taking a step forward, and that's where we
are right now."
The legal matter
Despite threats of interference from lawmakers and
litigators, Cowen has insisted that university presidents be given first
dibs at finding common ground.
The Presidential Coalition for Athletics Reform contends
that the BCS violates antitrust laws, a testimony Cowen delivered on October
29 to the Senate Judiciary Committee. That came after first speaking to the
House of Representatives Committee September 4.
In both cases, the motive was clear.
"It was really to lay out our case as to why the BCS should
be changed," Cowen said. "In the case to the senate, I wanted to lay out why
there are some legitimate antitrust issues.
"But, I said to both, 'Listen, I think we should be given an
opportunity first to see if we can resolve it.' If we can't, then I think
all other remedies should be looked at. Then we should go back and think
about the courts, legislation, or anything else. Until we've put a
good-faith effort into it, I would hate to see someone else jump in
prematurely."
The Presidential Coalition has retained legal counsel from
Covington and Burling, which is viewed as one of the more distinguished
sports law firms in the nation. Cowen says he also spent a considerable
amount of time discussing the issue with lawyers long before the Coalition
was formed and feels he is well-educated on the subject.
On the contrary, University of Oregon president Dave
Frohnmayer, a lawyer and former attorney general who is serving as the
spokesman of the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee, is confident that no
laws have been broken.
"We are quite confident that there is no violation of the
antitrust laws of the United States in the present configuration of the Bowl
Championship Series," Frohnmayer said last Sunday. "We have high confidence
in the legal advice that has guided the BCS from prior to its formation.
"That may remain a legitimate difference in opinion amongst
us, but I don't want to let the question pass without re-affirming our very
clear view that this is not a legal matter."
Cowen disagrees.
"No surprise there," Cowen said. "But what I would say to
this is, it doesn't make any difference what Dave Frohnmayer says and it
doesn't make any difference what Scott Cowen says.
"The fact is, if it gets litigated, it will be determined in
a court of law. You shouldn't have been surprised to hear Dave Frohnmayer
say that there are no issues, no more than you should have been surprised to
hear me say there are issues. The fact of the matter is, all of that is
irrelevant. If it goes to a court of law, that's where it will be
determined."
And in the case of the People versus the BCS, Scott Cowen is
the star witness.
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02/23/2007 01:53:17 AM |