The
White House on Thursday quickly took away the possibility of Boise
State University's football team joining the national champions Alabama
at an honorary Rose Garden ceremony.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) -- a well known opponent of college football's Bowl Championship Series (BCS) -- sent a letter
to President Barack Obama requesting that the undefeated Boise State
Broncos join the undefeated University of Alabama Crimson Tide at the
ceremony.
But a White House
spokesman indicated to The Hill that Boise's presence at the ceremony
is unlikely, but did not rule it out completely. "The
president has previously articulated his displeasure with the BCS
system, but he’s focused on more important things right now," White
House spokesman Adam Abrams said in an e-mail.
Obama has
criticized the BCS and backed a playoff system in past media
appearances but today's indication shows that he is not quite willing
to make a large-scale statement on the issue. The president is
simultaneously trying to shepherd healthcare reform legislation through
Congress before his State of the Union address in a few weeks and help
coordinate U.S. disaster relief efforts in Haiti after a massive
earthquake struck there this week.
In 2008, Hatch's home
state Utah Utes went undefeated but were not selected to play in the
national championship game. The Utes were not invited to the White
House when the BCS national champion Florida Gators made their
appearance in April 2009.
President George W. Bush did
invite both Southern California and Louisiana State to the White House
in 2004 but while LSU won the BCS national championship game, USC also
finished number one in the final AP poll. Boise State finished number
four in final polling.
Today's announcement is a bit of
good news for BCS supporters who appear to have averted a moment that
would have called into question the legitimacy of the system. A
new poll showing that 73 percent of college football coaches support
the current BCS system was released this week and could help buoy the
White House's announcement. The anti-BCS political action
committe PlayoffPAC criticized the president for missing an opportunity
to "make a statement" against the BCS without spending taxpayer
dollars. "No one's saying this is a top-tier issue on the
President's agenda, but college football's off-the-field impact on
schools isn't trivial either," PlayoffPAC official Matt Sanderson said
in an e-mail. "He promised a year ago to 'throw his weight around,' but
now it looks as if he may pass-up a golden opportunity to make a
statement without spending one extra taxpayer minute or dollar. An
overwhelming majority of college football fans will be disappointed if
the President doesn't make good on his word."
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