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SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff plans to formally ask officials with the U.S. Department of Justice to get involved in his controversial investigation into college football's Bowl Championship Series.
In an interview with KSL NewsRadio, Shurtleff said he plans to make a pitch to the Justice Department to bring the weight of its anti-trust division into the probe. "Because they have the resources that Utah does not have," Shurtleff said. "Taking on the BCS is a huge undertaking financially."
Angered by the University of Utah being denied a national championship despite going undefeated and winning the Sugar Bowl, Shurtleff first raised the specter of an anti-trust probe earlier this year. Since then, others have dog piled on the BCS system, calling it an "unfair monopoly."
Congress held inquiries earlier this year on the system and BCS administrators have defended the playoff system, saying it is a system agreed upon by all of the conferences.
Shurtleff has acknowledged that his high-profile inquiry has hit some snags. Contracts involving BCS schools are considered "privileged" and, rather than immediately begin litigation, Shurtleff said he would rather get more resources to push forward.
Shurtleff said he plans to make a formal presentation to Justice Department officials as well as the National Association of Attorneys General, outlining what anti-trust laws he believes the BCS has violated.
"My goal is to give them the best possible presentation that'll answer all their questions, that'll give them the evidence they need, the answers to their questions as to what anti-trust laws may be violated," he said of federal officials. "I think they'll take the case."
Shurtleff has claimed that with thousands of athletes and millions of dollars involved, the BCS schools get more money, better stadiums and better recruits. The ranking and voting system that gets teams into a BCS bowl game removes some schools from serious contention for a shot at a national championship.
The U.S. Department of Justice would be a valuable ally and even President Barack Obama has publicly said he supports a national playoff system.
"They have expert witnesses on staff. They have the financial resources to do a major investigation and sustain a major prosecution against some very wealthy football conferences," Shurtleff said of the Justice Department.
Still, the attorney general told KSL NewsRadio he is willing to go it alone if need be. "The key in this is not to punish the BCS, it's to get the change that needs to happen," he said.
E-mail: bwinslow@ksl.com
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