Bowl Alliance Challenged

U.S. Sens. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, Mike Enzi, R-Wyoming and Craig Thomas, R-Wyoming, have asked the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to launch an inquiry into possible anti-trust violations by the College Bowl Alliance.

The request comes three months after Western Athletic Conference football champion Brigham Young University was snubbed by the alliance. The Cougars were not invited to play in a 1997 Alliance bowl game despite a 13-1 record and a ranking as the fifth-best team in the country.

“The Alliance’s anti-competitive attitude benefits only those teams and conferences that make up the most lucrative bowl market,” Bennett said in a press release.