Sen. Orrin Hatch's letter to President Barack Obama regarding college football's lack of a playoff system for its top conferences reopens a rich vein for criticism.

It's just too easy to editorialize how members of Congress and the Obama administration have more pressing issues to address than the apparent unfairness of the made-for-TV Bowl Championship Series.

Oh, and here's another opinion-page target: If the powers in Washington can't manage to balance the federal budget, despite having trillions of dollars to spend, how can they help manage the financial affairs of the NCAA?

That observation brings up the true point to this missive: That the matter truly involves a business decision, because that's exactly what the BCS bowl system is: an industry.

Ultimately, the Bowl Championship Series is a contract between TV?networks, the four major bowl games and the nation's most-watched conferences. And that contract has at least five more years remaining.

The fact Hatch says the BCS system might violate the Sherman Antitrust Act is just further proof it is a business deal, and major college football is an industry.

If the senator thinks the BCS system was unfair to the undefeated Utes in his home state of Utah last year, he's forgetting another constituency: the players. If a playoff system ever does materialize, collegiate athletes might want to organize an effort to get a portion of the proceeds, too.