YES, CONGRESS has far more pressing concerns than a college football playoff. Off the top of my head, there's health care reform, two wars, a recession and Tiger Woods.

Still, it was encouraging to see our elected officials take a few moments yesterday to pass legislation aimed at forcing the BCS cartel to adopt a playoff system, like every other college sport at every level.

"We can walk across the street and chew gum at the same time," said Illinois Democrat Bobby Rush, chairman of a House subcommittee and a co-sponsor of the bill that would make a BCS title game illegal unless it was the culmination of a playoff.

It's not like this took much time or involved any of the partisan vitriol that gums up the health care debate. It was quick and painless, and although the bill carries little weight now, it should alert the greedy presidents of BCS schools that they'd better start sharing.

Few people outside Boise, Cincinnati or Fort Worth would argue that No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Texas are worthy of playing for the national title. They each emerged unscathed from the nation's two most powerful conferences.

But when there are three other undefeated teams, doesn't everyone want to see what would happen if you put them all on a level playing field? (Not all five at once, of course; what a mess that would be.)

An eight-team playoff featuring Alabama, Texas, TCU, Boise State, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Ohio State and Oregon--all conference champions--would produce tens of millions in revenue and tons of interest. It could be completed in three weeks (after exams, so the "student-athletes" don't miss any class time), before the NFL playoffs even start.

And other schools could still play their bowl games, which (contrary to the arguments of some) wouldn't be diminished. (Really, how relevant is the PapaJohn's.com Bowl now?)