Something doesn't smell right around the BCS

It can't afford the sniff of a scandal, but recent officiating and replay decisions are bad for the system.

The Bowl Championship Series can probably survive controversy and silliness and talk-radio arguments and, more than likely, political bullying from windbag representatives interested mainly in their reelections.

What the BCS can't survive is the overhanging cloud of scandal or conspiracy.

We're starting to hear whispers: I can verify the source of one of these rumors because I started it.

Pssssst: The top schools appear to be getting BCS protection from officials because it's in the best interest of the conferences for the best teams to win.

A second team in the BCS means an additional $4.5 million to conference coffers.

A conference advancing a team to the national-title game brings huge exposure and revenue to the school and the league.

Superstars always get preferential treatment, if you believe your eyes and the shady accounts of an ex-NBA referee, who traded his old stripes for prison stripes.

Didn't Magic Johnson get every call at the end of the important playoff game?

Yeah, but that's different. In a seven-game series, things tend to even out . . . or at least sometimes.

In college football, one bad call can cost you everything.

Do officials want the best teams to win?

No way -- that's impossible to believe.

But there have been enough strange calls lately to warrant a serious crackdown on getting it right for the sake of not having columns like this written.

Two weeks ago, Florida got the benefit of several calls in a close win against Arkansas, so many in fact that the SEC suspended the crew.

A week ago, Tennessee lost to Alabama by two after a last-second field-goal try was blocked. Volunteers Coach Lane Kiffin said he didn't run another play to get his kicker closer because he feared getting called for another penalty. Tennessee had eight flags in the game to Alabama's one.

Saturday, Indiana caught the short end of several calls that benefited Iowa, an undefeated team with national-title aspirations.

Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz wrote the game felt "like a Brinks robbery" and made note of "an inept group of officials who took 14 IU points off the board with bogus calls on obvious touchdown passes."

The most egregious error occurred when the replay booth overruled an Indiana touchdown that would have given the Hoosiers a 28-14 lead.

A scoring pass to Terrance Turner was ruled complete on the field. The referee was in perfect position to make the call and did not hesitate in his decision.

Yet, upon further review, it was overruled in the booth.