Welcome to Inside the Actors Studio. Here's your host, James Lipton.


James Lipton: In addition to actors, we've had directors, screenwriters, and musicians here on Inside the Actors Studio. But now we have something truly unique for you. Tonight my guest is the self-proclaimed "Czar of Sports," who built his Sports in a Can empire after brokering an agreement for the NCAA to create and televise a true "Bowl Championship Series" playoff system. Please join me in welcoming the Czar of Sports.

Czar: Thank you, James. It's truly an honor to be here. Even though I don't know why I'm here.

JL: Well, as you know, I've exhausted all of the good actors. I recently had Mark Ruffalo on for crying out loud. And if you just asked, "Who the heck is that?" just imagine how I felt interviewing him. So I've resorted to interviewing some of the actors for a second time, which is going pretty well. But I need to do something more. And I've interviewed some musicians before, so I thought, why not the world of sports?

Czar: Sounds good to me, James. I have no idea who Mark Ruffalo is either.

JL: Let's talk a moment about that day that you first appeared on the scene. You testified before Congress on December 9, 2005, at a hearing of the Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection subcommittee. How did you get involved in the process that day?

Czar: When I heard that Congress was actually going to get involved in the BCS process, I felt there was no better time to strike than then. At the time there were so many proposals for a true Bowl Championship Series, some from well-known names in sports, some from inside the NCAA, with the major conferences pitted against the smaller conferences. I was able to convince the NCAA that to do it right and get it in place would require someone who wasn't "in the inner circle" as it were. Timing is everything in life, and the timing couldn't have been more perfect.

JL: Fantastic. Truly brilliant. So this is year three of your system, yes?

Czar: Yes it is. And what a year it's been. With the number one and number two teams in the BCS rankings losing seemingly every week, could you imagine if the old system were still in place? I mean, Ohio State would be playing LSU for the national championship while teams like Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, and undefeated Hawaii would be on the outside looking in! Meanwhile, think about this: If LSU and Virginia Tech had both lost last week, Georgia might have moved up to #2 in the BCS standings. Which means the old system would have had Georgia-a team that couldn't even qualify for its conference championship game-playing for the national championship!

JL: Dreadful. That would truly be dreadful. Now last year you made a few tweaks to the manner in which the teams were selected. Talk about that for a moment.

Czar: This will be a constantly evolving process until we get it perfect. Last year we decided to ensure that teams hosting the first round of games would have to be conference champions. It worked out so well that we've made another major change this year. The biggest complaint I hear from coaches and fans is that a playoff system makes the regular season meaningless. So we've decided that only conference champions-and Notre Dame if they're ever good again-will be invited into the Bowl Championship Series.

JL: That's delicious. Tell me more.

Czar: Take this past Saturday. How exciting were those games? But in the old days, some of the results just wouldn't have mattered. The committee and I sat there watching Missouri-Oklahoma thinking that if we hadn't changed the rules, both teams would have ended up in our BCS field. And, there was a distinct possibility that they would have ended up playing each other in the first round. That just didn't seem right. Instead, Missouri and Oklahoma basically played a play-in game for the tournament last weekend. Missouri is out and Oklahoma locked up a first round home game.

JL: So just how are the match-ups determined?

Czar: We take the final BCS standings and seed the top 8 teams according to the top 8 conference champions. The top four seeds host the opening round games, with the winners advancing to two of the major bowls. The winners of those bowl games advance to play in the Allstate BCS Championship Game, which will be held Sunday, January 27.

JL: That's the week before the Super Bowl?

Czar: Correct. The spotlight will be solely on the championship game.

JL: I see you have brought some lovely charts with you that showcase this year's brackets. Who draws these for you?

Czar: That would be Rob, the official Sports in a Can illustrator.

JL: He's the man. These are gorgeous. Let's talk about the match-ups you've got for the tournament this year.

Czar: In the first game of the tournament we'll have the undefeated Warriors against an LSU team whose two losses both came in triple overtime. This game will also feature one of our two David vs. Goliath match-ups, as Hawaii hails from the non-super power WAC. The winner of this game advances to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl to take on the winner of Virginia Tech and West Virginia. The Mountaineers of West Virginia missed out on a golden opportunity to host a first round game. But their loss dropped them down to the #6 seed. Meanwhile, I'm really happy for Virginia Tech. Their players and students are still dealing with the effects of the shooting earlier this year. So what a way for them to end the year-by hosting a first round BCS game.

JL: That is just beautiful. I think I might cry. Talk some more.

Czar: Game 3 of the first round pits #1 seed Ohio State against the biggest underdog we have in the tournament: BYU. The champion of the Mountain West conference was ranked 17th in the final BCS standings, but with our new "champions only" field, BYU gets to crash the party. They'll have their hands full traveling to Columbus to take on the new #1 team in the country. And the final game of round 1 features two teams many feel are playing the best football in the country right now: Oklahoma and USC. The winners of these two games square off in the Fed Ex Orange Bowl.

JL: That's fantastic. I can't wait. Now let me ask you: Why you? Why of all of the people who could have developed this system, why were you the man for the job?

Czar: I'm the perfect person for this job, James. I'm not a college football fan, per se. I'm more of NFL guy. But give me a reason to watch and I'm there. I love March Madness. I'm not watching college basketball for four months ad nauseum, but come March I'm glued to the television. Why? The brackets, the upsets, the drama, and the fact that all of those teams are in the field with a chance to win on the court. In college football, why should I care about the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl or the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl or the Papajohns.com Bowl? I just don't. But put eight teams in a bracket and give them all a chance to win the title and I'm there. And I think the average fan agrees with me.

JL: I know you had some major upsets last year in the tournament. Are you expecting any surprises this year?

Czar: I don't like to predict what's going to happen, James. I don't want there to be any suggestion of impropriety on my part. Plus everyone tells me I'm not very good at picking NFL games, so I won't speculate on these college games. But last year was very exciting, as Boise State knocked off both Ohio State and Florida, the top two teams in the field, on their way to the national championship game. They ended up losing to USC, but remember how they ran the Statue of Liberty play in the Orange Bowl-the 2nd round of the tournament-and then that player proposed to his girlfriend?

JL: How could I forget? That was truly a moment of Hollywood-esque magnitude.

Czar: Well, could you imagine if that happened at the end of some meaningless bowl game instead of during the tournament? Who would have watched? Who would have cared?

JL: I'll ask the questions here, Czar.

Czar: Sorry about that.

JL: What is your favorite word?

Czar: I'm not sure what this has to do with anything, but I'd lean toward flummoxed, vermouth, or gunky.

JL: If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Czar: Good job on fixing that BCS thing. If I had to listen to all of you complaining about something that was so easy to fix for one more year, there might have been another flood.