WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, and two other House members will introduce a resolution tomorrow calling for the Justice Department to investigate college football's Bowl Championship Series to see if it is illegally restraining trade.

Abercrombie, an alum of the non-BCS University of Hawai'i, said the process of selecting a college football national champion restricts the opportunity to compete for the title.

It also limits access to more than $185 million in post-season revenue to the 66 teams in the six largest athletic conferences and the University of Notre Dame, which is independent, he said.

This reduces the opportunity for 53 other Division 1-A colleges and universities to have a chance at the titles and a greater share of the money generated from post-season games, Abercrombie said.

"These 53 institutions are at a significant financial and competitive disadvantage because they have to carry the costs for recruiting, facilities, coaching and other athletic programs without outside bowl revenue," Abercrombie said.

But some non-BCS teams, such as the University of Hawai'i's Warriors, are chosen to play in the championship series. On Jan. 1, the Warriors played the University of Georgia's Bulldogs, which is part of the BCS, in the Sugar Bowl, which was not designated as the national championship game this year.

The Warriors lost 41-10.