I'm definitely not the only person who experiences a slight twinge of happiness while watching the USC empire crumble.
After decades of the Trojans dominating the top of the Pac-10 standings, it was nice seeing the conference bully take a beating for once. But, there is a point when all brawls become hard to watch.
Yesterday, the BCS officially stripped USC of its 2004 National Championship title, landing the final haymaker on this “USCheaters Era”.
Now that this down-for-the-count blow has finally been thrown, it is time for everyone to take stock and move forward.
USC obviously did something against the rules, which had to be address. But, as I have learned after three months of law school, final judgments are not always fair. Unfortunately for the NCAA, you don’t have to throw a stone very far to find other unjust nuisances within its bylaws.
College football’s system in its current state is completely flawed. It seems like practically everyone can agree to that. However, until the big wigs realize that there is a better way, we are stuck with incomplete seasons where a true champion becomes a debate rather than a fact.
The NCAA needs to learn that throwing sanctions and vacating championships isn’t really going to stop any of the backdoor shenanigans that happen in college football.
Whether or not they violated a few off-field provisions, people will not simply forget the awesomeness of the 2004 USC team. Find a replay of any game that season and you will be absolutely glued to the majestic ways in which the Trojans dominated.
Just because the BCS wants to pull the curtain over our eyes and say USC didn’t “legally” kick Oklahoma’s ass is absolutely ridiculous. With all of the hoopla surrounding the NCAA these days, it is hard to take anything that this two-bit operation says seriously.
In my mind, what better way to give the BCS and the NCAA a huge middle finger than for the Trojans to go undefeated in one of these “sanctioned” seasons.
As much as I like to root against USC, I actually like to root against "the system" even more.
An undefeated season by USC stirs the pot of controversy stewing in college football even further. Imagine, a 12-0 team, unable to play in its conferences’ newly minted championship game or for a National Championship…all because of “crimes” that happened before most of their current players were out of middle school.
Yet, just a few months ago, when allegations were starring the NCAA directly in the face, they let players that actually violated the NCAA rules play in a BCS game.
Something doesn’t seem right there.
The amount of money that USC would lose from not participating in the Pac-12 Championship game and BCS National Championship game could be astronomic. If the season panned out this way and they could prove that the suspensions handed down by the BCS were unworthy of the monetary punishment, USC might be able to land a huge financial blow on this extremely corrupt system.
Although rooting for USC is never easy for me, if they are starring at a perfect season in early November, I might have to burn my FUSC shirt.
Because, if the rampant allegations of rogue NCAA programs this offseason has taught us anything, it is that college football is already tainted beyond all recognition. USC is not the only school that has been involved in tactics forbidden by the NCAA and they sure as hell won’t be the last.
For most teams this season a loss to USC is not out of the question. Even for Oregon and Stanford, the Trojans should be a formidable test.
Unless another Pac-12 team is sporting a viable chance at the National Championship, a perfect season by the Trojans would not necessarily hinder the rest of the conference. Each loss handed out by the Trojans would be considered a wash by the other teams and the "proper" schools would proceed to the Pac-12 Championship Game as previously planned.
The only sore thumb would be the one pointed directly at the NCAA, with pressing questions about how their imperfect rules let an outlandish scenario like this occur.
Unless another Pac-12 team is sporting a viable chance at the National Championship, a perfect season by the Trojans would not necessarily hinder the rest of the conference. Each loss handed out by the Trojans would be considered a wash by the other teams and the "proper" schools would proceed to the Pac-12 Championship Game as previously planned.
The only sore thumb would be the one pointed directly at the NCAA, with pressing questions about how their imperfect rules let an outlandish scenario like this occur.
If a perfect season by the Trojans can inch us closer to taking down the system, then Fight On!
