Pending USC Sanctions to Call for Redo on 2004 National Championship?
Would Jason get to claim the 04 Championship?
A lot of buzz the past few days over the looming sanctions to be taken out on USC for the Reggie Bush Incident (RBI). Although the hammers over at the NCAA know how to stretch a plot out better than the producers of Lost, sports talking heads are beginning to mumble about what they think will happen. Most believe that some if not all games that Reggie Bush participated in could be vacated. If any games during the 2004 season were involved, that could lead to USC being declared retroactively ineligible for that title. Most seem to believe that will be the case, and should the title be vacated, these writers have an idea who should be elevated to that lofty status: Auburn.
Clay Travis over at The Fanhouse lays out his case:
“First, keep in mind that Auburn finished 13-0 and No. 2 in the country in the final 2004 poll. That season USC defeated Oklahoma 55-19 to win the BCS title. Both of those teams, USC and Oklahoma, started the season 1 and 2 and Auburn, which wasn’t expected to be as good as it was behind Jason Campbell at quarterback, began the season ranked 17th in one poll and 18th in the other. Even though Auburn ran roughshod over the SEC and everyone else in the regular season, outscoring opponents by a total of 401-134, the Tigers were left behind by an unjust BCS, finishing third in the final BCS standings.”
“In most sports the voting doesn’t matter, but in college football it’s integral to the final champion; the reason we all watch. Sure, voting for a champion is a flawed system, but in 2004 it still represented a legitimate way to crown a champion. It’s how we ended up with split champs in 2003. If USC gets hit with sanctions, the BCS will reclaim its trophy and the rest of us — that sorry lot of us who are college football die hards — will be left with nothing to show for the entirety of the 2004 season. That’s a much bigger wrong than retroactively rewarding a team that deserves a championship.”
Kevin Scarbinsky over at the Birmingham News, urges Auburn to step up ever more slightly and even implore the University of Alabama model:
“What should Auburn do six years later? Please. That’s easy. Accept it. Celebrate it. And never, ever apologize for it. In other words, Auburn should follow Alabama’s lead. After all, the Crimson Tide has a lot more experience with the national championship thing. Alabama hasn’t filled a trophy case and built a statue for every national title that everyone from the Dunkel Index to Dunkin’ Donuts has tried to throw at it, but the school has said yes more often than not.”
Then we had Jay Coulter over at Auburn blog Track Em Tigers:
“Would a better late than never title change things for the players and the fans? Not really. Most Auburn people I know feel quite comfortable believing Auburn was as much the champion of 2004 as USC. When you don’t meet head-to-head how can you think otherwise? With four first round draft choices on that team, you have to believe Auburn would have had a shot.Being formally recognized for something you plainly deserve is always nice. But let’s not kid ourselves. A belated national title can never make up for the injustice. It’s like the guy that serves 30 years in prison only to be released after new evidence is presented exonerating him. It’s great when it happens, but it would have been a million times sweeter had it happened during the trial.”
Then there was yours truly, oh, about two years ago:
“So, are we just to vacate the 2004 season from the MNC roles, or is Miss First-Runner Up going to get a chance to wear the crown? Maybe conference championships can be successfully vacated over the years, but not so with MNCs. Know and understand this: NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE TOO IMPORTANT IN OUR SPORT TO BE LEFT VACATED. It is one void that will always be filled.”
Keep in mind, the results still aren’t in. No one’s fate has been decided. But if this scenario DOES go down, what’s the fair thing to do?
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