AU Roundup
Yet another award will be shipped out of USC’s trophy room, but it won’t be coming to Auburn.
The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) ruled Thursday to strip USC of its 2004 National Championship and requested that the school return its Grantland Rice Trophy.
The group did not, however, anoint a new 2004 national champion, instead leaving that spot in the record books completely vacant, a first for the 56-year-old organization.
“We were looking for a consensus opinion,” FWAA president Tim Griffin said. “I guess that didn’t come.”
The organization held a teleconference last week to discuss what action it should take against the Trojans. The group comprised 20 members, past and present, who had a combined 300 years of experience covering college football, Griffin said.
Griffin said a number of writers spoke passionately about awarding the title to Auburn, which went 13-0 in 2004, but was left out of the national championship game because USC and Oklahoma finished ahead of it in the BCS standings. Other writers, though, spoke with the same enthusiasm about awarding the title to Oklahoma, which lost to the Trojans, 55-19, in the national championship, or Utah, which finished the season undefeated after downing Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.
When it came to vote, the group reached a unanimous decision to strip USC of its title. But when it came to vote for what new team should receive the trophy, there simply were not enough votes for one particular program.
“A couple of members argued pretty vociferously about that we had to give it to somebody just in order not to have a line like they have in the NCAA basketball record books for vacated games,” Griffin said. “In the long term, no team received enough votes or enough support to make a claim for that.”
The FWAA is the first major organization to officially take away hardware from the 2004 Trojans, who, in hindsight, were committing a number of NCAA violations during one of the most impressive runs by any team in the 2000s. The Associated Press ruled in June that it would not strip USC of its title, while the BCS will wait through the appeal process before it makes a decision. New USC athletic director
Pat Haden ordered that the school’s copy of Reggie Bush’s Heisman Trophy be returned, but the Heisman Trophy Trust is still mulling its stance on the issue.
“Had these facts been known, USC would not have been selected for the Award,” Griffin said. “All finalists for FWAA team and individual awards, including the Grantland Rice Award and Trophy, reasonably are presumed to have been in material compliance with certain qualifying standards at the time of award issuance.“
Auburn coach Gene Chizik, the defensive coordinator of the 2004 team, said he respected the decision.
“We can’t control what decisions are made,” Chizik said. “But that was a great team and a great year for us and it always will be here at Auburn.
“That will always be special, that year, and the players. In that regard, things haven’t changed.”
Reed misses practice, should play in opener
Freshman wide receiver Trovon Reed stood on the sidelines while Auburn practiced Thursday, but wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor said the highly touted playmaker will be ready next week against Arkansas State.
Reed missed a few practices early in the fall because of a nagging knee injury — one that stems back to high school when he partially tore his MCL.
“I’m just being smart with him,” Taylor said. “I tell him I’m just getting Seabiscuit to the track.”
One more position battle
Two position battles were resolved before practice Thursday, but the competition between freshman Steven Clark and senior Ryan Shoemaker is still ongoing.
Chizik said he expects to reach a decision in the next couple of days.
“That’s a good competition out there,” he said.
Pugh named to Rimington watch list
Auburn senior Ryan Pugh was one of 37 players named Thursday to the watch list for the Rimington Award, which is given annually to the nation’s best center.
Pugh, who is one of five SEC centers up for the award, has started 31 games during his career, including all 25 games at center over the past two seasons. He was selected to the Associated Press All-
SEC second team following the 2009 season after leading the team with 70 knockdown blocks. He was named a preseason second-team All-SEC selection by the league’s coaches last month.
agribble@oanow.com | 737-2561
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