USC Football Sanctions: Right Punishment, Wrong People

The NCAA announced Wednesday that the USC football team will lose 30 scholarships over the next three years, will have a two-year postseason ban, and will have to vacate wins from the 2004 and 2005 seasons. These punishments may seem harsh, but are definitely deserved by the Trojans who were committing violations for years.

The problem with these sanctions are that Athletic Director Mike Garrett (who is amazingly still employed) and Lane Kiffin, are the only ones being punished that actually deserve to be. Matt Barkley, current USC players, USC recruits and fans will suffer because of something that was committed years ago. The main culprits—Pete Carroll and Reggie Bush—escape virtually untouched.

Bush may be stripped of his Heisman, but he will keep the trophy and everyone will still know that he won the trophy in 2005. Carroll jumped ship at the right time and it makes you think that maybe he knew that serious sanctions would be coming. Carroll had turned down the NFL for years, but suddenly decides to go to a team that has won nine total games the past two years and has finished third in the division each of those years.

Carroll and Bush have both moved on to the NFL and unfortunately, the NCAA has no way of punishing them for the violations they committed.

Imagine being Matt Barkley. You were recruited to USC for a chance to play for a national championship and to play in January bowl games. You were told that you would play in a Rose Bowl and have a great college football experience.

Now, even if you go undefeated for the next two seasons you will have nothing to show for it. You won’t win the Pac-10, you won’t play in the Rose Bowl, and you won’t play for the national championship. Barkley and the rest of the current Trojan freshman and sophomores (juniors and seniors are allowed to transfer without penalty, but USC is unlikely to sign the release) will suffer.         

The Trojans that are basically forced (if they do not want to lose a year of eligibility) to stay at USC will have three or four years left to play, but only one or two opportunities to play in January.

The other problem with the two year ban is conference expansion. By the time USC is able to play for a conference championship again, the Pac-10 may be the Pac-16. USC would be extremely unlikely to win a conference that featured Oregon, Oregon State, Texas and Oklahoma, especially after having two seasons without the full amount of scholarships and a third season upcoming.

These sanctions could not have come at a worse time for USC; if and when the Pac-10 expands to 16 teams, the Trojans will only be in the beginning stages of trying to rebuild what once was one of the greatest dynasties in sports.