USC Trojans Earned the 2004 Football National Title, Vacate 2005 Heisman Trophy

The college football season starts tomorrow and that is when the fun begins.  USC and its fans certainly welcome this after a preseason full of distractions.

Several media reports yesterday addressed the 2004 National Championship convincingly won by USC and 2005 Heisman Trophy awarded to Reggie Bush.

Let’s hope these articles wane during the football season because who cares about five years ago.

But, they deserve a response in the interim.

John Taylor of NBC Sports wrote an article, “Bob Stoops says USC should have ’04 title vacated.”

He noted that former Auburn and current Texas Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville has tried to get Auburn awarded the 2004 national championship because Reggie Bush was ruled ineligible for the BCS title game.

Yesterday, Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said on the Dan Patrick radio show that the 2004 title should be vacated.

USC slaughtered Oklahoma 55-19 in the title game.

John Taylor suggested that Pat Haden should just send back the BCS trophy regardless of any such decision by the BCS.

USC already returned the 2005 Heisman Trophy awarded to Bush absent a decision from the Heisman trust.

The BCS will likely strip USC of the 2004 BCS National Championship but it will remain vacated.

The Football Writers Association of American (FWAA) has vacated USC’s 2004 Grantland Rice Trophy.

But, the Associated Press has made it clear that USC will still be its 2004 National Champion.  The AP championship has been awarded since 1936.

So, USC will still be the college football national champion because no one else has any national title.

USC joined Florida State in 1999 as the only teams to go from preseason to post-bowls as No. 1 and was the first team to repeat as AP national champions since Nebraska in 1994.

USC proved on the field that it was the best team in 2004 even though two wins were vacated by the NCAA due to Reggie Bush being declared ineligible.  USC remains officially undefeated.

Bush was not a significant factor in the BCS title game as Matt Leinart, Steve Smith, LenDale White, Dwayne Jarrett, and the USC defense starred.

USC was not involved in any violations that would have vacated any wins despite errors in the NCAA report that is being appealed.  Details are in “10 Reasons Why USC Football NCAA Sanctions are Not Fair.”

Texas head coach Mack Brown said on The Dan Patrick Show on August 30 that Vince Young should receive the 2005 Heisman Trophy if it is taken away from Reggie Bush.  Young finished a distant second to Bush in the Heisman voting.

Skip Bayless and Bob Glauber agreed on ESPN 1st and 10 Show yesterday that Young should not receive the Heisman Trophy, and instead it should be vacated. They felt it was too long ago to re-vote, and vacating the trophy that year would shame Reggie Bush forever because everyone would know the reason.

Both of these reasons have some merit and are consistent with any decisions to vacate the 2004 national championship.

Reggie Bush and his family knowingly violated NCAA rules and conspired with a felon to keep it a secret.  Reggie understood the consequences for himself and USC since he received excellent USC training according to the NCAA.

Enough said.  Time for 2010 college football!