USC Football: Trojans 2004 Championship Vacated? Who Cares!

It was an emotion day when USC was officially stripped of its 2004 title on Monday.  The NCAA's decision was swift and predictable, but it leads to an important question: Does anyone really care?

Can you really take away the title from the Trojans seven years later?

You may be able to take their trophies but can you take away the championship experience? Can you take away the sacrifices made by the players to attain their ultimate goal? Can you take away the moment they celebrated their title with their teammates, friends and family?

The answer is no.

The only way to take away a title from a team is to never allow them to play for the title. Once it's won, it's over. Nobody cares about a legal process that technically strips trophies nearly a decade later.

Former Trojans linebacker Lofa Tatupu seems to agree with my sentiment.

“I don’t care who does or doesn't acknowledge it," Tatupu said. "The men in that locker room, they know the sacrifices we made to attain our goal."

Tatupu seems to be most enraged about the sanctions levied against the current Trojans.

“You want to take away the trophies? Fine, you took away the trophies, but take these kids off probation," Tatupu said.

The NCAA is penalizing the 2004 team by punishing the current USC roster. Many of these current Trojans were eleven years old when the 04' Trojans claimed the BCS Championship.

The questions remains: Does anyone really care that the NCAA stripped USC of their 2004 title?

Except for the current Trojans who have been severely and unfairly punished for something that occurred when they were in 5th grade, not really.