Ohio State Bowl Ban: Buckeyes Ruling Spells Bad News for Miami and UNC

College football fans are starting to realize NCAA sanctions are becoming a trend, and the recent ruling for the Ohio State Buckeyes will pave the way for other programs currently being investigated for their wrongdoings.

Not only fans, but also school officials of Miami and North Carolina have to be thinking the worst right now after the punishment the Buckeyes were dealt. 

According to The Columbus Dispatch, the NCAA handed the Buckeyes a one-year bowl ban, extended their probation and took away more scholarships. Plus, Ohio State cannot contend for the Big Ten Championship in 2012, which stings, because with Urban Meyer as head coach, the Buckeyes were expecting a quick turnaround. 

Whether you agree or disagree with the sanctions given to Ohio State, it's easy to see other schools will be hit hard or possibly even harder. 

To me, taking away scholarships is the worst part, because it affects the future of the program the most. Yes, it's terrible that next year's seniors must pay the price and miss a bowl game because of others' actions, but the school has to suffer and move on. 

So what will be the fate for Miami and North Carolina? It remains to be seen as the NCAA continues to investigate, but it should be close to what Ohio State had or perhaps even more punishment depending on what is all found to be truth. 

Here's a short breakdown of what Ohio State's ruling could mean for other programs. 

Miami 

In case you forgot what the Hurricanes allegedly did, let me refresh your memory.

According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, a Miami booster said he "provided thousands of impermissible benefits to at least 72 athletes from 2002 through 2010." 

Oh yeah, did I mention he's currently serving jail time for his part in a $930 million Ponzi scheme? The NCAA will take a while in its investigation of what Nevin Shapiro claims he did, and if true, the Hurricanes are going to get hammered.

When the report came out, the college football world went into a frenzy. Many speculated that Miami may even receive the death penalty.

I don't think that will be the case, but this is a serious issue at hand that will take a lot of time to figure out. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are sitting back waiting for the inevitable—loss of scholarships, a bowl ban and probation.

That's the norm these days with sanctions, but depending on the case, it could be extremely harsh or not so bad.

The Hurricanes failed to monitor their program and appeared to have little control of what was going on. Either that, or they knew and just let it occur. Either way, they will suffer the consequences for their actions.

Of course, it's tough to say what all it will be because there was so much involved in the Miami booster scandal. 

Separating the truth from lies can't be done right away, meaning the Hurricanes are forced wait a long time for their fate. 

Since Miami is also a repeat offender, the Hurricanes should expect a penalty similar to the Buckeyes, with somewhat of an increase on the loss of scholarships or bowl ban. We'll see if Miami electing not to go to a bowl game this year has any impact on its eventual punishment. 

North Carolina 

The Tar Heels should be receiving an NCAA verdict sometime soon, and once they read what the Buckeyes got, it wouldn't surprise me if they started trembling. 

After all, North Carolina was given the failure to monitor tag, and the Tar Heels also took action by suspending players and dumping their coach. Ohio State did as well, but the Buckeyes were still slapped by the NCAA. 

Since the Tar Heels' situation is worse, expect them to receive a harsher punishment. Committing academic fraud is extremely frowned upon, and that alone would be enough to do a great deal of damage for North Carolina. 

Unfortunately for the Tar Heels, they were also charged with violating NCAA rules dealing with contacting agents, allegedly taking money from an agent on the grounds that a player will eventually sign with that company. 

The NCAA will make an example out of North Carolina for its poor behavior. As seen with Ohio State, despite self-imposed sanctions, the NCAA is going to do whatever it deems necessary, and many will not agree. 

However, that is life, and the school has to move on. The Tar Heels will soon take their hit and press forward, simply because it's all they really can do.

Sure, a program can appeal, but it's truly a waste of time when the NCAA has spent a ton of time investigating and deciding what is the appropriate punishment. Rarely do they change their mind (see USC Trojans).

Moving Forward 

In the last year or so, fans saw the NCAA investigate a number of schools, and the NCAA is still doing so. 

Sanctions will continue to be given out as long as programs keep breaking the rules. Since there a plethora of rules, don't expect the NCAA to have a period of time where it isn't busy. 

There will always be schools that cheat to gain an edge in recruiting or give players improper benefits to keep them happy. It's become a part of college football these days, and fans have to accept the fact that NCAA investigations will never cease because somebody will choose doing the wrong thing over what's right. 

The penalties handed to Ohio State will likely be used as a base for what punishments are given to other schools.

Then again, as we all know, the NCAA likes to change its mind case by case, and depending on the severity of the case, the NCAA could always step it up a notch.