Southern Cal hammered by NCAA; Auburn playing revisionist history?

Hey everyone. Busy day in the world of sports, no?

News also broke this afternoon regarding rampant violations that occurred at Southern Cal from 2003-05. Part of the NCAA's penalty includes the stripping of the Trojans' football wins in 2004 and 2005, which irks Auburn fans to no end.

Southern Cal beat Oklahoma like a drum in the 2004 Bowl Championship Series title game. Auburn, despite being 12-0 heading into bowl season, wasn't allowed to play for the national championship. Many here believe the Tigers were improperly denied that opportunity ... and now comes news that opportunity was obfuscated because of cheating.

Does Auburn now have a true claim to the 2004 championship? No.

The BCS amended its bylaws a few years ago to permit the stripping of a title. There will be no retroactive changes; the 2004 season, officially, will have no BCS champion.

Still angry? Maybe you'll feel better vicariously reveling in Tennessee's enjoyment. Lane Kiffin left the Vols last winter for USC and now faces the loss of 10 football scholarships and bowl trips for two seasons. And he worked as an assistant at USC when these violations went down.

Karma, anyone?

Here's the full bill for USC (courtesy of the L.A. Times):

• Public reprimand and censure.
  
• Four years of probation: from June 10, 2010, through June 9, 2014.
  
• Postseason ban for the 2009-10 men’s basketball season. (self-imposed)
  
• Postseason ban for the 2010 and 2011 football seasons.
  
• One-year show-cause penalty for assistant football coach Todd McNair (June 10, 2010, to June 9, 2011).
  
• Vacation of all football wins, including football bowl games, from the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
  
• Vacation of all basketball wins in the 2007-08 season, including the NCAA tournament. (self-imposed)
  
• Vacation of all wins in women’s tennis between November 2006 and May 2009.(self-imposed)
  
• Reduction of football scholarships by 10 for the next three academic years.
  
• Reduction of men’s basketball scholarships from 13 to 12 for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 academic years. (self-imposed)
  
• Reduction of the total number of recruiting days in men’s basketball by 20 days (from 130 to 110) for the 2010-11 academic year. (self-imposed)
  
• $5,000 fine. (self-imposed)
  
• Remittance of the $206,200 the university received for its participation in the 2008 NCAA basketball tournament. (self-imposed).
  
• Disassociation of football player Reggie Bush, basketball player O.J. Mayo and “booster” Rodney Guillory.
  
• Release of three men’s basketball recruits from their letters of intent. (self-imposed).
  
• Prohibition of all non-university personnel, including boosters, from traveling on football and men’s basketball charters; attending football and men’s basketball team practices; attending or participating in any way with university football and men’s basketball camps, including donation of funds; and having access to the sidelines and locker rooms for football and men’s basketball games.