USC Stripped of 2004 National Title

The University of Southern California has been stripped of its 2004 NCAA title in football. While this is one of the most severe penalties that a football team can face, many fans and pundits feel USC ultimately got what it deserved. The record books will now have no BCS champion for the 2004-05 season.

Although the news was expected, USC losing the 2004 title is yet another black eye for college football. This news comes off the heels of the Jim Tressel scandal and resignation at Ohio State, and rumors have been swirling about a scandal involving Cam Newton and Auburn, last year's national champion. The situation feels a bit like the steroid scandals in major league baseball that took place a few years ago - a lot of bad news seemed to surface at the same time and the public learned more and more as time progressed. Fans must now wonder if Auburn will lose its recent title, or if any other championship teams will face a scandal similar to what USC has gone through.

USC lost more than just its national title. The BCS also stripped the Trojans of their 2005-06 season, including the memorable loss in the national title game to Texas. Several years ago, USC was the premier dynasty in college football and in the mix for a national title every year. Now, all the Trojans are left with in the record books is a partial national title from the 2003-04 season. The BCS sent a clear message with the USC ruling: cheaters never win. At least not in their official records.

Jim Tressel Resigns Amid Scandal

Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel announced his resignation yesterday, amid NCAA violations due to his players' tattoo-parlor scandal and his attempted cover up. Tressel was one of the most successful coaches in recent college football history, and lead Ohio State to its first national title in 34 years in the 2002 season.

Tressel's resignation came from mounting pressure on Ohio State from fans and the media. Originally, Tressel was suspended two games due to a tattoo parlor scandal involving several of his best players. However, after more information began to surface that Tressel may have been aware of his players' actions and attempted to cover up what had happened, Ohio State increased the suspension to five games and fined the head coach $250,000.

Things went from bad to worse for Tressel in a hurry, and he quickly lost the support of the Ohio State faithful as more violations surfaced. Tressel received e-mails from a former player which detailed his players' violations at the tattoo parlor, but did not report this information. Ultimately, the cover up did the coach in, and he resigned after meeting with athletic director Gene Smith. Smith announced that Luke Fickell will be the Buckeye's interim coach next season.

Tressel resigns from Ohio State with a 106-22 career record. He lead Ohio State to eight BCS bowl games in 10 years, including a national championship in 2002. During Tressel's tenure as head coach, Ohio State had more players drafted into the NFL than any other college program. Despite the success he enjoyed at Ohio State, Tressel will likely be an outcast for several years due to the NCAA violations.