Ash
7/11/2007, 10:50 PM
http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/7013498
NCAA can't really take OU's wins away
Pete Fiutak
CollegeFootballNews.com, Updated 6 hours ago
You can't put the genie back in the bottle.
So according to the NCAA, Oklahoma didn't win any games in 2005 because of the mortal sins of former quarterback Rhett Bomar, who (gasp!) took a few dollars for basically being the Oklahoma quarterback, and lineman J.D. Quinn who (oh heavens!) also got some coin for a no-show gig at a car dealership.
The NCAA has you brainwashed in thinking that what these guys did was morally wrong in some way, but that's a discussion for another time. The NCAA forced OU to forfeit all eight of its wins from 2005, and now the can of worms is open wide as far as what should come next. As you read this, the words "Reggie" and "Bush" are probably all over LSU and Oklahoma message boards.
It's all silly. I don't care that the wins don't technically count. You don't care that the wins don't technically count. Anyone with a brain doesn't care that the wins don't technically count. Those games happened, and that can't be changed.
Or can they?
What the NCAA should've done is punish OU with a bowl ban or additional scholarship limitations. If the organization really had any teeth, it would force the school to pay back all revenues from games played with the "illegal" players. That being said, I don't believe any of that should really happen. But it makes far more sense than taking away wins on games that actually happened. So, if we're going to do this, then let's really do this.
Therefore ...
Nebraska gets the 2005 Big 12 North title, and not Colorado. Oklahoma forfeits its 31-24 win, giving the Cornhuskers a 5-3 mark, good for a tie with Colorado atop the division. Thanks to a 30-3 blowout of the Buffs, the 'Huskers win the Big 12 North. Unless Vince Young and the rest of the 2005 Longhorns can regroup and play the 2005 Nebraska team for the Big 12 title, we're forced to conclude Texas is no longer the official 2005 Big 12 champion, seeing as how it didn't beat the North champion in the conference title game.
Baylor University must be paid reparations for the bowl game it would've gone to, now that football team is 6-5. It most certainly would've gotten a 12th game.
The same goes for Kansas State. The Wildcats, thanks to the forfeit win, are now 6-5 and should be owed back pay for the bowl game it would've gone to.
The same goes for Texas A&M, who now also finishes 6-5.
Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Of course it does, and that's the point. Oklahoma won those games, whether or not Bomar and Quinn were given a few hundred dollars, a few million or a ham sandwich. Had they gambled on the games, been caught using steroids or human growth hormones (just wait until that Pandora's Box opens up), or had been guilty of actually messing with the games themselves, then the forfeiture of wins might be justified. Then you're talking about the integrity of the game, as opposed to what amounts to the players thumbing their noses at an antiquated and unfair policy.
Someday, someone will realize that it's absolutely fine for college players to accept gifts, money, cars, whatever from boosters, or anyone who wants to provide the swag. When that happens, Oklahoma will get the eight wins back from 2005. For most of us, those wins will have never left Norman.
NCAA can't really take OU's wins away
Pete Fiutak
CollegeFootballNews.com, Updated 6 hours ago
You can't put the genie back in the bottle.
So according to the NCAA, Oklahoma didn't win any games in 2005 because of the mortal sins of former quarterback Rhett Bomar, who (gasp!) took a few dollars for basically being the Oklahoma quarterback, and lineman J.D. Quinn who (oh heavens!) also got some coin for a no-show gig at a car dealership.
The NCAA has you brainwashed in thinking that what these guys did was morally wrong in some way, but that's a discussion for another time. The NCAA forced OU to forfeit all eight of its wins from 2005, and now the can of worms is open wide as far as what should come next. As you read this, the words "Reggie" and "Bush" are probably all over LSU and Oklahoma message boards.
It's all silly. I don't care that the wins don't technically count. You don't care that the wins don't technically count. Anyone with a brain doesn't care that the wins don't technically count. Those games happened, and that can't be changed.
Or can they?
What the NCAA should've done is punish OU with a bowl ban or additional scholarship limitations. If the organization really had any teeth, it would force the school to pay back all revenues from games played with the "illegal" players. That being said, I don't believe any of that should really happen. But it makes far more sense than taking away wins on games that actually happened. So, if we're going to do this, then let's really do this.
Therefore ...
Nebraska gets the 2005 Big 12 North title, and not Colorado. Oklahoma forfeits its 31-24 win, giving the Cornhuskers a 5-3 mark, good for a tie with Colorado atop the division. Thanks to a 30-3 blowout of the Buffs, the 'Huskers win the Big 12 North. Unless Vince Young and the rest of the 2005 Longhorns can regroup and play the 2005 Nebraska team for the Big 12 title, we're forced to conclude Texas is no longer the official 2005 Big 12 champion, seeing as how it didn't beat the North champion in the conference title game.
Baylor University must be paid reparations for the bowl game it would've gone to, now that football team is 6-5. It most certainly would've gotten a 12th game.
The same goes for Kansas State. The Wildcats, thanks to the forfeit win, are now 6-5 and should be owed back pay for the bowl game it would've gone to.
The same goes for Texas A&M, who now also finishes 6-5.
Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Of course it does, and that's the point. Oklahoma won those games, whether or not Bomar and Quinn were given a few hundred dollars, a few million or a ham sandwich. Had they gambled on the games, been caught using steroids or human growth hormones (just wait until that Pandora's Box opens up), or had been guilty of actually messing with the games themselves, then the forfeiture of wins might be justified. Then you're talking about the integrity of the game, as opposed to what amounts to the players thumbing their noses at an antiquated and unfair policy.
Someday, someone will realize that it's absolutely fine for college players to accept gifts, money, cars, whatever from boosters, or anyone who wants to provide the swag. When that happens, Oklahoma will get the eight wins back from 2005. For most of us, those wins will have never left Norman.