Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
With the news announced today that the Bowl Championship Series stripped the University of Southern California of its 2004-05 championship title and their plans to leave that year uncrowned, some college football fans may not like that idea.
The 2004-05 season was completely flawless for the USC Trojans, a perfect 13-0 season and a national championship, well that is, of course, setting aside the violations they committed during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
So, since they got their national title ripped from their hands, should the BCS give it to someone else? There are plenty of other good choices.
Related:
Their championship game opponent, the University of Oklahoma also experienced a fantastic season - well, at least up until the BCS championship game, where they experienced an unprecedented 19-55 blowout loss to the Trojans.
So with that result, maybe they aren't a great choice to turn over the 2004-05 national title to, but then again, they were the opposing team in the championship game.
But then there's also Auburn or Utah to award it to for their 2004-05 seasons.
Auburn finished the 2004-05 season 13-0, just like USC, but without a national title. Auburn was number two in the country in both the Coaches Poll and the AP Poll at the end of the season and was Sugar Bowl Champions. So maybe the BCS should award it to them.
What about the University of Utah? The Runnin' Utes finished their season with a 12-0 record, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Champions over Pittsburgh, fifth overall in the Coaches' Poll and fourth overall in the AP Poll. So why doesn't the BCS give them the title? They had a great season!
The University of Oklahoma, Auburn University, and the University of Utah all had fantastic seasons, and although they were not crowned the national champion, they also didn't get cited for violations in two consecutive seasons, so to some they deserve some recognition from the BCS. Right?
But, the BCS has spoken, and according to The Associated Press, they plan to leave the 2004 season without a champion.
BCS executive director Bill Hancock told ESPN.com's Ted Miller Monday why the decision was made to strip USC of their title.
"The BCS arrangement crowns a national champion, and the BCS games are showcase events for postseason football. One of the best ways of ensuring that they remain so is for us to foster full compliance with NCAA rules. Accordingly, in keeping with the NCAA's recent action, USC appearances are being vacated," said Hancock.
Hancock also added, "This action reflects the scope of the BCS arrangement and is consistent with the NCAA's approach when it subsequently discovers infractions by institutions whose teams have played in NCAA championship events."









