By
Pete
Fiutak
You can't put the genie back in the bottle.
Allegedly, 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
oppressive, self-serving organization forced OU to forfeit all eight of
the 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 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. 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, really do this.
Therefore ...
- You have to go all
the way now that the precedent has been reestablished. John Wooden's ten
national titles at UCLA? Bu-bye, thanks to Sam Gilbert. The national
titles under Bear Bryant at Alabama? Memorex. In fact, you can pretty
much wipe away anything that happened in the SEC, Southwest Conference
and Big 8 before the mid-1980s, (and really, you can dump the all-time
record books altogether on those conferences if you honestly want to
punish teams for booster involvement). Actually, you can forget about
most of the national champions in both football and basketball. If
you're really going to do this, NCAA, then do it.
- Nebraska gets the 2005 Big 12 North title, and not Colorado. Now, the
Huskers didn't lose to Oklahoma, so therefore they are given the win on
a forfeit, finish 5-3, and thanks to a 30-3 blowout of the Buffs, are
the official 2005 Big 12 North champions. Unless, Vince Young, and the
rest of the 2005 Longhorns can regroup and play the 2005 Nebraska team
for the Big 12 title, Texas is no longer the official 2005 Big 12
champion. It didn't beat the North champion.
- 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 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 a thumbing the nose 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.