Auburn?s 13-0 2004 Squad Still Can?t Get A Break From BCS
With their NCAA appeal denied, the bad news keeps piling on for USC football. The latest casualty of NCAA sanctions: the Trojans? 2004 BCS national championship.
As ESPN Los Angeles reports, the school was officially stripped of its title today by the BCS, leaving the championship for that season vacant (like the Heisman Trophy previously held by the primary source of the sanctions, Reggie Bush). Now that one of the most contested titles of the BCS era is vacated, though, does it really belong to another team?
In another year, the obvious candidates for the Trojans? crown would be the Oklahoma Sooners, whom they faced in the BCS championship game that season. However, Oklahoma?s dismal performance in a 55-19 loss to USC left many feeling that they hadn?t deserved their title shot to begin with.
Two teams besides USC finished 2004 with perfect records: the Auburn Tigers and the Utah Utes. Utah?s strength of schedule, gutted by their underwhelming Mountain West foes, leaves them decidedly behind the Tigers.
As for Auburn, then-coach Tommy Tuberville told ESPN that he believes his squad?s 13-0 finish deserves to be rewarded with a championship, even retroactively. Indeed, many analysts at the time questioned whether Auburn would?ve been a worthier opponent for USC in the title game than Oklahoma.
As much as the Tigers probably did deserve a chance to play USC, that?s a mistake that can?t be righted six years later. A national title given to Auburn under these circumstances would be just as dubious as the initial snub that denied the team the chance to earn one on the field.
Unsatisfying though it is, the empty championship is the closest we're going to get to a just resolution of this lose-lose situation.
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