Read the opposing arguments from Loyal Homer and Bleacher Fan.
The fact that the Southern Cal Trojans are not playing in a bowl game this season is not open for debate. But whether or not that bowl ban should extend into a ban from the rankings as well… now that is a whole different story.
Bleacher Fan and Loyal Homer each examined the issue but found themselves on very different sides.
In his argument Loyal Homer defended his firm belief that a post-season ban should also warrant a ban from the rankings as well. His main hang up with allowing a team, like USC, with a bowl ban to continue to be nationally ranked is that it brings attention and exposure (see a previous debate involving BCS notoriety) to a team that is supposedly being punished. This is a valid point, especially in a society where the media coverage of celebrity misbehaviors often exceeds that of those who are actually doing things right. Despite their violations, USC continues to garner media coverage and will likely stay in the public eye so long as they are nationally ranked.
Loyal Homer, however, failed to address the fact that a school like USC would likely continue to receive a great deal of media coverage because it is a rather large school which has had a national following for quite some time. But his point was made. Maintaining a high profile for schools violating NCAA policy is contradictory and sends the wrong message to the public.
Loyal Homer also called attention to the fact that a banned school’s inclusion in the national ranking system comes at the expense of another school. Southern Cal’s inclusion in the top 25 means that another school which is not on the business end of NCAA punishments is denied a top 25 ranking and the attention and exposure that goes with it. This exposure means a great deal to schools that fight just to become bowl eligible.
Bleacher Fan explained that while the NCAA may have been justified in their actions against USC, a ban from the rankings would be both unnecessary and inappropriate. The thesis of his argument – that a post-season ban should only apply to the post-season – was equally obvious and direct, yet well put. By banning USC from bowls for the next two years the NCAA was not attempting to undermine the competitiveness of their football program during the regular season but rather enact punishments to deter further rules violations.
Furthermore, Bleacher Fan’s assessment that bowls and rankings are independent of each other was dead on. The ranking system is not set up to simply determine bowl selections as much as it is to compare the most competitive football teams in the nation. Unless USC is banned from regular season play, then the program can surely be counted in the latter category.
But what sealed the deal for me in this debate was Bleacher Fan’s argument that banning a team from being ranked undermines the validity of the ranking system, and that the rankings ban would be punishing the wrong people. On both counts he is absolutely right. The ranking system cannot claim true validity if rankings are artificially inflated or deflated because of aspects other than actual football performance. If teams banned from the post-season are winning against other nationally competitive teams they should be credited for it with a high ranking. Imagine, if you will, if a team like Boise State were to take on USC this season. Can you imagine the uproar and backlash if they beat the Trojans but did not see a significant rise in their rank since USC was not bowl bound because of off the field issues? It just wouldn’t make sense.
It would not make sense to punish the current team for the sins of the past. The 2010 USC team was not even high school aged when the violations their team is currently being punished for occurred. It is one thing to take an ethical stand against rules violations but it is another thing entirely to undermine the achievements of a blameless group of players for the transgression of the responsible parties that are no longer present to feel the sting of punishment. This air tight logic is why I’m awarding this victory to the Bleacher Fan.
Posted by Babe Ruthless 
