USC may lose BCS title but Auburn is still feeling the burn
Tommy Tuberville banged the drum for his Auburn team after the Sugar Bowl, and rightfully so.
So we’ve already established that this is a major kegger day in Knoxville (click here for the updated USC story). The Lane Kiffin/Weenie Roast officially begins at 3 p.m., when the NCAA is scheduled to drop the probation hammer on USC.
But how do you feel today if you’re an Auburn fan? USC may get stripped of its 2004 BCS national championship, and the Tigers never were allowed to even play in that game, despite going through the season undefeated.
Is this a day for Auburn to feel vindicated or just angry?
Rewind to 2004: Auburn went 12-0 through the regular season but finished third in the BCS standings, behind USC and Oklahoma (which also went 12-0). To any SEC follower, the thought of going through the conference season undefeated and not winding up in the national title game is ludicrous. But the Tigers had to settle for the Sugar Bowl, and they defeated Virginia Tech, 16-14.
Auburn’s case for being in the BCS title game even was supported by Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, who said, “We started out playing Southern Cal and I believe this Auburn team is better.”
So you can imagine what the opinion was of Oklahoma — especially after the Trojans destroyed the Sooners, 55-19, to claim the title.
“Neither team is better than us,” Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville proclaimed. “We’ll play them anytime, anywhere.”
Never got that chance.
Now what? The BCS added to its bylaws in 2007 — after the NCAA began looking into potential violations at USC — that gives it the power to strip a championship from the winner. Quoting:
“When the NCAA or a conference makes a finding of violations … and imposes a sanction of forfeiture or vacation of contests in which an ineligible student-athlete participated, we will presume that vacation of participation in a BCS bowl game is warranted.”
This doesn’t mean the BCS (which is independent of the NCAA) is suddenly going to declare Oklahoma the winner and give Auburn a runner-up trophy. If it opts to strip USC, there just won’t be a champion listed for 2004.
Conversely, the Associated Press will not change its final rankings from that season: USC will remain No. 1 and Auburn (which drew three first-place votes) will be No. 2.
The Tigers probably deserve a little more than that.
But then, they also deserved more in 2004.
♦
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC and Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
♦
Recent posts
♦ Kiffin pays price at USC (funny), but Carroll and Bush skate
♦ Avery Johnson snubs Hawks for the 12-70 Nets
♦ Braves getting the least from those making the most
♦ Why would Avery Johnson pick Nets (other than money)?
♦ If confidence counts, Dudley has Thrashers on verge of Cup
♦ Countdown: Bucs (busted), Argentina (hubba), Chills (duck!)
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
301 comments Add your comment
Hey! Dave Cutler
June 10th, 2010
9:00 pm
Alabama Polytechnic Institute = Every kid’s back-up school since 1856.
Mercury V-8
June 10th, 2010
9:06 pm
Jerry Glanville can give Auburn one of those California trophys he used to wave around.
CHEAT ON TROJANS!!!!!!
June 10th, 2010
9:09 pm
Buckhead Bulldog
Yep, that’s the one! My bro-in-law is a big GA guy and he had a tear coming down because he thought the guy was dead.
CHEAT ON TROJANS!!!!!!
June 10th, 2010
9:11 pm
“Alabama Polytechnic Institute = Every kid’s back-up school since 1856.”
You know, Alabama and Auburn both rank side by side in the top 100 schools in America. Auburn has quite a few famous people working.
The guy who will take Steve Jobs place at Apple is an AU grad.
Dawg4life
June 10th, 2010
9:46 pm
Soooo, the “Alabama of the West” has to cheat to win the Pac-1. Thats right, Pac-1….. Amazing. Funny how Auburn gets the short end of the stick no matter how the cookie crumbles.
Dawg4life
June 10th, 2010
9:52 pm
Dave Cutler- You may need to worry about winning your yearly in-state game before you cross the border buddy. Auburn didn’t win the NC in 04, so your point is moot. Even if another team was to awarded the title, it would be Oklahoma. They were in the dance remember? UGA owns your A$$, get over it.
!!!!!!SNAJORT NO TAEHC
June 10th, 2010
10:10 pm
USC won the game. They cheated. Their championship will be removed, no bowl games for two years and 30 less scholarships. That will set their program back for at least six years. Is that not enough? Revote? Give it to auburn? Auburn did not win the National Championship game. Their can be no champion that year other than USC and their title is going to be stripped. Sometimes life isn’t fair. Auburn was a great team that year. Only one school every year can be the champ. SEC title is all that should matter to you because it is the only legit championship Auburn or any other SEC team can win any given year. Everything else is about voting. Thats how they decide figure skating.
Gratefuldawghead
June 10th, 2010
10:25 pm
Pete Carroll left them High and Dry! Carroll was scarred to play the DAWGS in 2007 and I do believe Auburn would have beaten them!
SEC RULES!
CHEAT ON TROJANS!!!!!!
June 10th, 2010
10:37 pm
“Even if another team was to awarded the title, it would be Oklahoma. ”
Oklahomo fans don’t want to even think about 04.
UGAY sucks donkey balls.
Otis the drunk
June 10th, 2010
10:51 pm
remember you can’t spell autistic without AU
Otis the drunk
June 10th, 2010
10:54 pm
Auburn and BAMA two biggest cheaters the SEC has ever seen. No one has spent more time on probation than Aweburn they deserve 04 it was a dream come true!!!
GatorGal
June 10th, 2010
11:03 pm
Why is it that Gator fans try to interject themselves and their team in discussions that has nothing to do with them?
Because we’re so much smarter than you UGA slugs. You need us. Really.
Annabel
June 10th, 2010
11:07 pm
“Remember you can’t spell autistic without AU.”
And you can’t spell thug without the UG in UGa.
BroncoTedKoz
June 10th, 2010
11:42 pm
“3. Auburn lost to USC 23-0 in 2003 yet the game was so close that USC had to keep their starters on the field throughout the whole game.
In both of those games USC scored two of the three lowest offensive points in those two years combined.. So you cannot say that USC bitch slapped Aubun.”
This is the dumbest post i’ve ever heard? You LOST 23-0 ON YOUR OWN HOMEFIELD? YOU WERE BITCHSLAPPED! What kool-aid are you drinking from.
I’m amused at this “We would have beaten USC because I said so” argument. You were outclassed in 2002 and 2003 what leads me to believe that this would happen?? You were better in ‘04 but so was USC….MUCH MUCH BETTER….
Reid Adair
June 10th, 2010
11:44 pm
Auburn got screwed in 2004, but the title now should be left vacant. It shouldn’t be “given” to anyone.
Undisputed
June 11th, 2010
12:19 am
“I’m amused at this “We would have beaten USC because I said so” argument. You were outclassed in 2002 and 2003 what leads me to believe that this would happen??”
—-
Hmmmmmm…… I’m no genius by any stretch but I believe 2002 and 2003 were separate football seasons than 2004. It goes up by 1 number every 12 months (the year). Luckily for you, you we’re only talking about a span of 3 years, so you can count this out on one hand.
First, hold up all 5 fingers on one hand, and then with your right hand point to your left pinky finger. Ok, now we’ll call that 2001. Now point to your left ring finger (use your right hand to point so you dont get confused). This finger will represent the 2002 season. Continue on now to the middle finger, repeat, but of course this will the 2003 season. Now then, you’re almost there…. now point to your index finger… you know already don’t you… yep.. that’s the 2004 season. Last one’s easy… that thumb of yours can represent 2005.
So, as you can NOW see… each year college football has a new season. This blog article is in reference to the 2004 season.
And while you have that hand open you’ve been counting with, slap yourself in the face 100 times for making such an ignorant comment.
unbiased, but come ON
June 11th, 2010
12:21 am
“You can’t spell autistic without AU?”
Otis, do your mommy and daddy know that you’re up this late? You’re obviously a child.
Undisputed
June 11th, 2010
12:27 am
Dear Otis,
You also can’t spell “DIE TROLL” without “Roll Tide” either…. see that’s an actual anagram. If you’re going to troll the comments on a blog, at least get a little more creative.
TheAntiMe
June 11th, 2010
5:17 am
We shall now yield the floor to the gentleman from USC, Coach Lane Kiffin:
Well, they didn’t mean to cheat. It’s just that, how can you expect a little ole university of a tiny little state like California – and heck fire, not even the whole state but only the southern part of the state of California – to be able to keep up with all of the wheelin’ and dealings of these big time pro-fessional agents.
The Trojan has only one eye right now because he was totally blind-sided and the one-eyed Trojan ain’t seein’ so good due to all of the fluid coming out of said eye because of the extreme sadness that he and all of us at USC currently feel because of this very unfair ruling against us and justice by those NCAA meanies!!!
TheAntiMe
June 11th, 2010
5:24 am
Oops, can I get an editor??????????????????????????????????????????????????????
War Eagle
June 11th, 2010
7:00 am
No thanks on the slightly used NC trophy. Besides it was ill gotten gains for a team that had an ineligible star player and they were served a cup cake ,OU,to slip into the National Title so it’s tainted at best. Let em keep their undeserved crystal football it will serve as a reminder of days gone by. Congratulations Lane Kiffin, I couldn’t pick a better person to inherit this mess.
Morrus
June 11th, 2010
7:04 am
Curiously, in a supposed anti-incumbent year, most of the departing are not retiring but seeking higher office. We may recycle more than we replace. The bad news is that a frustrating 114 seats still have but one contestant. Two of them aren’t even incumbents, meaning they will affect state policy without being vetted by voters. And I have to think that we’d be better off if many had run instead for the Legislature — and cut down on the number running unopposed. Georgia’s problems are numerous. They aren’t going away. There’s too much stale thinking at the Capitol, on both sides of the aisle. New voices would be welcome.
War Eagle
June 11th, 2010
7:07 am
All you nasty tough talkin UGA fans are real hard-asses over the internet, I imagine your the same kind of guy that talks crap from across the street but nose to nose you’ll get real quiet then from the safety of your car ten blocks away tell your wife how you SHOULD have kicked that guys butt. I guess if my team had been UFs bitch for a quarter century I’d be pissed at everyone too.
Mike Slive
June 11th, 2010
7:14 am
No sense in arguing all this Auburn drama right now. By the end of next week, the Auburn nation will be squealing about have been shoved out of the SEC (along with Miss State), in favor of Clemson and FL State. Auburn’s going to be a nice fit in the, uh, Sunbelt or Mid-Chump, or whatever the league is called. And Troy is better than you guys think and just a short drive to your Lee County, AL. campus. We’re gonna miss you.
Another Dawg
June 11th, 2010
7:29 am
The BCS may not declare a National Champion for 2004, but that won’t stop Alabama. Mike Schula’s statue is going up before the new shine even rubs off of Saban’s.
DAWG1
June 11th, 2010
7:29 am
Some of these Wal-Dawgs on here need to grab some class. Of course, ‘class’ is a foriegn word to them because they never set foot in one at UGA.
Auburn is basically UGA’s brother across the state line. The South’s oldest rivalry and one of the closest W/L records of any series out there. UGA fans should save the filth for a more deserving enemy like the transplanted loud mouth Yankee scuz, Florida Gators. The Gators are the ONLY SEC team I never and will never pull for. I think most of the SEC feels this way too
DAWG1
June 11th, 2010
7:30 am
Also, AU OWNS UF…..so that helps me like them even more!
simplythetruth
June 11th, 2010
7:51 am
One of the real villians in this whole charade was the now departed Miles Brand. I believe that guy ran interference for USC. Over 4 years to come to this conclusion?
War Eagle
June 11th, 2010
8:14 am
To Dawg1 UGA needs more people of your intellect pulling for them. It’s a shame that supporters on both sides of this great rivalry need to be so mean spirited and I agree that the loudest people on this page most likely never went to UGA or AU. As soon as you pay the price for a degree in money, effort and time then your allowed a little angst. Otherwise sit down and keep it to yourself.
dawgster
June 11th, 2010
8:25 am
War Eagle, going nose to nose with someone? who’s talking smack now!, but what i don’t understand about your comments, most dawg fans that have commented that Auburn should be awarded the NC or at least Co-Champions with Ok would be fair..I think you need to go back and look at the majority of the posts..I know we have a great rivalry, but most of the dawg fans would side with Auburn on this one…You can see by the overall records that this has been a back and forth rivalry and yes we have won the last 4, you can’t get away from that, but Auburn has had streaks against us throughout the years also…Maybe if you would should a little more respect to the dawg fans the favor would be returned..
Hawks, Thrashers are still coachless -- is this a problem? | Jeff Schultz
June 11th, 2010
9:00 am
[...] ♦ USC may lose BCS title but Auburn is still feeling the burn [...]
Fillin' up @ Juniors
June 11th, 2010
9:09 am
Auburn should get the NC…They finished the regular season 12-0…but where 13-0 by the time they won the SEC championship, and a stronger strength of schedule that year, and were 14-0 by seasons end. Oklahoma still lost that game, even if you strip it then its 13-0 vs 14-0…Auburn got totally screwed and everyone knows it… The next game after that season they got beat by TECH…just wanted to remind everyone of that.
Auburn should just claim it and let everyone else argue about it…
schmeckdawg
June 11th, 2010
10:25 am
Tom, sorry to be a day late; however, the LB you are asking about was the Falcons first pick out of Allbarn…Aundrey Bruce. He was a stud in college, but, didn’t hack it with the big boys of the Not For Long league.
XTX
June 11th, 2010
10:55 am
GO BRAVES!!
Arlo
June 11th, 2010
1:17 pm
If anyone deserves that deserted National Championship, it’s Oklahoma. Auburn had Louisiana Monroe & the Citadel on their weak schedule & ended up ranked third. Boomer Sooner!
Georgia recruit LeMay might be facing suspension | Jeff Schultz
June 11th, 2010
1:31 pm
[...] ♦ USC may lose BCS title but Auburn is still feeling the burn [...]
Arlo
June 11th, 2010
1:33 pm
Tyler/dawgster. Congrove computer rankings has Oklahoma’s 2004 SOS at 6 (1 being the toughest) and Auburn at 46.
http://www.collegefootballpoll.com/2004_archive_computer_rankings.html
CHEAT ON TROJANS!!!!!!
June 11th, 2010
1:55 pm
“If anyone deserves that deserted National Championship, it’s Oklahoma.”
Oklahomo played one ranked team all year, bozo.
If anyone deserves to get punched in the face it’s Arlo.
CHEAT ON TROJANS!!!!!!
June 11th, 2010
1:56 pm
“Maybe if you would should a little more respect to the dawg fans the favor would be returned..”
Why would anyone show dawg fans any respect when their team rents their logo from the Fudge Packers.
BigGAdawg
June 11th, 2010
2:23 pm
I think that Auburn should be awarded the Championship and the trophy. They got screwed, USC in no longer qualified to hold the title and OK lost to them. Auburn should have been playing USC for the title in the first place.
Also, doing this will mean that Tubberville will get the bonus he was due and will thus make the Morons at AU who ran him off look all the more foolish for having done so.
That Don Guy
June 11th, 2010
3:27 pm
What is Auburn complaining about? Their players got their “national championship rings”, didn’t they? (Okay, so they were SEC Championship Rings with “National Champions” stamped on them – perfectly legal as far as the NCAA is concerned, since they were allowed to receive the rings, and I think the justification was that they were ranked #1 by one of the BCS computer polls.)
Jake
June 12th, 2010
10:27 pm
UGA is a joke. Their fans are insecure because they have a losing head to head record on all the good teams so they have to tear other teams success down to make themselves feel better. I guess we are to believe UGA wouldnt be upset if they went 13-0 and didnt win anything, especially after we heard them whine like babies in 2007, all along with two losses. What a joke. It’s okay UGA, keep racking up those wins against Vandy, South Carolina and Kentucky to make your record look better. You do realize that 30+ of Mark Richts wins have come from those schools don’t you? Heck, all you have to do in a given season is beat a Tenn team that hasnt won the conference in 10 years, and hopefully do 2-1 against the West…then your season really just comes down to whether or not you can beat Florida…oh wait…nevermind.
Dandy Don
June 12th, 2010
11:46 pm
Their fans are insecure because they have a losing head to head record on all the good teams so they have to tear other teams success down to make themselves feel better.
Huh? We have 12 SEC Titles. Thats 6 more than Auburn and third most all time.
Dandy Don
June 12th, 2010
11:47 pm
When is the last time Auburn beat UGA? I cant remember
01HAWK
June 13th, 2010
12:21 pm
COW COLLEGES DO NOT WIN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. Or didn’t you hear that already ?
Cheat On Trojans!
June 13th, 2010
5:52 pm
“Their fans are insecure because they have a losing head to head record on all the good teams so they have to tear other teams success down to make themselves feel better.”
Funny, UGAY has an all-time losing record against Auburn, Bama, LSU and TN……….
When’s the last time UGAY beat UF? I can’t remember.
Cheat On Trojans!
June 13th, 2010
5:53 pm
“COW COLLEGES DO NOT WIN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS.”
Why do you have veterinarians and pharmacists?
Cheat On Trojans!
June 13th, 2010
5:54 pm
“When is the last time Auburn beat UGA?”
How many times has UGAY gone undefeated since 1980? Zero
How many times has UGAY been in the national title game since 1980? Zero
How long has UGAY been renting their logo from Green Bay? Over 60 years.
Bottom line: UGAY has absolutely nothing to show for their football program in over 20 years.
Larry Drew's first issue: What to do with Joe Johnson? | Jeff Schultz
June 13th, 2010
10:07 pm
[...] ♦ USC may lose BCS title but Auburn is still feeling the burn [...]
If Braves’ Pendleton got blame before, he better credit now | Jeff Schultz
June 14th, 2010
10:46 am
[...] ♦ USC may lose BCS title but Auburn is still feeling the burn [...]