Southern California Stripped of 2004 National Championship

A first in college football history, the Bowl Championship Series announced yesterday that it has stripped the University of Southern California of its 2004 championship, due to the ineligibility of running back Reggie Bush. The decision appears to conclude the controversy sparked by NCAA’s discovery that Bush and his family had been receiving lavish gifts, violating the association’s policies.
Last summer, USC was banned from a bowl game for two years and also given scholarship reductions in response to the findings, which went to court in late 2009. Spokesman Tim Tessalone said USC has begun the process of returning the trophy awarded by the American Football Coaches Association. The BSC does not expect any money to be returned, because payments are made to conferences, not specific teams.
“It leaves a real void, and there is always a question of whether someone deserved that trophy,” said Grant Teaff, executive director of the AFCA. “And the simple answer is this is a trophy that goes to the winner of the BCS championship, and as of today, there was no winner of that ballgame.”
Via USA Today.
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