The BCS finally passed a movement to strip USC of their 2004 National Championship. The ruling followed a long investigation by the NCAA that proved that former USC running back Reggie Bush was ineligible during the championship game due to receiving extra benefits from a sports marketer. Bush’s Heisman Trophy has also been taken away.

As of right now there is no National Champion for the 2004 season, and there is no Heisman Trophy winner. The NCAA or the BCS have not made any notions to declare a retroactive National Champion or Heisman winner. There will be nothing but an asterisk to hold the season’s spot in the record books. It is like the 2004 season didn’t even happen.

The most obvious decision is to name the Auburn Tigers the National Champions for the ‘04 season. They were the only other BCS school to go undefeated that year, capped off with a 16-13 win over Virginia Tech. Let’s be honest, Auburn could use the championship. Something tells me that the 2010 National Championship will be stripped away eventually, much like the current USC stripping, thanks to Cam Newton.

It does not matter what the NCAA decides to do about the 2004 season. The Championship will only really benefit Tommy Tubberville’s resume. Other than that, it’s all lost. No team will get to relive winning a championship. The real National Championship winners are the Trojans that won that night with a spanking of the Okalahoma Sooners.

The real problem is the NCAA. Something has got to be done about these recent infractions. Almost every major program has been caught doing something illegal. The NCAA needs to either stick to their guns and find a timely way to enforce their rules, or they need to revise the rules. They can’t continue to strip past winners.

Chances are there is something wrong with the system if everyone is getting into trouble. There has to be a solution out there, but Lord knows it will not be an easy one to get fans or programs to buy into.