What the USC sanctions really mean.

Sad Panda. No, not because hes Asian. That's racist bro.

The NCAA Squeaky Punishment Hammer has finally come down after 6(6?!? geez-us) years of speculation, investigation and not-so-patient waiting by some of us. 30 Scholarships over 3 years, 2 season bowl ban, vacating wins, etc etc(not to mention the women's tennis team got in some trouble to I guess). We've pretty much all read or heard all about it. What does it mean? Too heavy? Too lenient? Depends on who you talk to...

• The NCAA actually has teeth and knows how to (think about using them for a long time and then) use them.

• 30 Scholarships is BIG. Really Big. The NCAA limits the number of scholarship players on a division 1 roster to 85 total at any given time. How that impacts a given recruiting year varies on the number of freshman, sophomores, juniors, seniors, etc you have on the team at a given time. For arguments sake, and for easier math, let's assume an equal distribution, which would 21.25 scholarships be class, and for the sake of round numbers we'll use 21. That means for the 2011, 2012(when the world ends) and 2013 seasons you're down to 11 scholarships you can offer, or a little more than half of your normal allotment. That's gonna sting.
• 2 year post-season ban. What this comes down to is recruiting(think national TV) and Money(bowl games pay out TONS of money to the participating schools/conferences). When you couple the loss of national exposure to recruits during those bowl games, which except for last season have all been prime time, January 1st or later games, with the loss of available scholarships you get a double hit on recruiting. Also, playing in a bowl game is some-what prestigious depending on which one you are in. By not playing in one your team could take a bit of a PR/mystique hit in the eyes of recruits and their parents. Kids want a couple of things when they decide on a football program: immediate playing time, national exposure and the best possible shot at making it to the in as little time as possible. With this 2 year ban, the 3 year plan to jump takes a big hit.(these are assumptions for top talent mostly)

• The 2010 USC Tojans enter the season in lot of polls as a top ten or higher team(s0mehow). Will they play up to their potential or has the reality of no post season taken the wind out of their sails already? Can this coupled with a new coaching staff set them back significantly in wins and losses? Maybe. Actually, it's quite probable.

While some will say that this took to long, we have to realize that the NCAA only has one shot to get it right. Convincing former and current Athletic Directors of these sorts of things isn't exaclty easy. Sure, most of the offending parties have gone on to other things(we think) but it is the institution that we punish, not the individual.(unless you're Tim Floyd who got fired a while back) So down with the car flags. Put away all your obnoxious USC gear, and no more "fight on" with your V's or peace signs, whatever the hell they are. Let us revel in your sadness. Let me taste your delicious tears. And please please please go undefeated for the next two seasons just because I would find that to be very ironic.

Sad Pandas that have migrated out of their natural habitat of Happy Valley for warmer climates. They are still very sad though.