Okay, I’ll admit it. I am a lawyer. In fact, Gould School of Law 2004. Now that I’ve read the ESPN and SI reports on the standards the NCAA is expected to apply, I am afraid that I am cannot get away from the feeling that USC really has an uphill battle. Okay, let’s take Carroll at his word. He did not know about Bush. And none of the rest of the coaching staff either. But then how can the staff, once they knew they were under the microscope, have not made inquiries of McKnight when he was driving a car that was probably more car than he should have been able to afford. They were on notice at that point. Under investigation. Two scandals. And some simple observations and follow-up questions by an LA Times reporter at practice for all to see! I mean get real. I am afraid Garrett was asleep at the wheel.

My prediction is that the NCAA has no choice but to split the baby. That USC is forced to forfeit all of its wins over a number of years. That USC is forced to sacrifice a certain number of scholarships in football and more significantly in basketball. But that for the most part the machine is left intact.

From a dollars and cents perspective, the NCAA cannot simply replace USC with another program. It’s in a huge market without a NFL franchise. The revenues and SYMBOLIC VALUE to the PAC10 and the NCAA are tremendous. UCLA might step up but it could never be counted on to fill the void.