Backhanded Urban Meyer compliment overlooks important factors at USC

Every distortion has an element of truth. While speaking on 'The Herd with Colin Cowherd,' coach Urban Meyer mentioned how highly he regards USC. To an extent he is absolutely correct in giving an apples-to-apples comparison between the Trojans and Buckeyes.

What he, however, and most voices in the college football world fail to recognize is the very real impact that the NCAA has had on USC. In a deliberate and coordinated attempt, the collegiate institution aimed to set USC back through the sanctions.

Being tied with arms tied behind the back and not being able to recruit and being limited affected the Trojans at the time. More importantly, the ripple effect of the overreaching punishment has lasted to this day. That is something, even with Reggie Bush's court efforts showing that the infraction repercussions were unjust, that other schools have not had to deal with to the same level.

A postseason ban at the time hampered efforts of the program then and made it so that many top players who would otherwise have come to USC chose different options. Add the scholarship reductions, and it becomes clear how disingenuous Meyer's comments are.

Comparing USC to other programs often misses an important aspect

That type of oversweeping decision against the program is not just something that stops having an impact after the given timeframe of the punishment is over. For some reason, however, the former Ohio State coach and many others are too happy to gloss over this highly important factor. 

Only now is USC starting to regain the momentum of what the program has built through decades of excellence. So, yes, the Trojans should be at the same level as the Ohio States and Michigans of the world.

The difference is that when their schools are caught cheating, the NCAA is mostly satisfied with a slap on the wrist and a self-imposed sideline ban. Not to worry, though. USC is coming for revenge against the rest of college football.