NCAA ruling in Michigan case shows blatant hypocrisy and benefit not granted to USC

The sign-stealing scandal of Michigan is something that has taken a large part of college football discussions for a while now. On Friday, the NCAA issued a ruling that can only be seen as a slight slap on the wrist. It needs to be remembered how the same organization treated USC in something that did not even have anything to do with an on-field aspect.

For the Wolverines to be given a fine that they will happily pay for and to receive only an additional game suspension for coach Sherrone Moore is a complete joke and mockery of the judicial process that has taken place for the program in question.

The NCAA came down hard with a postseason ban for the Trojans and significant scholarship reductions for what was akin to Reggie Bush trusting the wrong person to handle personal aspects. Forget that it is widely known and established that the SEC was outright paying players for years under the table.

What is particularly bothersome is the proportion of the alleged infraction to what the final verdict ended up being.

Direct comparison to USC

To now see the same institution provide the gentlest of penalties for something that was clearly intentional and actually affected games on the field speaks to the continued bias that exists against USC. The reasoning, moreover, of why the NCAA decided to not issue a postseason ban should be considered that much more troubling by college football fans.

According to NBC Sports' Nicole Auerbach, the reason for the NCAA to not issue a postseason ban is due to the fear of punishing current student-athletes and Wolverine personnel who are not currently a part of the Michigan program. Based on that logic, the overreaching sanctions that were placed against the Trojans should never have even been considered. Instead, the NCAA purposefully made certain to severely gut USC at a point in the program's history when it would have enjoyed many more years of success.