Oklahoma Sooners Return From Vacation When N.C.A.A. Wimps Out Again

Last July, after the N.C.A.A. vacated Oklahoma's wins from the Sooners' 2005 season, I had this to say:

BCSBusters and I have our respectful disagreements, but, when he argues that the N.C.A.A. has lost the ability to govern college football, reasonable sports fans may differ over the reasons this is so, but no one can doubt that he has a good point.

This is not to say that I think it necessarily is wrong that Oklahoma's appeal succeeded; I didn't follow the case that closely and, as I have argued repeatedly, the notion of "vacating" wins (rather than requiring them to be forfeited) is wussified nonsense, anyway. That the N.C.A.A. is a finger-wagging, politically-correct, fussbudget nanny killjoy regarding purely symbolic ephemera but a paper tiger when it comes to enforcement of meaningful regulations, however, cannot be gainsaid.

Trot out a guy in an Indian headdress at halftime of a basketball game and these sniveling busybodies will get the vapors, but, by golly, if anyone forces a familiar football program to concede a halfhearted demi-forfeit (but not really) in the wake of an investigation that determined sanctions were appropriate, these guys turn into Barney Fife.

They'll stand up for the photo op like they were Elliot Ness when the punishment is first handed down and their toughness is splayed across the headlines, but, six months down the road, when no one is watching, they'll fold like deck chairs on appeal.

Remind me again why we even have an N.C.A.A.?

O.K., morning rant over; I'll be back this evening to report on the second installment of Wednesday's baseball doubleheader with the Florida State Seminoles Indigenous Peoples of North Floridian Tribal Affiliation.

Go 'Dawgs!