USC claims all-time bowl victory lead


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After years of USC fans declaring the Trojans the number one college football team in the nation, USC football can further corroborate that claim as it now holds the record for all-time bowl wins — as result of an NCAA ruling.

NCAA sanctions against the University of Alabama erased 21 of the football team’s victories from 2005-2007, including the Cotton Bowl win over Texas Tech. Without the Cotton Bowl win, Alaba a now holds 31 bowl wins placing them behind USC’s 32 all-time bowl wins.

Not only did the NCAA ruling prevent the Crimson Tide from sharing the all-bowl wins record with USC, but it also moved Alabama further down the list of all-time football victories. UA is now the seventh college football team in all-time wins with 792 football victories instead of the fifth with 813 victories.

In June 2009, the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions penalized Alabama for transgressions involving 16 sports. Because the Crimson Tide overlooked the benefits that 201 student-athletes at Alabama received, the NCAA felt it necessary to revoke the football victories in which the ineligible players participated.

These student-athletes exploited the university’s textbook distribution program by receiving extra textbooks and other class materials even though they were not authorized to do so.

“There is no evidence or allegations of other NCAA violations; no coaches or administrators were involved; no players obtained books and sold them for cash, and all the books were returned or charged to the student’s account as required by the UA textbook policy in effect at that time,” Alabama President Robert Witt told tidesports.com.

Alabama attempted to appeal the ruling by the NCAA because the university found only 22 students who intentionally attained textbooks for themselves and others, but the NCAA would not revoke their decision.

While USC is currently at the top, fans must remember that the NCAA Committee on Infractions will announce the results of our own sanctions in the weeks to come.