Power Shift

Within three years of Alabama being put on probation, with scholarship losses, in 2001, SEC West rivals Auburn and LSU turned in glorious seasons with Louisiana State winning a share of a national title in 2003 and Auburn enjoying a 13-0 season in 2004. Coincidence? Maybe, but it is clear that the two sets of Tigers did benefit from their rival's self-inflicted misfortune. When a major power slumps, others benefit.

Who stands to gain the most from the recent sanctions leveled onto the Southern California program? The obvious answer is nearby UCLA, who has always gone head-to-toe with the Trojans for many of the star players produced by area high schools. Typically the Trojans win those battles, but the tide had turned a bit in recent years and coach Rick Neuheisel can smell blood. But the Bruins need to win, and win soon, to attract the type of player that was attracted to the great success enjoyed by USC the past 10 years. If the Bruins are indeed one of the programs gaining a major boost from this situation, we may not see the major bowl they gain for a couple of years. California, Oregon, and Oregon State may be the programs better suited to vault themselves up the rankings with help from USC's troubles. Also look out for Arizona and Stanford, two programs on the rise that may be able to cash in on better recruits and a better record against USC to move into the Top 10. It is not just a boost in recruiting that these squads hope to enjoy but more chances to beat the Trojans.

The other situation to monitor is with the national recruits who have recently chosen between powerhouses like USC, Florida and Ohio State. USC's woes will help all of those programs, plus Notre Dame, who not only has a better chance to reverse a horrible recent record against their longtime rivals but can possibly pluck an additional star recruit who may have been headed to the land of Troy.

Of course, these sanctions do not guarantee years of agony for USC fans. USC is still allowed to play games with all of the talent currently on the roster. If coach Lane Kiffin wants a model to follow he should look at the Miami Hurricanes of Butch Davis from the mid-to-late 1990s. After a similar hit from the NCAA Miami definitely dropped from their standing among the game's elite, which helped Florida and Florida State in the top 3 and Syracuse in the Big East. But Davis still recruited well and played the kids, who grew into the powerhouse program that would win nine games in each of the 1998 and 1999 campaigns before running off 46 wins with a national title from 2000-03. For Kiffin to do as well he needs to not only make the limited number of scholarships work, but also recruit more four-year players than normal. Play the kids and keep the kids. It worked for Miami.