Sanctions? What Sanctions?

USC is hoping to sign 28 high school football players tomorrow. 28. Not the 15 we were led to believe that they were limited to by their penalty, but almost twice that number. Why? Well, because they are appealing the verdict handed down by the NCAA last summer they are going about their business as if all is okay. Now they certainly need bodies, due to a lower number of recruits last winter (14) and to replace the guys who jumped ship since the summer (many of whom were pushed). Plus, they want to have a full load of bodies to weather the eventual storm of smaller classes.
The Trojans are taking advantage of a rule that if a recruit can early enroll in January, he can count toward the previous winter's haul of players. And so nine guys are already enrolled at Southern Cal (I hope they stay clear of Everson Griffen) and can partake in spring practice. That's all well and good, and I understand why Lane Kiffin wants to go this route. After all, he is still proving himself as a head coach and can ill afford rebuilding years. And Kiffin and recruiting coordinator/assistant head coach Ed Orgeron are recruiters masquerading as coaches. They cannot stop themselves even if they wanted to.
But what confuses me in this matter is the USC high command. Sure they feel that the NCAA was too harsh. Fine, but having Orgeron and Kiffin--whose work at Tennessee attracted NCAA investigators--solicit a huge class may raise red flags. But more importantly, why postpone the inevitable? At some point this penalty, even if it is lightened, will hurt and why not have it hurt now when fans are expecting it to? Lose for a couple of years but develop some young talent and then can Kiffin and hire a legitimate coach. As I mentioned here last summer, the model for this is Miami in the late 1990s. They took some lumps, but played a bunch of talented kids who stuck it out and eventually won a national championship once larger classes came in for depth.
What USC is doing reminds me of professional teams who refuse to rebuild but continue to make runs every year even if their squad has no real chance of winning a title--like, let's say, the New York Mets.