Having Southern Cal’s cake and eating Oklahoma’s too

You know, if I’m somebody who’s affiliated with the 2004 Auburn team now, my first instinct in the wake of the USC sanctions and what that would likely mean as to its BCS title that season would be to smile knowingly and accept the inevitable back patting and sympathetic head shaking from the many people who believe the program got screwed and say nothing more.  Show a little class, in other words.

But, then again, I’m not Tommy Tuberville.

Texas Tech football coach Tommy Tuberville said there should be a revote of the 2004 National Championship since USC has been forced to vacate all of its wins from the 2004 season, according to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach.

Tuberville, who was the head coach at Auburn at the time, led the Tigers to a 13-0 record in 2004 and ultimately the No. 2 ranking in the BCS polls after winning the 2005 Sugar Bowl but the Tigers were left out of the national title game while previously-undefeated Oklahoma was dismantled by USC 55-19 in the 2005 Orange Bowl.

“We never complained when they went by the process the last time, and they should go by the process this time,” Tuberville told Schlabach. “If they were ineligible, I think they should have a revote and let people vote on it and decide who they think was the best team that year. If everybody thinks it was Oklahoma, that’s fine. If everybody thinks it was Auburn, that’s fine.”

“We never complained”?  I guess that depends on your definition of “complained”.

But what I admire most about Tuberville’s call for a revote is his selective mindset – “Oklahoma, that’s fine”, my ass.  What Tuberville really wants is for voters to disregard both USC because of the sanctions and the Sooners because of their loss to USC in the title game.  In other words, Southern Cal can’t count for itself, but should count for beating Oklahoma.  Nice work there.

Oh, and by the way, Coach, while you’re trying to have it both ways, don’t forget there was another undefeated D-1 team that season.

(h/t College Football Talk)