ESPN's Definition of Prestigious

Submitted by Enjoy Life on

The Oklahoma program also has been punished by the NCAA to varying degrees six separate times in its history.

The Sooners went 8-4 and beat Oregon in the Holiday Bowl to end the 2005 season. Records from that season involving quarterback Rhett Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn must be erased, the NCAA said, and Coach Bob Stoops's career record will be amended to reflect the erased wins, dropping it from 86-19 in eight seasons to 78-27.

January 11, 1956 - NCAA found University of Oklahoma football team violated improper transportation; extra benefits; improper recruiting inducements.

Result: 1 year Probation

January 11, 1960 - NCAA found University of Oklahoma football team violated improper financial aid; improper recruiting inducements; outside fund; lack of institutional control.

Result: 1 year Probation, 1 year post season ban, 1 year television ban

September 20, 1973 - NCAA found University of Oklahoma football team violated extra benefits; including improper recruiting inducements; lodging, publicity and transportation; tryouts; excessive number of official visits; excessive time for official visits; in addition to academic fraud; eligibility; unethical conduct.

Result: 2 year Probation, 2 year post season ban, 2 year television ban, one assistant football coach not allowed to recruit.

November 11, 1980 - NCAA found University of Oklahoma football team violated improper financial aid; improper recruiting contacts, entertainment and transportation.

Result: Publicly reprimand.

December 19, 1988 - NCAA found University of Oklahoma football team violated improper transportation; extra benefits; complimentary tickets; improper recruiting contacts, employment, entertainment, inducements and transportation; unethical conduct; outside fund; lack of institutional control; certification of compliance.

Result: 3 years probation; 1 year television ban; 3 years probation; Maximum of 18 initial grants for 1989-90 and 1990-91 football season. maximum of eight coaches may recruit off campus for 1989-90; OU limited to maximum of 50 official visits for 1988-89 and 1989-90; The University of Oklahoma files annual reports regarding compliance programs; University of Oklahoma must show cause why more penalties should not be imposed if institution does not remove two assistant coaches and recruiting coordinator from recruiting and disassociate one representative.

And then the latest July 11, 2007. The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions has penalized the University of Oklahoma for major violations in its football program.

chitownblue (not verified)

January 25th, 2009 at 2:31 PM ^

ESPN routinley fabricates meaningless "competitions" like "Who's Next?" or "Who's 'Titletown USA'?" for the purpose of filling time throughout slower sports months. The amount of intellectual curiosity, and time actually spent doing it is likely marginal. It's mindless, and idiotic - any expectation that it would be anything else probably is setting your expectations too high. In other words, ignore it, it's stupid. We all know this.

Enjoy Life

January 25th, 2009 at 2:42 PM ^

I agree completely. But, why would ESPN or anyone else use the word "prestige" and then basically ignore the fact that their "winner" is one of the least honorable football programs in history?

Prestige: reputation or influence arising from success, achievement, rank, or other favorable attributes.

Prestigious: having a high reputation; honored; esteemed

For ESPN:
MNC gets you 25 points
1 Year of probation loses 1 point

I guess we all know where ESPN stands on cheating.

Enjoy Life

January 25th, 2009 at 3:07 PM ^

There were 2 other threads but they almost exclusively dealt with "why wasn't M ranked higher".

That is not the intent of this thread at all.

I believe calling one of the most corrupt college football programs in history "prestigious" is either a bad joke on ESPN's part (probably not) or degrades all of college football.

DeutschBlue

January 25th, 2009 at 3:14 PM ^

I understand what you're saying and I agree that Oklahoma should have been penalized more more their discrepancies, but it's hard to argue that Oklahoma has been a prestigious team since 1936, regardless.
As people have mentioned in other threads, the ESPN system relied heavily on wins, awards, and National Championships. This was just their system for this meaningless poll. Also, truth be told, many of the teams on their top ten have these kinds of things in their history. Alabama and Albert Means, Free Shoe University, Miami and their, well, legal troubles.
This list was not about that.

Also, Oklahoma's wins for the 2005 season were vacated, not changed to losses. They've since been reinstated upon appeal.

Enjoy Life

January 25th, 2009 at 3:37 PM ^

So, Bernard Madoff would be the #1 Prestigious Hedge Fund manager?

OK was identified as #1, not just one of many. Because of their violations, I would not include them in the top 10.

Sends the wrong message: It is OK to cheat, get caught, and get penalized as long as you win games.

I believe most do not want M to go that route.

Jay

January 25th, 2009 at 7:39 PM ^

Yes. A THIRD thread needed to be created to discuss the ESPN Prestige rankings!

YEAH!!!

Seriously, why don't some of you slappies who have such a problem with this meaningless list just admit that you wouldn't be happy unless ESPN had us ranked #1 so that you can run over to all of the Spartan & Buckeye message boards that you could find to rub it in their face and scream "LEADERS AND BEST! BUCKNUTS AND MOO U SUCK! HeHeHeHe!!" I'll bet that's what this is really all about for some of you.