USC loses appeal, sphincters tighten at Tosu

According to ESPN, the NCAA infractions appeals committee has notified USC that all penalties and findings against it have been upheld.

If I wasn't a football coach,
I'd be a motorcycle cop

USC claimed in its appeal that the penalties were excessive.  Yeah, well, so were USC actions during the Carroll years.

The Trojans will lose 30 scholarships over the next three years, won't be eligible to play in this year's Pac-12 title game or a bowl game, and upperclassmen can still transfer to any 1-A school without having to sit out a year as is the norm.  According to USC head coach Lane Kiffin, this last penalty amounts to "free agency."

Seriously, Lane?  Wow.  Takes a giant set of stones calling this penalty "free agency" considering the way you treated your commitment to Tennessee.  Huge set.

The rejection of USC's appeal doubly sucks for Kiffin and crew as I seem to recall they had been recruiting normally, hoping the NCAA would lighten the penalty load.

Oops.

And I can't imagine they're feeling too good in C-bus upon hearing this news, either.

The NCAA president recently said they're going to crack down harder on cheaters.  With the mighty Trojans unable to get a better deal upon appeal, one has to think the NCAA isn't going to let Tosu and Tressel get off by letting The Vest simply miss a couple meaningless early season games that they'd win even if they let Woody's corpse call the plays (and don't even bother bringing up the meaningless "fine" assessed against Tressel).

Yes, it's going to be a sweaty summer in C-bus.

UPDATE: Former Tous receiver Ray Small said he sold Big 10 rings for cash and got special car deals.