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You can talk all you want about the impact of USC’s two-year bowl ban, but it doesn’t matter. Neither will the spin the USC faithful put on their NCAA sanctions. Alumni will say the penalties are unjust, coaches will talk about tradition and newly signed recruits will re-affirm their commitments and continue to sign letter’s of intent.

The real devastation comes from the loss of scholarships and the impact that will have once the NCAA lets USC back into the post-season. USC has built its most recent legacy on depth at every skill position; loss of scholarships puts an end to that approach.

From 2012-15, USC’s starting 22 will be strong and be extremely talented, but they will be “all-in” with those 22 guys. The fallout is huge. In an era defined by immediate playing time, blue chip athletes will not be as eager to share time with their position’s incumbent. Moreover, the USC coaching staff will not be able to offer a scholarship to a third running back, a possession wide receiver, multiple quarterbacks, etc, etc. USC simply will not have the scholarships for those guys.

Also gone will be USC’s national recruiting base. Recruits simply are not going to pull a huge geographical move to be part of the USC tradition. Some might, but not nearly at the same volume that made USC a national power for the past 10 years.

Historical trends also put a damper on USC’s future. In the past 20 years, Oklahoma, Auburn and Alabama received similar discipline from the NCAA (bowl ban + loss of scholarships). While all three programs had good seasons during their ban, the real story can be told by looking at their conference records in the five years after their ban got lifted.

Oklahoma: 17-15-2
Auburn: 18-22
Alabama: 21-14

Programs like Oklahoma, Auburn and Alabama simply can’t afford to put up those kind of numbers. The natives get restless. Even more telling is that from the time these schools got hit with NCAA probation, they have hired a combined 10 head coaches (Oklahoma 4, Auburn 3, Alabama 3).

USC fans are quick to forget the 90s -- an era defined by good athletes, thin rosters, quarterbacks like Reggie Perry and combined 8-12 record against UCLA and Notre Dame.

The release of this news did not mark the Fall of Troy, but it is certainly in the mail.