Well, it's been done.
According to multiple sources, including ESPN, USC has officially filed its appeal of the NCAA sanctions, asking that the 2-year bowl ban be reduced to just one year and the scholarship reduction for the 2011-2012, 2012-2013, and 2013-2014, academic years, be cut in half to 5 per year.
The appeal comes just over two weeks since the NCAA released its findings regarding improper benefits received by Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo, resulting in placing the football program on 4-years probation. While USC has not denied that there was a violation of rules, they have been adamant that the sanctions handed down by the NCAA are too extreme.
"The University recognizes that violations of NCAA rules did occur, especially involving impermissible benefits going to student athletes as well as their friends and families, from unscrupulous sports agents and sports marketers. And we take full responsibility for those violations given that they happened on our watch. However, we disagree with many of the findings in the report from the NCAA Committee on Infractions and assert that the penalties imposed are too severe for the violations identified and are inconsistent with precedent in similar cases," said Todd Dickey, USC's senior vice president for administration in a official press release from the school.
Pending the result of the appeals process, USC will institute a bowl ban for the 2010 season as well as other scholarship related penalties in football.
The next two Infractions Appeals Committee hearings take place September 25th and November 13-14, where the USC case is expected to be heard.