For the first time in college-football history, a team will most likely have to give up a national title because a few people ignored a few rules. Seven rules to be exact, beginning over five years ago.

But five years removed didn’t hinder the NCAA from delivering a powerful punishment where it believed it was due.

Thursday’s ruling of vacated wins, lost scholarships and limited recruiting factors to the U. Southern California Trojans was like a cold wind sweeping across the nation. The NCAA ruling said one thing to college football programs: follow the rules or face the consequences.

The NCAA released this excerpt in their 67-page report:

“To satisfy the requirements of NCAA membership, an institution also must actively and fully investigate and monitor its athletics program and engage in thorough and complete follow-through when information surfaces. Universities may not hide their heads in the sand and purport to treat all programs and student-athletes similarly when it comes to the level of scrutiny required … in this regard, and particularly during the time of the football violations, the institution (USC) fell far short.”

The report also noted that officials believe the players investigated, former football player Reggie Bush and former basketball player O.J. Mayo, knew what they were doing when the violations took place.

“There is no doubt that both the football student-athlete and the men’s basketball student-athlete understood that they violated NCAA rules when either they or their families took cash and other benefits,” the report stated.

The NCAA delivered a tough precedent amidst an already jumbled football landscape as conferences are extending new invitations to teams. But did the NCAA miss anything punishing in their hard hit on the Trojans?

Once head coaches for USC, Pete Carroll and Tim Floyd both seem to have both moved on to now what looks like “greener pastures.”

Carroll accepted the Seattle Seahawks head-coaching position, while Floyd moved to Texas to take over the head coaching position at UTEP.

While Reggie Bush may have to give back his Heisman hardware, the Trojan football program has been asked to give the crystal ball back from the 2005 Orange Bowl, and the Trojan basketball team must give back over $200,000 that they earned. Not to mention both teams have to give up numerous scholarships and recruiting activities.

But what about Carroll and Floyd?

Reports across the country are talking about how there needs to be stricter rules in place for the people who “turn their heads” or don’t provide a better oversight program to keep all of the players in line.

So can you really blame them for something they may or may not have seen coming? And should the blame be placed on the athletic director or chancellor too?

Now that Pandora’s box has been opened, questions like these will continue to grace blogs and TV programs with opinions of whether football fans feel the punishments fit the crimes. Don’t expect this NCAA 67-page ruling to be the final word on the USC investigation.

In fact, prepare for it continue to be a topic long after the start of the 2010 football season.

But one thing is for sure: college athletic programs need to learn from the mistakes of USC to keep the NCAA from breathing down their own necks.

Collegiate sports programs are more popular than ever, and as the high-profile players continue to stand out in the media, and as the conferences realign themselves, one thing the team’s administrations can’t do is ignore the rule book. The team’s season and recruitment opportunities depend on it.