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The NCAA is patently ridiculous, and we deserve better. I don’t mean they are unique in their ridiculousness, I actually mean surely they filed some sort of legal document to ensure that no one is allowed to be as ridiculousness as the NCAA. Because contrary to popular belief they are not mean or evil, they are simply stupid and nothing worse. Of course if you’re in their charge, the NCAA being dumb is still pretty big punishment. Let me explain. I’m not talking about the incompetence of the BCS- although rest assured a playoff is needed. I’m also not complaining about Dez Bryant, the Oklahoma State receiver who was suspended for the year for not disclosing that he had dinner with Deion Sanders. His suspension, which ended his college career, is pretty dumb, but complaining about that is like complaining about GM not making a good hybrid. A company that big doesn\u2019t get into this much trouble without making mistake after mistake. <\/span>Dez Bryant is just another victim of a poorly run system. He’s a victim because he is being made an example despite others\u2019 mistakes while those others get off scot-free. <\/span>He and the 2009-10 USC basketball team can console each other. <\/span> In fact, USC is the epicenter of the most recent proof of the NCAA’s idiocy. The ton of bricks that broke the camel\u2019s back, if you will. Make no mistake, USC- like every other college with a sports team- is an accessory to the NCAA’s absurdity. But maybe if the NCAA weren’t so hell-bent on ruining college sports, they would actually use USC\u2019s example. Instead of just trying to make an example of them, why not try and make a fundamental change to the entire system? They could make a rule- we in the media will immediately nickname it the “Pete Caroll rule”- that could go a long way in cleaning up college sports. <\/span>It would be accompanied by the \u201cReggie Bush rule\u201d and just for good measure, the \u201cMike Garrett rule.\u201d <\/span> First- The Pete Carroll Rule<\/strong> Just about everyone was surprised by Pete Carroll\u2019s departure from USC. <\/span>He seemingly had just survived the first rebuilding year of his career at SC, he now had everything he could want- Matt Barkley with a year of experience, another bowl win, another strong recruiting class, and grad students and Malibu. <\/span>All in all, a good life. <\/span>But there were two things that could bring it all crashing down- Reggie Bush and Joe McKnight. <\/span>Despite Bush leaving a few years ago, the investigation is still pending. <\/span>Bush has treated the NCAA about the same as he has the Saints, which is to say that everyone knows he\u2019s around but can\u2019t really get anything useful out of him. <\/span>But we\u2019ll get back to Bush and his disappearing act, this is about Carroll. <\/span>And Tim Floyd. <\/span>And punishing the people after the criminal has left. Tim Floyd, like Carroll was a failed pro coach who found success at USC. <\/span>He had a couple of years of moderate success with below-average recruiting talent (quick sidenote- below-average simply means below the Dukes and UNCs of the NCAA world, the talent that SC had could still whip me on the court. <\/span>Of course a team of four-year-old girls could beat me, but that\u2019s beside the point.) <\/span>But like a magic-monkey-paw, Floyd stumbled upon something that could grant his wish of true success, he stumbled upon someone that promised to deliver OJ Mayo. <\/span>Floyd took about six seconds to think about it before he agreed. <\/span>Mayo came with more red flags than a Chinese armada. <\/span>There was the time in high school he assaulted a ref, or the multiple high schools he attended, or the time that his handlers asked Floyd for money, or the fact that this 18-year-old had \u201chandlers\u201d, or wait- what? <\/span>He gave OJ\u2019s people money to land him!?! <\/span>Floyd made a deal with the preverbal devil, to land a one-year-wonder who could theoretically get Floyd enough exposure to land an NBA job. <\/span>In other words, he took a calculated risk that he wouldn\u2019t be caught before he could move on. <\/span>And it worked out, Floyd got to leave with USC holding the bag. <\/span>So the NCAA punished USC. <\/span>Not Mayo, because he was gone; not Floyd, because he was gone. <\/span>Instead a group of kids that made no other mistake other than going to a program that one time allowed shady dealings to occur are being punished (yes I know USC \u201cpunished themselves\u201d but that\u2019s like saying someone accepting a plea bargain was not punished by the legal system.) <\/span>What group, other than the NCAA, would do this? <\/span>This would be like finding out a crime occurred in a house and punishing the next person that moves into that house. Pete Carroll is about to do the same thing. <\/span>Did he give someone money to land Matt Barkley? <\/span>Probably not, but did some of his players take improper benefits? <\/span>Yes. <\/span>Did he know about it? <\/span>Maybe. <\/span>But the fact remains that punishment is coming to USC football and Carroll knew that now was his time to leave. <\/span>And so he did. <\/span>And so the kids (and coaches) that had nothing to do with the crime are facing the consequences. <\/span> How do we fix that? <\/span>Enter: the Pete-Carroll rule. <\/span>Put a blackmark by Carroll\u2019s (and Floyd\u2019s) name. <\/span>When he flames out in the pros- and we know that he will- he will have an outstanding punishment waiting for him when he comes back to college. <\/span>Two-year postseason suspension? <\/span>Fines? <\/span>Whatever the NCAA decides is fair punishment, make it known, and leave it waiting for him. <\/span>Whatever college agrees to take him, has that punishment waiting for them. <\/span>Is it fair to punish that new school? <\/span>Probably not, but at least they know what they are signing up for- to get Carroll you also get Caroll\u2019s misdeeds. <\/span>If he stays in the pros then he\u2019s in the Switzerland of the sporting world, but if he ever wants to come back to college he will have to pay the piper. <\/span>Another step could be to make all new college coaches salaries the domain of the NCAA. <\/span>The NCAA can fine them, even after they leave the college ranks, if they are guilty of breaking the rules. <\/span>If they break a rule, hold them accountable, wherever they end up. <\/span>