The NCAA has come out with its judgment for Michigan, imposing fines potentially exceeding $30 million and banning Sherrone Moore for 3 games in total. Apart from that, there is also a 25% reduction in student scholarships for the next year and a 14-week recruiting restriction. Now, with this decision, there have been wider discussions about the leniency of punishments, vacation of wins, and questions around not handing down a postseason ban. But are these questions even plausible? A closer look shows that the NCAA’s hands are tied in many ways, and for some fairly compelling reasons. This has prompted former college football analyst David Pollack to call for sweeping changes to the system.

“At the end of the day, no one believes at this point that Michigan didn’t win the national title fair and square.” This wasn’t a statement by any Michigan representative, as one would perceive. But by the NCAA president Charles Baker himself. So, it was always expected that the NCAA wouldn’t vacate those 2023 wins, considering the president’s take earlier. But then, in this recent judgment, the NCAA has accepted that Michigan was involved in the sign-stealing scandal under Harbaugh, and that was the reason even Harbaugh got a 10-year show-cause notice. All of this begs a simple question: Isn’t all of this a bit self-contradictory?

Of course it is, and it is one of the reasons why the NCAA being a “toothless tiger” is under glaring spotlight now. David Pollack, in a recent video, delved into some similar questions. “They literally can’t do anything,” said Pollack about the NCAA and how their job is now reduced to just “handing out the (natty) trophy.” But that’s not all, since Pollack also talked about how a massive change is needed now.

“Let’s not pretend, the NCAA doesn’t do much.”@davidpollack47 reacts to Michigan’s punishment for sign stealing and the NCAA’s enforcement of rules. pic.twitter.com/Pb6UTiz2S5

— Jim Rome (@jimrome) August 16, 2025

Pollack acknowledged that the sign-stealing is quite widespread in college football, going on an “elite level,” and that every single year, coaches complain about it. And despite that, the NCAA, with its Michigan decision, has shown no urgency to address it, showing cracks in the whole system. “The NCAA and its purpose and its role haven’t been managed well. These are all things that you could find at different schools and different coaches. And so it’s a part of it. It’s a ban, it’s a fine, nobody cares about the fine, there’s plenty of money to pay it,” concluded Pollack. All of these discussions have started intense calls for a college football commissioner.

The NCAA is marred by widespread bureaucratic hurdles and red tape that make its decision process cumbersome and lengthy. Even if that happens, having no subpoena power results in teams and coaches not giving much heed to its regulations, like we saw earlier with Tennessee’s NIL violations. Moreover, major conferences like the Big Ten and the SEC wield the real power now, as we saw the potential effects of Tony Petitti’s letter to the NCAA in the Michigan decision. Lastly, there are accusations of double standards, too.

Calls mount against NCAA as USC’s Reggie Bush ‘injustice’ resurfaces

It’s not that the NCAA hasn’t handed severe punishments in its history; as one just needs to look at USC and Reggie Bush’s scandal. In that, the NCAA vacated 14 wins from the 2004 and 2005 seasons, which also included their coveted 2004 National Championship along with the 2005 Rose Bowl participation. Moreover, the program lost 30 scholarships over three years, with it being put on probation for 4 years. Add to that, Reggie Bush had to give his Heisman Trophy back. Michigan’s decision looks like a walk in the park, right? And that’s why USC fans are quite upset after Michigan’s decision.

“NCAA just showed us their blatant bias and favoritism for certain teams… USC would be on a 3-year bowl ban, would’ve lost 30 more scholarships, and they would’ve enforced a rule cutting half our NIL budget to limit recruiting. Slaps on the wrist for the boys in blue, though. Funny how life works sometimes,” wrote former USC safety Su’a Cravens on X. Even though Reggie Bush’s Heisman was reinstated in 2024, after the NIL world set in. But can the perceived injustice be rolled back?

NCAA, at the time, alleged that Bush and USC had agreed on a $291,000 sum under the table, along with gifts like cash and a car. That right now is the norm in the NIL world, with athletes earning more than $5-6 million in the NIL deals. “[It] felt like I died when I had to hear that there weren’t gonna be scholarships for kids because of me or because of something connected to me… I’m still not over that,” Reggie Bush told The Athletic. The verdict?

Of course, it’s not about USC, Michigan, or even Reggie Bush for that matter. It all has to do with the inconsistent and blatantly arbitrary punishments being given by the NCAA in different cases. Were USC’s infractions greater than what Michigan did? It can be a subject of debate. But what matters is the message the NCAA is sending with this verdict. And that is, anyone could get away after violating bylaws with a couple of million in their bank account!