After Auburn’s masterful comeback against the Tide, I couldn’t help but think that the NCAA championship won’t be decided until…2015. I’m assuming Oregon plays the role of the Yankees in its Civil War battle against Oregon State and Auburn malzahns South Carolina in the SEC title game. If Auburn defeats Oregon in the national title game, what will be the defining image of the 2010-2011 season? Cam Newton’s beaming smile, his Heisman acceptance speech, or the shroud of controversy surrounding Auburn’s recruitment of Newton.

Do I think Auburn AD Jay Jacobs and university leaders have legitimate, even compelling, reasons for playing Cam Newton? Yes and no. From a fan perspective, the adrenaline rush you feel as your favorite team vaults into national championship contention is palpable. I remember the pride I felt as I watched Iowa squeak out one heart-stopping victory after another and climb to #4 in the BCS rankings last year. From the university’s perspective, well-heeled Auburn boosters are contributing to the athletic department at an unprecedented level and studies have linked athletic success to a surge in student applications. UNC, spurred by its national championship run in 2005, received a spike in undergraduate applications the following year.

While Auburn administrators and fans are celebrating en route to Atlanta, I wonder if the memory of Reggie Bush will enter their minds. Bush, like Cameron Newton, was a dazzling game-changer that propelled a proud program to the forefront of national championship. USC coaches, administrators, and fans savored their ascendance to national supremacy.   Pete Carroll’s motto, “Win Forever ,” seemed prophetic as SC continually churned out 10-win seasons and used the Rose Bowl as its personal showcase to dominate overmatched Big Ten squads.

As allegations swirled around USC regarding Bush’s recruitment, USC’s athletic director Mike Garrett shrugged them off and dismissed NCAA investigators as envious of the Trojans’ success. While Auburn’s administrators have not been as dismissive of Newton’s controversial recruitment, they have permitted him to play against Auburn’s two most bitter rivals: Georgia and Alabama. Coach Chizik has staunchly defended Newton’s character as the Tigers march toward a seemingly inevitable showdown against Oregon.

Facing scholarship reductions and an emerging national power in Oregon, USC will be hard-pressed to return to its level of prominence. Heritage Hall has removed any remnants of Bush’s individual accomplishments. SC has endured humiliating losses following the NCAA ruling, including a 26-7 pasting to an inexperienced Oregon State team. Snoop and Will Ferrell must have missed that one. And I don’t recall them roaming the sideline as SC played in a middling bowl game last year against Boston College.

If Auburn administrators and coaches are concealing “Deep Throat” information about Newton’s recruitment, I hope they know the bargain they are making. When the janitors have cleaned up the confetti in Glendale and Cam Newton is whispering into Roger Goddell’s ear, the one-year marriage of convenience will be over. Is a year of glory worth the potential taint and long-term repercussions that can cripple a program? Auburn administrators have already given their answer and we will find out if Cecil Newton’s alleged improprieties, not Cam’s late-game heroics, become the defining image of the 2010 college football season.