Former USC star Reggie Bush shares honest sentiment about Trojans' 2004 national championship reinstatement

After almost 20 years, the USC Trojans are close to finding light at the end of the tunnel. The 2004 football team saw their national championship vacated in 2011 after a probe found that star running back Reggie Bush was given impermissible benefits. Under today's rules, that would not be an issue with the NIL in place, but at the time, it was a big no-no in the world of college athletics.

In April, it was announced that the Heisman Trophy Trust would reinstate the 2005 Heisman Trophy to Bush after the NIL rules were modified. However, there had been no official word on the team's 2004 national championship by the NCAA. Reggie Bush opined in a recent interview that it was impossible to win either a national championship or a Heisman Trophy by cheating:

"I'm thinking about my time at USC and just how much of the work we put in produced the results that you saw on the football field, including this Heisman Trophy right here. You can't get to this - or a national championship - by cheating, I promise you." h/t Bleacher Report

It will be interesting to see if the NCAA decides to un-vacate the 2004 national championship.

​

What did Reggie Bush do to win the 2005 Heisman Trophy?

​

Reggie Bush had a dominant season with the USC Trojans in 2005. In 13 games, he finished with 200 rushing attempts for 1,740 yards (8.7 yards per carry) with 16 rushing touchdowns as well as 37 receptions for 478 yards (12.9 yards per catch) with a pair of touchdown receptions as well.

He completely dominated the vote with 784 of the 892 first-place votes. The Heisman Trophy voting system grants three points for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote, and one point for a third-place vote. Here is the list of the top 10 Heisman vote-getters of 2005 with the tally of points.

2005 Heisman Trophy Voting

1. Reggie Bush, USC (2541)
2. Vince Young, Texas (1608)
3. Matt Leinart, USC (797)
4. Brady Quinn. Notre Dame (191)
5. Michael Robinson, Penn State (49)
6. A.J. Hawk, Ohio State (29)
7. DeAngelo Williams, Memphis (26)
8. Drew Olson, UCLA (21)
9. Jerome Harrison, Washington State (12)
10. Elvis Dumervil, Louisville (9)

With his Heisman Trophy reinstated, Bush hopes that the Trojans get their national championship back without further delay.

​