Ole Miss’ huge upset over Alabama in 2014? It never happened, at least in the eyes of the NCAA.
The NCAA had accused the Ole Miss football program of 21 violations, 15 of which are the most serious under The Association’s penalty structure and which dated as far back as Houston Nutt‘s tenure. Ole Miss self-imposed a bowl ban for the 2017 season as well as stripped itself of 11 scholarships; in early December of 2017, the NCAA added to that self-imposed sanction by banning the Rebels from a bowl game in 2018 as well as stripping a total of 13 scholarships. That latter punitive measure was spread out over a period of four years.
Additionally, the program was placed on three years probation, through Nov. 30, 2020, as well as slapped with recruiting restrictions that included the reduction of official and unofficial visits.
Monday night, athletic director Ross Bjork confirmed that the football program will also be forced to vacate a total of 33 wins from a period spanning from 2010 through the 2016 season. The vacated wins are the result of the Rebels using players who were later deemed to be ineligible.
From WREG.com on the specific wins that were vacated each season:
- 2010: four wins (Tulane, Fresno State, Kentucky, Louisiana)
- 2011: two (Southern Illinois, Fresno State)
- 2012: seven (Central Arkansas, UTEP, Auburn, Tulane, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Pitt)
- 2013: seven (Vanderbilt, Southeast Missouri, LSU, Texas, Idaho, Arkansas, Troy)
- 2014: eight (Boise State, Vanderbilt, Louisiana, Memphis, Alabama, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Tennessee)
- 2016: five (Wofford, Georgia, Memphis, Georgia Southern, Texas A&M)
“It’s the last part of this process,” Bjork said according to Oxford Eagle. “In a way, it’s just a piece of paper, because you saw those games.”
Hugh Freeze, now the head coach at Liberty, saw his win total drop from 39 to 12 as a result of the NCAA sanctions, with his official record during his time in Oxford now standing at 12-25. Nutt’s win total, meanwhile, dropped from 24 down to 18.