>what does the championship book say about the title?  does the loser of
>the title game get it?
 
I would assume.  More than likely the score is "officially" recorded as 1-0
in favor of the team that lost.
 
>i remember reading about wisconsin in 1992.  (correct me if i'm wrong).
>they beat michigan in the tournament, but if they're forced to forfeit,
>it's like michigan didn't want to continue.
 
Not really.  In media guides and the like, there will be a footnote
explaining the situation.
 
>i think something other than
>forfeits should be done.  they just create a sticky situation.
 
You can argue that if Plattsburgh had not played in the playoffs, then
there is no way to determine if the teams Plattsburgh beat could possibly
have won the title.  For the most part, I agree.  But consider:  When a
top-rated team is upset in the first round of a tourney, that top team does
not get another chance to determine if it is the best team in the country,
even if they "had a bad day" (or "bad weekend").  This is analogous to
Plattsburgh's opponents.  Those teams still lost the majority of games they
played against Plattsburgh in the playoffs.  The team that is declared
champion does not have that stigma against them.  Forfeits aren't fair; but
playoffs aren't always fair either.
 
A better idea, and one I'm surprised the NCAA hasn't done in light of
football & basketball, is to suspend teams from future playoffs and/or
holiday tourneys.  This would penalize teams more for their infractions.
Hopefully, appeal systems could be built in where a team that commits a
violation in 1994 won't be penalized 'til the 1995-96 season.
 
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