Hail, to the victors valiant. There's an implied meaning in the first line of the greatest fight song in college sports. The first implication is "victors." Victor implies winning. Sports is the last forum of our lives where there is a winner and a loser. Don't like the harsh reality? Join the art club. The second implication is "valiant." To be valiant is to be worthy. Excellent. Brave. Courageous.

    Michigan needs to change its fight song. As of today, they embody none of these. Sure, many have the "victor" part. Southern Cal, brother in arms in fighting the NCAA this offseason is exhibit A. The list can go on. Alabama. Texas. Mount Union. Being a victor isn't that hard. It's the other part that has long been coarsing through the veins of Michigan football. When the infamous basketball scandal happened, Michigan Men shook their heads and said "this would never happen to the football program." Michigan football is different. They're the sport's winningest, most storied program. Four Horsemen be damned. When football was in its popular infancy, it was seen as little more than an outlet for trust fund babies and snobby college kids in the northeast to exhaust their anger management issues. It was the Ivy League's baby, and as most of us are, we can't identify with anything Ivy. Michigan changed all that for the rest of us. They were the first public university to compete with success on the Ivy's stage. They helped greatly popularize football as we know it today among people who don't actually count vests and pleated slacks as "dressing down" or have parents in Congress.

    Over the years, Michigan never lost that edge. They are the rare school that in every era, has won, and won at the highest level. As the game has evolved, so too has Michigan. Be it wins, or winged helmets, they've always been the Leaders and Best. On and off the field. Today, all that changed. Being a victor, as demonstrated, can come and go. It's not necessarily a barometer of being truly untouchable, or valiant, as it were. Over 800 wins later, little changed. In 2007, the shoe finally dropped. Not being a victor is tolerable. Not being valiant? Therein is the huge crime. Being a victor can be corrected. Being valiant cannot.

    Today, the NCAA leveled Michigan with proven accusations of player misuse, and from what seems even more damning (which is no surprise, since the NCAA only pretends to care about the athletes), coach misuse, calling the violations potentially major. Coaches monitoring events and not being considered coaches. Not logging practice times for proof, indicating guilt. Regardless of what you think of "practice violations" and "everyone does it," it happened, and if everyone does it....well, like actual football of late...everyone does it better.

    Make no mistake, this is an embarassment of the 10th degree. There is nothing worse. Nothing. Losing to Toledo is embarassing, but hey...it happens. No program is without hideous losses to undertalented teams. A great many programs don't break the rules, however. The Rich Rodriguez experiment has failed, and even new AD David Brandon knows it. Calling Rich "the coach next year" in a way that suggests that only because of how late in the offseason we are, it's almost a requirement to keep him. Perhaps to convince the NCAA that they were in fact in compliance with practice rules, they could have footed them some game tape from the past 2 years. Surely no one watching Michigan football of late thinks "man, these guys must practice more than everyone else." Right?

    Win or lose, next year should be Rich's last. Michigan Nation can deal with rooting for a team and program that underachieves. Fanship is easy when you're playing for titles every other year. Your base shows a backbone in the lean seasons. But this is unacceptable. No one roots for people who don't do it the right way, circumvent the rules, and then try to cover it up. Cheating is one thing. Losing is another. Both? That's just pathetic. Michigan should end Rich's tenure next year, Big 10 title or Big 10 basement. This is a stain on the program that will never leave. Ever. True Gators remember the sanctions. True Crimson Tide don't act like Nick Saban has been there for the last 15 years. This will never, ever go away.

    Today, Michigan should be embarassed at the product they call the football program. Long a staple and guideline by which others can follow for success, it's now been reduced to laughingstock losses and NCAA infidelity off the field. Ask Tiger Woods if this stuff ever goes away? What would Bo think? Under Bo, this wouldn't have happened. Speaking of Bo, there's a sign in Schembechler Hall that reads "Those Who Stay Will Be Champions." A moniker of his when the program was being gutted due to his arrival at the school. It has been a mantra for Michigan Men ever since. For the moment, get out the drill and take it down. As long as Rich Rodriguez is here, those who stay won't be champions. And those who come would be fools.