Clark: Hey FSU! It's time to give Bobby Bowden his wins back

I know what you're thinking. I'd be thinking it, too, if I were you.

That I'm writing a column about Bobby Bowden's legacy, about an incident from 15 years ago, because he just passed away and his career is at the forefront of everyone's mind. But I promise you, that's not the case.

No, I'm writing this column -- in which I'm going to implore Florida State to give Bobby Bowden his vacated wins back -- because of the NCAA ruling that was finally released earlier this week on the Baylor scandal.

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You remember that story, right?

I know it happened five years ago, but to sum up in the school's own words: "Baylor admitted to moral and ethical failings in its handling of sexual and interpersonal violence on campus."

The NCAA, which released its findings on Wednesday after a five-year investigation (five years!!!) agreed with Baylor, but said it didn't have the authority to punish the school for violations.

The NCAA also came to the conclusion that former head coach Art Briles, "failed to meet even the most basic expectations of how a person should react to the kind of conduct at issue in this case," but again said it didn't constitute a violation.

Which begs the question: If covering up sexual assault and failing to meet even the most basic expectations of a human being to protect your football program isn't a violation, if that's not met with any sort of punishment at all, then what in the world is Bobby Bowden doing with 12 vacated wins still on his resume?

Bowden lost 12 wins -- the NCAA just LOVES to vacate wins -- because a tutor gave test answers to some players in a music class 15 years ago. And because those players (and other students) were found to have received improper academic benefits, Bowden was found to have played ineligible players during two seasons.

And yet here we are 14 years later. Baylor's coach is found to have made his campus an unsafe place for students for years, to have covered up violent crimes, and he receives no punishment. Those wins are still there.

North Carolina created a whole fake major out of thin air to help players stay eligible and graduate. It was an astonishing affront to the very spirit of college athletics. The punishment? Nothing. Roy Williams has all his wins intact.

But Bowden's are still missing because of a music tutor.

It's utterly absurd.

And it's time that FSU just decided enough is enough. The school can appeal the NCAA to reinstate Bowden's 12 wins. But judging by the speed they conducted the investigation into Baylor, that ruling wouldn't come until 2031.

So just do it yourself. Now. Today.

When you honor Bowden before the Notre Dame game, don't put up a record of 377 wins in the video tribute. Or on a banner. Put up 389. Because that's how many games he won!

Change the record in the media guide. Get rid of all those asterisks. Right now.

I mean, I know it wasn't exactly beating Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl, but it's time to go ahead and recognize that 2006 Emerald Bowl championship while you're at it! I see you, Lorenzo Booker!

The reality is that even if Bowden is given back those 12 wins, he's still behind Joe Paterno as the winningest major college coach of all time. Paterno finished with 409 career wins at Penn State.

And even if you recognized Bowden's 22 wins as the head coach at South Georgia State College back in the 1950s -- and you most certainly should because they were college football games after all -- he'd still be behind some dude named John Gagliardi for the most victories of all time (Gagliardi coached for 60 years at Division-III St. John's College in Collegeville, Minnesota!).

So, this isn't about some record. Bowden won't get one either way.

But that doesn't mean it doesn't matter. It does. So, get rid of those stupid asterisks once and for all.

Just do it. What's the NCAA going to do? Punish you? They don't even punish coaches who hide sexual assault.

The NCAA took 111 of Paterno's wins away after the Freeh Report detailed how he and Penn State mishandled the Sandusky horrors. But they ended up giving them all back to Joe Pa a few years later. Because why not?

They let North Carolina get away with the biggest case of academic fraud you could ever imagine. Because why not?

So go ahead and claim those 12 victories that were rightfully won on the football field. Why not?

The NCAA doesn't care about anything anymore. They're through with overseeing college athletics. That's been obvious for a while now, and the recent NIL legislation just hammered the final nail into that coffin.

Over the last year in particular, the NCAA has all but admitted it's an impotent, worthless, pointless organization that needs to be disbanded or at least reorganized.

So, FSU shouldn't let some arbitrary ruling from more than a decade ago still stand. Don't let some long-forgotten bureaucrat from Indianapolis just take away 12 wins from your legendary coach's incredible career for the rest of time.

Briles kept his. Paterno kept his. So Bowden should definitely keep his.

Seems more than fair, doesn't it?

Contact senior writer Corey Clark at corey@warchant.com and follow @Corey_Clark on Twitter.

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