re: Just how bad is the denial?

It's funny how the same things get said every time a school gets hit with major penalties. We said it, USC said it, tOSU said it, everybody says it.

Here's a tip from a fan who has been through this before: No matter how much you can prove your point, nobody is interested in hearing how the punishment didn't fit the crime. If you were guilty of anything, then they don't care if you got hit harder than you deserved. People don't focus on nuance. You cheated, you got punished, end of story. You're welcome to keep debating it, but you're going to be very frustrated at your inability to persuade anyone. Trust me on that one.