Take away the Texas schools -- save Rice -- and the WAC would have as squeaky-clean a reputation as the Ivy League.

Below is a list of programs cited for major violations since the NCAA made its strongest statement yet against cheating, the SMU "death penalty" case in 1987. ESPN.com rates the severity of those penalties on a 0-5 scale, with 5 as most severe.

Southern Methodist
Year: 2000
Violation: Assistant coach allegedly devised a scheme to have student take ACT test for prospect, then encouraged the student to provide false information to investigators. Coach also accused of giving $650 in cash and goods to players.
Major penalties: Limit of 21 new recruits that could be signed for each of two years (down from usual maximum of 25), and reduction in permitted allotment of official campus visits by prospects.
Severity of penalties: 1
Notable: Then-coach Mike Cavan was pleased, saying, "They didn't mess with scholarships, or television or bowl games or anything like that. That's what's important to recruits." In formulating penalties, NCAA did not consider SMU's "death penalty" case from 1987 because that was deemed as too long ago.

Texas-El Paso
Year: 1997
Violation: Due to systematic failures, athletes in several sports competed despite not being enrolled in the minimum 12 hours of class credit per semester. UTEP also used an improper method to calculate GPAs and incorrectly certified some athletes.
Major penalties: Limit of 21 new recruits in '97 and '98 and 23 in '99, combined with associated limits on total number of team scholarships.
Severity of penalties: 1
Notable: UTEP appealed penalties, most of which were upheld.

Southern Methodist
Year: 1987
Violation: 21 players allegedly received approximately $61,000 in cash payments, with the assistance of athletics department staff members, from funds provided by a booster. Payments ranged from $50 to $725 per month and occurred while SMU was on probation, making them eligible for the so-called "death penalty" as repeat violators.
Major penalties: 2-year bowl, 2-year TV ban, cancellation of the '87 season, limit of seven games (all on road) during '88 season, loss of 3 assistant coaching positions for two years, loss of 55 new scholarships over 4 years. NCAA also allowed SMU players to transfer without sitting out one season, per standard requirement.
Severity of penalties: 5
Notable: NCAA committee on infraction member Alan Williams said, "Did they gain a competitive advantage by what they did? The answer is unequivocally yes. Was that advantage extraordinary? The answer is yes. Was this done knowingly? And the answer is yes, when they were on probation." Technically, the NCAA did not invoke the full "death penalty" sentence that consists of a two-year cancellation of games. But the sanctions were debilitating enough that the school canceled the '88 season on its own.