Green Day may have said it best in its ode to the losers. Nice guys do seem to finish last, and NCAA football is certainly no exception.

With the outcome pending of what really did happen that fateful night for ISU defensive end Jason Berryman, a look at the trends in college football will tell you that he will get a second, or if it comes down to it, even a third chance to play again somewhere, if not Iowa State.

So raises the question, why do the bad guys get so many opportunities while the so-called good guys get nothing but spit upon?

Willie Williams, on many people’s list as the No. 1 high school recruit at linebacker, has recently signed on to play for Miami.

After being arrested 11 times since 1999, Williams is getting yet another chance at playing football. The NCAA decided that although he had been charged with breaking the law more times than can be counted on two hands, he should be given that chance to better himself as a football player.

In the 1990s, the University of Miami had been known to accept great football players over players who were more disciplined. With Williams being accepted, it looks as if Miami may be leaning that way again.

Another name that comes to mind with troublesome players getting multiple chances is former Nebraska Cornhusker and professional running back Lawrence Phillips. Phillips, who played for three NFL teams from 1996-1999, was a constant trouble in college football, professional football and even after football. Phillips has had multiple run-ins with the law, ranging from domestic violence charges while at Nebraska to being charged with sexual assault while playing in the Canadian Football League.

But although these athletes have gotten and may get even more chances to play college football, a wide receiver at the University of Southern California waits for his chance to play.

Junior Mike Williams is in a situation not many athletes have been in before. For those not aware of the situation, Williams declared himself for the NFL draft last spring as a sophomore. “Who cares?” you say. Here’s the lowdown.

To declare yourself eligible for the NFL draft, you must first be three years removed from your high school graduating class. Maurice Clarett, of the Ohio State Buckeyes, took that rule to court as a sophomore. The courts ruled in favor of Clarett. Williams, knowing he’d be a top 10 pick, also declared himself eligible, hiring an agent, going to NFL combines and accepting money from trading card companies and endorsements.

The NFL, fearing young kids would continually enter the draft like in the NBA, fought back and an appeals court ruled in its favor the night before the draft. This left Williams in the middle of a controversy.

Williams was ineligible to return to the NCAA after accepting money from endorsements and hiring an agent.

Trying to right his wrongs, Williams re-enrolled at USC over the summer, paid back the money he received and has done practically everything to play again. With USC’s first game coming up this Saturday, Williams is still on the practice team, waiting for the NCAA to make a decision on if he can play after taking advantage of something that the courts ruled legal at the time.

In the same breath, Colorado’s Jeremy Bloom is going through as tough of troubles as Williams.

Bloom, when not returning kicks and playing wide receiver, has a side job of being a world champion freestyle skier. With that comes many endorsements and with those, although for another sport completely, comes ineligibility.

Although Bloom faced the same circumstances as Dwight, an NCAA panel turned down his appeal Tuesday and thus ended his collegiate career.

The NCAA officials need to come together and get back to the basics again.

They need to remember what they are there for and stop doing what’s right for them and start doing what’s right for the athletes and for the fans.