100% certain of 'actually deserved it'
When in fact, actually deserved it doesn't mean anything.
Players can fight. Players can fight with coaches. Players can smoke pot. Players can get in arguments with their girlfriends and have the police show up. Players can steal stuff.
And at Alabama or Auburn or whatever 'big-time U' they sometimes get away with it.
There is no hard line here.
The game we're playing is called 'National Championship' not 'Better Than Jesus' or 'As Good As Any Average Joe'. Those are other games that may conflict with the game called 'National Championship' and when they do, decisions gotta be made and those decisions got nothing to do wtih 'they actually deserved it'.
As Clint Eastwood says at the end of Unforgiven,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpDkYZWeeVg