The NCAA Committee on Infractions sent a strong message Thursday -- not just to Michigan, but also Fresno State, Georgia and potentially St. Bonaventure.

Yes, the committee took into account that Michigan sanctioned itself with a one-year postseason ban, paid up $450,000 in revenue earned during the Fab Five years, tore down some banners and pretty much erased their history. All of this factored into the committee's penalty phase and lessened the blow.

But, the committee still tacked on an additional year of postseason banishment and took away four scholarships -- one each season for four years -- which combined is the meat of the NCAA's penalty. Michigan will appeal the additional postseason ban over the next 90 days and will know its 2003-04 postseason fate this fall.

Tom Yeager, the committee chair and the commissioner of the Colonial Athletic Association, made it clear that he appreciated Michigan's self-imposed penalties and encouraged schools to self-police themselves as the Wolverines did.

"We believe when there is no dispute of the facts that an institution stepping up is the right thing to do," Yeager said.

Clearly, however, it's not always enough.

And that's why Fresno State, Georgia and St. Bonaventure should be concerned that they're going to get stung again when the NCAA releases its findings of each investigation in the coming months.

"This will cause the Fresno State people to take a gulp," one conference official close to the situation said. "The same will be true with Georgia."

Fresno State sanctioned itself with a one-year postseason ban in March after the school's president confirmed reports of academic fraud. Fresno State took itself out of contention for the NCAA Tournament 48 hours after clinching the 2002-03 WAC regular season title. The conference then subsequently wouldn't allow the Bulldogs to play in its tournament.

The hope in Fresno was that quick action would result in lesser penalties down the road. The Bulldogs host the 2004 WAC tournament in their new on-campus arena, the SaveMart Center. But the committee could easily define the Bulldogs' penalty as a two-year hit, much like it did in Michigan's case.

Yeager referred to the Wolverines' case as one of the most egregious in NCAA history, largely because of the $616,000 paid out by late booster Ed Martin to the four former Wolverines cited in the investigation. Academic fraud is right up there with boosters paying players, no matter the figure.

Fresno State and Georgia could have decided to put their teams on probation and out of the postseason at the beginning of the 2003-04 season. There are some national experts who are calling for an end to self-imposed penalties during the school year, and these last two examples could give it momentum within the NCAA.

Georgia's case is similar to Fresno State's. The Bulldogs were a certainty to receive an NCAA berth before rules violations, including academic fraud involving a university basketball course, filtered out in the final week of the regular season. Georgia pulled itself out of the NCAA Tournament and, because of SEC bylaws, the Bulldogs were automatically disqualified from participating in the conference tournament once they were ineligible for the NCAA Tournament.

Fresno State's coaching staff was replaced last season, prior to the discovery of the violations. Georgia got rid of its head coach, Jim Harrick, and deemed two players who were involved in the case and still on the roster ineligible.

The one school that might have done enough to satisfy the NCAA is St. Bonaventure. The university admitted a player who did not have the required degree and never should have been eligible. The basketball program forfeited six Atlantic 10 victories, and the conference barred the Bonnies from playing in its conference tournament before the team refused to play its final two games. The university has since fired its president, athletic director, head coach and one assistant.

The swift and dramatic actions should work in the Bonnies' favor. But the Bulldogs -- both Fresno State and Georgia -- may not have gone far enough and may have acted almost too quickly.

Had Michigan not self-imposed a ban for 2003, Yeager said, then the would have hit it with a two-year penalty for 2004 and '05. He said the school should look at the penalty as knowing it already had one year behind it and get credit for the one year.

The key word here is "year." That's why Georgia and Fresno State might not receive the same empathy from the committee. Neither program put itself on a one-year ban. Both programs made the moves within two weeks of the postseason and didn't play an entire season under some form of penalty.

Fresno and Georgia will have to sweat out the next few months wondering if they did enough. Michigan thought it had, yet found out it could have gone even further to appease the committee.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.