If you do not believe that applying stated & written rules differently to some people for the sole purpose of gaining a competitive advantage is a form of cheating, we will just have to agree to disagree.
As far as making academic exceptions in order to better compete goes, Zig Ziglar probably said it best:
"When a company or an individual compromises one time, whether it's on price or principle, the next compromise is right around the corner."
The bottom line for people on this board like you, mack, is this: You just want to win....and you are not concerned about sacrificing your principles in order to do that. Academic exceptions are just a first easy step in that direction.
The hypocrisy involved with posters' attitudes toward winning at all costs in sports and their haughty academic arrogance toward the idea of accepting West Virginia in the ACC, for example, is off the charts. Of course, these are pampered people who have been accustomed to having their cake and eating it, too, all of their lives....so I guess it is to be expected.