As the Ohio State football team prepares to take on Rutgers next weekend, Michigan should be concerned about the situation in Ann Arbor.
The Ohio State football team looks to improve to 9-0 this coming Saturday when they take on Rutgers. But the entire Big Ten Conference and the college football world have their eyes glued to what’s happening in Ann Arbor as the Michigan football program is in turmoil.
Michigan has had a black eye on its program for a few seasons now and little has been done about it. From minor recruiting violations to computer access crimes by coaches to the latest sign-stealing scandal, Jim Harbaugh has flirted with the ethical line and he’s officially crossed it.
You would have thought that the three-game suspension handed down by Michigan earlier this season would be enough to correct Jim Harbaugh’s behavior, but that’s not the case. Regardless of your view on the issue, Harbaugh and his coaching staff broke NCAA rules regarding in-game testing and there must be consequences.
But as the NCAA continues to have its own issues with being able to uphold college football’s ethical standards, it’s only right that we look to the Big Ten Conference to do something about it. Coaches like Greg Schiano and James Franklin have already spoken out publicly on the subject, even as they circled around the subject. It doesn’t seem like the Big Ten coaches are happy with the situation with Harbaugh and Michigan.
And as Michigan heads into games at Penn State and Ohio State undefeated, the Big Ten must step up and maintain the integrity of the league. Jim Harbaugh should be suspended for the rest of the season at a minimum. I would also argue that the Wolverines should be banned from playing in the Big Ten Championship game if they make it that far.
It is completely normal that there are consequences for breaking the rules of college football. And especially for a program that has recently committed repeated violations of these rules, the Big Ten needs to come down hard on Michigan.
