Since college football will do anything to increase television revenue, perhaps the Big Ten should lean into the turmoil, keep a camera on the Stallions, integrate with the Michigan athletic department, and record all these seemingly conversations anger that rival coaches and athletic directors have with the new conference. commissioner Tony Petitti, a former television executive. Call the series “The Real Football Cheaters.” This could surely spark an entire franchise.
It doesn’t matter about the integrity of the game. Think about the ratings. How can the SEC compete with this?
I’m kidding not dismissing the evidence already available against Stalions, a prolific but stupid spy who resigned from the school Friday night, nor the growing likelihood that he did not act as a rogue agent. This is a blatant violation of fair play. But it would be too short-sighted to focus on this issue and ignore the chaotic environment created by major college football.
It’s so full of contradictions, greed, disillusionment, blind ambition and disregard for regulation. It was such a disaster that Stalions figured he didn’t need to hide to cheat. He was comfortably and openly mischievous in this world, appearing on the sidelines for all to see and leaving a paper trail of ticket purchases to spot and record his opponents.
He saw the opportunity to climb the ranks of chaos and ignored the possibility of getting arrested. This was a blatant disrespect for NCAA rules that do not prohibit sign stealing, but frown on in-person scouting and recording of a team’s signals. In a sport of systemic anarchy – which, through the realignment of conferences and other corporate-driven acts, continually demonstrates that there is nothing sacred about it – it must be difficult to teach values.
Yes, on the surface there are clear lines between the integrity of the sport on the field and its commercial activities. In a gaming culture, almost no one acts honestly in any way. Today, in this school-for-yourself atmosphere, we are faced with an obvious crime that has yet to be fully investigated to determine the extent to which Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff knew or participated in the spy scandal. Then comes the complex consideration of the extent to which Michigan has thrived on this advantage.
There’s reason to believe the Stallions’ operation dates back at least three seasons, and the Wolverines have gone 33-3 during that span after struggling to live up to their level previously , including a 2-4 record in a pandemic-shortened 2020. Harbaugh, who was successful at every stop in college and in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers, is one of the greatest coaches in football. And Michigan’s current 8-0 team has beaten its competition so much — outscoring them 325-47 despite Harbaugh serving a three-game suspension to start the year — that it’s a stretch to think any of those results would have been different. The point is not that Michigan should escape punishment. There are too many variables to take into account to act quickly.
There are other factors to consider: Based on incomplete information, would it be fair to ban Michigan from the 2023 season and, in essence, punish innocent players for the sins of the staff? And in a decentralized sport, which procedure is most important? The NCAA probably needs months, if not more than a year, to sort everything out. The Big Ten could act sooner, perhaps before the end of this season if it saw fit. In theory, the College Football Playoff selection committee could do its own job and protect itself by pointing out Michigan’s weak non-conference schedule. But since the committee placed the Wolverines No. 3 In this week’s initial rankings, despite their scheduling choices, it would be an about-face to penalize Michigan later in its deliberations.
If Michigan’s Big Ten rivals had their way, they would pressure Petitti to convince school presidents to do too much. This is unlikely to happen, but if it did, it would be very appropriate for college football in this era of realignment for a conference to operate outside of the NCAA. If the various factions of college football weren’t constantly trying to do their own thing, it would be easier to enjoy the proceedings. But order is simply implicit in this climate.
Most of the time, sport manages to exist without a classical structure. The athletes are delighted. Great games are compelling. Despite the erosion of fundamental traditions and rivalries, enthusiasm still manages to eclipse cheating. Everything is wonderful when individuals are at their best. But let someone do the worst, and that’s when college football feels the effects of the substitute teacher syndrome it created.
In a few years, the Stallions will probably take part in a documentary about all this. Harbaugh may or may not be involved, but with all the heat from the NCAA already on him, he seems certain to take his parachute into the NFL now. Michigan, which proudly (some would say sanctimoniously) prefers to reside above the fray of scams, will suffer a reputation. But supernova programs always recover.
In the end, the biggest takeaway is that perhaps the most dominant team of the 2023 season attempted to win a national title amid the smoke of a cheating scandal. Only an opponent – not the sports leadership – can stop the Wolverines right now.
Although the Stallions’ sins will be revealed in real time, any discipline will be retroactive. This sad and strange reality TV show is yet another one that won’t reveal all the secrets until the reunion episode.
