EAST LANSING, Mich. — Go ahead, question Michigan’s integrity.
Accuse Jim Harbaugh of ignoring the NCAA rulebook. Yell foul about sign stealing or analysts overstepping their bounds. Root for the Big Ten’s best program to get his comeuppance. The Wolverines have made one thing abundantly clear: They are. Do it. Nope. Care.
“You see it all over social media,” right guard Zak Zinter said. “People throw different things at us, NCAA, whatever. They can claim and do anything, say anything. We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing.”
What they do is destroy every Big Ten team in their path. It was done by No. 2 Michigan (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) on Saturday night, beating Michigan State 49-0 after a week shrouded in controversy.
News broke two days earlier that the NCAA was investigating Michigan for potential violations of a rule that prohibits personal scouting of future opponents. On Friday afternoon, Michigan suspended recruiting analyst Connor Stalions, a staffer known for his decoding skills.
Apparently the Stallion was not essential to Michigan’s success. The Wolverines still have JJ McCarthy and one of the best defenses in the FBS, and that will be more than enough to overcome Michigan State. Like every opponent before them, the Spartans ran at Michigan and didn’t stand a chance.
“They’re a real buzzsaw,” Harbaugh said.
The Wolverines haven’t made many friends in the Big Ten while winning 20 straight conference games. Teams that suspected something fishy about Michigan’s sign-stealing operation must have felt a sense of satisfaction when news of the NCAA investigation became public.
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Some of that is sour grapes. Some are, no doubt, a reaction to the way Michigan carries itself as a program. For a team that prides itself on doing things the right way, Michigan seems to end up in the middle of a lot of controversy. The program has a bullseye on its back, both from its Big Ten rivals and the NCAA.
“There’s a target, yes,” Harbaugh said. “Everybody pointed to that from the beginning of the season. Our guys were just focused. They were just going about their business.”
It will take more than an investigation or three to bring down Michigan. The Wolverines are playing through investigations the way other teams play through sprained ankles. It just doesn’t bother them.
Michigan is already under investigation for alleged Level II violations that include unauthorized contact with recruits during the COVID-19 pandemic and unauthorized use of analysts for on-field coaching. Harbaugh was accused of failing to assist in the investigation and served a school-imposed three-game suspension to start the season.
That comes after co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss was fired in January amid a police investigation into suspicious computer activity at Schembechler Hall. Now the program is facing another NCAA investigation tied to alleged violations of the in-person scouting rule.
Debating the ethics of in-person scouting is like debating the ethics of pass interference: Ethical or not, it’s against the rules, and that’s what matters. If the Wolverines break the rules involving personal scouting or video recording, they should be punished. If Harbaugh knew of such violations — and he says he didn’t — he should be held accountable.
Neither Michigan nor the NCAA deserve the benefit of the doubt here. Both have shown themselves to be wrong in different ways. The NCAA has the burden of proving its case, whether through video evidence or written communication. People have a right to question the NCAA’s ability to administer justice. Just look at the Kansas basketball investigation, which lasted six years and ended largely without a hitch.
Although these investigations do not result in significant penalties, they absorb time and resources. They cast a cloud of suspicion over the people and programs involved. They damage reputations and diminish achievements.
It may be months or years before the full story emerges. In the meantime, Michigan has games to play and another Big Ten championship to chase. Wolverines are used to ignoring accusations and taunts, probably because they’ve had a lot of training.
“All the distractions out there, the allegations against Coach Harbaugh, that’s not doing anything for us,” McCarthy said. “We’re just out there trying to play ball and have fun with our guys. We’re just simplifying it.”
This week was filled with emotion after last year’s game against Michigan State ended in a violent scene in the Michigan Stadium tunnel. Two players from Michigan were injured in that confrontation, including cornerback Ja’Den McBurrows, who had his first career interception in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game. Leading up to the game, the Wolverines said they weren’t talking about the tunnel. After the McBurrows did that blocking, they acknowledged that, yes, it might take an hour or two.
“I know how he felt,” said defensive back Mike Sainristil, who had his second pick-six of the season. “I felt it too. I’m so happy for him. All week he talks about different things. He mentioned what happened last year several times. The coaches told him and us as players, ‘When you get a chance, just go out there and make the plays.’”
When Michigan went into halftime with a 28-0 lead, Harbaugh told the Wolverines to “never hesitate.” That was a response to the lead-up to their last trip to Michigan State, McCarthy said, and not any attempt to prove a point about the sign-stealing allegations.
Even if they weren’t trying, Wolverine sent a message. They outscored their first seven opponents 93-0 in the third quarter, a stat cited after the sign-stealing allegations surfaced. Is Michigan that good at halftime adjustments? Or, perhaps, are the Wolverines benefiting from some unfair advantage?
The third-quarter scoring margin was 107-0 after Saturday’s game. Any Michigan State fans expecting the Wolverines to collapse without the help of their sign-stealing network went home sorely disappointed.
“Put all that stuff aside: We’re 11 against 11 of anybody in the country on offense, defense and special teams,” AJ Barner said.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a team anywhere in the country that plays better than Michigan. Six people were on board The AthleticThe eight-person panel picked Michigan to win the national championship, and the Wolverines certainly looked the part again Saturday night.
Investigations aside, the Wolverines are running tight with the rest of the Big Ten. And they will continue to do so until someone stops them.
(Top photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty)
