The Big Ten suspended Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh for the final three games of the 2023 regular season for his role in allegedly stealing opponents’ signs.

The Big Ten suspended Michigan for violating the conference’s “sportsmanship policy.” The Big Ten Conference Agreement 10.01 states, “The Big Ten Conference expects all contests involving a member institution to be conducted without compromise to any fundamental element of sportsmanship. Such fundamental elements include integrity of the competition, civility toward all, and respect, particularly toward opponents and officials.”

The NCAA is still investigating the alleged sign-stealing scandal, which is causing a lot of controversy throughout the Big Ten and the NCAA.

Specifically, Michigan is being investigated because a member of their staff – Connor Stalions – allegedly broke NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1, which prohibits “Off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season).”

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Stalions was hired as a recruiting analyst in May 2022. Although that is when he was hired, he worked with the program for several years prior as a volunteer.

Stalions bought tickets to more than 35 games at 17 different stadiums of teams either in the Big Ten or potential College Football Playoff opponents, per ESPN sources. He also paid an unknown former Division III Head Coach “a couple hundred dollars” for recording signals at two Penn State games and one Rutgers game, both of which are opponents of Michigan. The footage he received was sent to Stalions via an iPhone photo album.

As a result, some of Michigan’s opponents are also getting involved in this situation. For instance, Central Michigan is investigating a man, who they believe was Stalions, standing on their bench during their matchup with Michigan State on September 1, 2023. Anil Jain, a nationally recognized facial recognition expert, says it’s highly likely the man on the Central Michigan bench and Stalions are the same person.

Michigan suspended Stalions without pay on October 20, 2023, waiting for the outcome of the investigation. Stalions then officially resigned from the team on November 3, 2023, claiming that he didn’t want to be a distraction to the team. “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I’ve had… I do not want to be a distraction from what I hope to be a championship run for the team, and I will continue to cheer them on.”

In an attempt to smooth things over, Stalions’s attorney, Brad Beckworth, clarified, “Connor also wants to make it clear that, to his knowledge, neither Coach Harbaugh nor any other coach or staff member told anyone to break any rules or were aware of improper conduct regarding the recent allegations of advanced scouting.”

However, Stalions was not the only Michigan staff member who was punished for involvement in sign-stealing.

An anonymous coach who reportedly attended Big Ten games to film Michigan’s opponents told ESPN: “I didn’t like it, but [sign-stealing] is a gray line. You can call me naive, but no one is reading the bylaws. I just felt like if you’re not doing it, you’re not trying to get ahead.”

Sign-stealing is when a team deciphers their opponent’s play calls, which get passed on to players by the coaches giving them signs. Contrary to the NFL teams, who have the technology to relay play calls through microphones and headsets, college football teams need to use their assistant coaches to call in plays to the team’s signal caller. This is why sign-stealing is a problem at this level.

Many programs have implemented a new scheme for signaling plays to try and circumvent opponents knowing a team’s signs. There will usually be three coaches on the sideline in three different colors. Only one of the coaches will be showing the actual signs, while the other two show fake signs to try and throw off opposing teams.

Sign-stealing is one of the more immoral aspects of college football, so scouting opponents ahead of games became a violation.

However, that wasn’t even the reason that the NCAA banned stealing signs. In 1994, the NCAA banned in-person scouting, not because it was cheating, but rather the fact that not all schools could afford it.

Regardless, many college football fans do not believe stealing signs should be considered a major violation in 2023. Saint Paul’s junior Vincent Cruise believes Michigan’s punishment was excessive and that the program should be allowed to compete in the College Football Playoff. “Every big football program cheats somehow. Michigan just got busted for it. Something so minor that every good team probably does shouldn’t prevent them from competing for a championship,” Cruise claims.

However, it is worth noting that this is Harbaugh’s second suspension of the season after he missed the first three games due to alleged recruiting violations. According to Bruce Feldman, a reporter for The Athletic, it also may not be his last. “It would not be surprising if Jim Harbaugh could be suspended for the bulk of the 2024 season,” Feldman stated.

In the wake of Harbaugh’s suspension, Michigan players have taken action to get their coach back on the sidelines for games. During his first suspension, starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy wore a shirt that said “Free Harbaugh” during warmups. This influenced other players, like receiver Roman Wilson, to wear a similar shirt during this suspension.

Harbaugh’s suspension threw Michigan Offensive Coordinator Sherrone Moore into the interim head coach role. He had the difficult task of taking on #11 Penn State less than 24 hours after learning he would take over as head coach. Although he was faced with that challenge, they were able to get a 25-14 victory over the Nittany Lions. Moore was filled with emotion during his postgame interview. “I want to thank the Lord, I want to thank Coach Harbaugh. I [expletive] love you, man. I love the [expletive] out of you, man.”

The following week, they fought hard to get a 31-24 victory over the Maryland Terrapins to stay undefeated. It was also a significant milestone for the team, as they picked up their 1,000th win in Michigan Football history; they are the first team in NCAA history to reach this mark.

The Wolverines then took on their rival, the Ohio State Buckeyes, in arguably the biggest college football game of the season. With College Football Playoff (CFP) implications on the line and the cheating allegations still very much in the mix, this was a massive game.

The Wolverines handled business, getting the 30-24 victory and silencing the comments on the sign-stealing allegations for now. Ultimately, this win was enough for them to earn a spot in the Big Ten Championship game, in which they defeated Iowa 26-0, and a College Football Playoff berth.

Although some college football fans dismiss the allegations as unserious, others believe Michigan should not allowed to play postseason football with all the allegations surrounding the program.

“The Michigan Wolverines should be banned from the College Football Playoff until the [NCAA] investigation is complete. You do not get to go to the College Football Playoff and rob, potentially, another institution from getting one of those final four spots,” exclaimed Stephen A. Smith, the host of ESPN’s “First Take.”

Michigan will face Alabama in a highly anticipated Rose Bowl matchup, which is the first round of the College Football Playoff, on January 1, 2024.