Big Ten Baggage Bowl Pits Michigan Vs. Michigan State In A Battle Of Programs With Problems

Well, as soon as I can get my hands on the Michigan-Rutgers tape from Sept. 23, I'm going to check for loud thumps on a garbage can before Michigan snaps the ball.

Are Michigan and football coach Jim Harbaugh following the Houston Astros' lead on sign stealing? That is the subject of an NCAA investigation that just came to light this week.

That was a terrible and embarrassing controversy that soiled the Astros reputation probably forever. Major League Baseball fined them $5 million. And the Astros fired general manager Jeff Luhnown and manager A.J. Hinch in 2020 for their roles in the scandal. But, hey, MLB didn't take away the World Series championship trophy the Astros won in 2017 over the Dodgers while cheating throughout the season.

Houston recovered and won another World Series last season with some of the same key players from the 2017 team. And the Astros are two wins away from another World Series crown this season as they play the Rangers in game five of the American League Championship Series Friday (5:07 p.m., FS1). The series is tied 2-2.

So, maybe Harbaugh thinks the ends justifies the means. And he may be leaving soon for the NFL anyway.

Michigan, Jim Harbaugh Under NCAA Probe Back-To-Back

Harbaugh, meanwhile, is fresh off a Michigan-self-imposed suspension of the first three games of this season for previously breaking NCAA rules. He allegedly did not cooperate and was dishonest with the NCAA concerning recruiting violations accusations during the COVID-19 dead period in 2020. The NCAA basically ignored the three-game suspension from easy games against East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green and is still investigation that. Stronger penalties are likely ahead.

Those along with these could mean the most serious Level 1 violation sentencing against Harbaugh and Michigan.

Oh, and the Wolverines are currently enjoying another great season on the field amid all these accusations and incoming penalties, much like the Astros did. No. 2 Michigan (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) plays at Michigan State (2-4, 0-3 Big Ten) Saturday (7:30 p.m., NBC).

Michigan State Coming Off Scandal With Coach Mel Tucker

Michigan State is coming off yet another scandal as it fired football coach Mel Tucker last month for sexual harassment involving an extramarital affair with a woman who was employed by Michigan to counsel the football team. Assistant coach Harlon Barnett replaced Tucker on an interim basis, while it looks for a new coach that will not be Urban Meyer. Tucker is suing, and it goes on and on.

So call this Michigan-Michigan State game the Big Ten Baggage Bowl.

But Michigan's scandal is fresher and likely to be much longer lasting. With the removal of Tucker, the Michigan State scandal is mostly over, other than what it may have to pay Tucker via his defamation lawsuit.

Conceivably, the NCAA could suspend Michigan for this season, and it could miss the College Football Playoff and a chance at its first national championship since 1997. Howard and other members of the Michigan Nation may downplay it as such types often do, but this is serious.

Big Ten Confirmed Michigan Being Investigated By NCAA

"The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance and will continue to monitor the investigation," the conference said in a statement, confirming Yahoo's original story on the scandal on Wednesday. The Big Ten's above statement is really saying, "Hey, that story is true, now go get Harbaugh."

Jim Harbaugh has been a serial pusher of the outside of the NCAA rules envelope for years, going back to his first year at Michigan in 2015 when he started that silly satellite camp craze that didn't last. He enjoys the rogue reputation and laughing at authority.

And there's a new sheriff at the NCAA in former Massachusetts Republican governor Charlie Baker, who doesn't appear to take any crap. So, I'd say shine up that NFL resume.

Other coaches are not laughing at Harbaugh's delegated sign stealing either. Two of the teams he beat this season have turned him in. Those are likely Rutgers and possibly Nebraska, Minnesota or Indiana.

Michigan Allegedly Doing Illegal Scouting And Sign Stealing

Michigan football off-field analyst Connor Stalions is at the center of the NCAA's investigation into the Michigan cheating scandal. Michigan suspended him on Friday afternoon.

Stalions, 28, is a Naval Academy graduate who is a retired Marine Corps captain that has been a Michigan analyst since 2022. The NCAA has targeted him as being at the crux of a sign stealing operation. He has allegedly attended games this season of future Michigan opponents, possibly Rutgers , Nebraska and Indiana and used illicit methods - as the Astros used - to learn how they signal in plays. Such knowledge would obviously a be a significant advantage for Michigan.

Everybody steals signs during games in MLB, the NFL, college football, Little League during games. But that's not the point, which ESPN broadcaster and former Michigan Heisman winner Desmond Howard doesn't understand. The Astros elevated casual sign stealing to a clandestine science through secret cameras, video and sign relaying to their hitters during games.

Stalions allegedly used electronic equipment at games. This has been deemed against the rules by the NCAA for decades.

"Any attempt to record, either through audio or video means, any signals given by an opposing player, coach or other team personnel is prohibited," NCAA football rules state.

At halftime of Michigan's 31-7 win over Rutgers on Sept. 23, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano may have tipped the NCAA off on all this.

“I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed any staff member or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment,” Harbaugh said in the statement.

Surely, Harbaugh knows something about Stalions' activities. If he doesn't, that makes him look nearly as bad if he did.

Jim Harbaugh Says He Has No Awareness Of Stealing Signals

"I have no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action," Harbaugh continued. "No matter what program or organization that I have led throughout my career, my instructions and awareness of how we scout opponents have always been firmly within the rules."

The NCAA has a rule for playing dumb - 11.1.2.1. That says "a coach is presumed to have knowledge of what is occurring in his program, and therefore, can be responsible for the actions of his staff and individuals associated with the program."

Michigan State's saga with Mel Tucker is basically a She Said, He Said issue.

Michigan, on the other hand, must realize the NCAA has Harbaugh yet again.

What NCAA Should Do With Jim Harbaugh, Michigan

The NCAA should not suspend Michigan's season this year because Harbaugh continues to do stupid things. It should fine him heavily. How about a million? And put that in the Baker's enforcement war chest.

Jim Harbaugh makes more than $7 million a year. That can afford several flat screen TVs for him to watch his favorite team this weekend play the Texas Rangers in the ALCS.

As far as Connor Stalions, if these allegations are true, he needs to be dismissed from Michigan - not just suspended. He sounds intelligent and committed, though.

"Identifying the opponent's most likely course of action and most dangerous course of action," he said of his Michigan job on his LinkedIn bio. "Identifying and exploiting critical vulnerabilities and centers of gravity in the opponent scouting process."

He added he wanted to "employ Marine Corps philosophies and tactics into the sport of football, regarding strategies in staffing, recruiting, scouting, intelligence, planning and more."

Perhaps he is just in the line of work. I'd send him to the Pentagon or Quantico, Virginia.

Written by
Guilbeau joined OutKick as an SEC columnist in September of 2021 after covering LSU and the Saints for 17 years at USA TODAY Louisiana. He has been a national columnist/feature writer since the summer of 2022, covering college football, basketball and baseball with some NFL, NBA, MLB, TV and Movies and general assignment, including hot dog taste tests. A New Orleans native and Mizzou graduate, he has consistently won Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) awards since covering Alabama and Auburn at the Mobile Press-Register (1993-98) and LSU and the Saints at the Baton Rouge Advocate (1998-2004). In 2021, Guilbeau won an FWAA 1st for a game feature, placed in APSE Beat Writing, Breaking News and Explanatory, and won Beat Writer of the Year from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA). He won an FWAA columnist 1st in 2017 and was FWAA's top overall winner in 2016 with 1st in game story, 2nd in columns, and features honorable mention. Guilbeau completed a book in 2022 about LSU's five-time national champion coach - "Everything Matters In Baseball: The Skip Bertman Story" - that is available at www.acadianhouse.com, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble outlets. He lives in Baton Rouge with his wife, the former Michelle Millhollon of Thibodaux who previously covered politics for the Baton Rouge Advocate and is a communications director.