Every College Football Team Would Gladly Take Michigan's NCAA 'Punishment' For A National Title

Michigan found out its fate on Friday afternoon from the NCAA, and has to be more thrilled with the outcome, while also not needing installment loans to pay off the fines that were handed down. In essence, every college football program in America would take the penalties that the Wolverines received for a national championship. 

If you think any differently, I would imagine you are just upset that Michigan was not hit with some type of postseason ban, along with having to vacate wins for its championship season. 

In reality, the Michigan athletic department will take a financial hit that is similar to me going to Publix for a bottle of apple juice. That figure, $20 million to $30 million, is a drop in the bucket for a school that has an endowment of just more than $17 billion. It's nothing, and the boosters who help fund the Michigan football team could put that together in a 10-minute phone call this afternoon. 

The problem for the NCAA is that it once again, probably for the last time, came across as an organization that wasn't willing to take a massive leap, which would've made SMU boosters jolt out of their seats. It was almost comical listening to members of the committee on infractions discuss the 56 times that Connor Stalions was caught in this sign-stealing operation that was called the ‘KGB’, but still didn’t have enough to send a stronger message. 

Did You Actually Think An Example Would Be Made Out Of Michigan?

I've got news for you. 

If Tennessee didn’t receive a postseason ban for paying players, running a hotel scheme, funneling cash through manilla envelopes out of an assistant's office or through Chick-fil-A bags, hiding an intern so he couldn't be interviewed, recruiting violations and paying for athletes' travel, Michigan wasn't going to face more than a financial penalty. 

Sorry, that's just reality right now in college athletics, as the NCAA has lost the gumption to actually enforce rules. The COI made it clear that it had evidence of the Stalions scouting scheme, but could not obtain the files because they were thrown into a pond, probably somewhere actually along the bank of Lake Michigan. They also could not get Jim Harbaugh to participate, or hand over electronic communications that pertained to the investigation. 

"The panel noted that the 'true scope and scale of the scheme - including the competitive advantage it conferred - will never be known due to individuals’ intentional destruction and withholding of materials and information," the NCAA said in its findings. 

Well, that sounds like an NCAA problem. I wonder how the 2022 Oklahoma State basketball team feels right now? 

Did it actually expect Connor Stalions to cooperate? I sure hope not, given that it had to record a conversation with another party to actually get any type of substantial dirt on the leader of this operation that ended with a national championship. 

The guy supposedly scouted 56 different games over the course of his ‘KGB’ operation, and the NCAA still couldn't hit Michigan any harder with penalties, besides its overall budget. If you were to hook Michigan officials up to a lie-detector test, I would imagine they would fail if asked if all of this was worth being the final team standing in 2023. 

Michigan Weathered The Storm, Came Away With National Title Intact

The bar has already been set when it comes to how much it takes to contend for a title. Just look at the amount of money spent on rosters last season for teams participating in the college football playoff. 

This turned into a soap-opera where the only dramatic resolution was that head coach Sherrone Moore would be suspended for a total of three games over the next two seasons. Whew, that's going to be tough for the Wolverines athletic department to stomach, right? Heck no, do you realize the amount of money it has made since winning that national title? 

Hell, Michigan just paid more than $10 million for a high school quarterback, in Bryce Underwood. 

Michigan keeps its national title after sign-stealing investigation into Connor Stalions, which every team would take.

Today was just another example of how the NCAA has lost its fastball, with its power continuing to dwindle as each day passes. 

So, I'll ask you again. After watching this unfold with Michigan, would you take everything that has transpired over the past few years, all the allegations and trash-talking that has come since that infamous season, if it meant you were going to at least compete in the national title game? 

I already know what your answer is.