Michigan football critic questions if scandal really matters

The Wolverines’ sign-stealing scandal has taken the local and national news cycle by storm this month, pinning Jim Harbaugh and his team in the negative spotlight with just four games remaining on the 2023 regular-season slate. With the Maize and Blue slated to face Purdue this week, and a lot of background noise going on in Ann Arbor, known Michigan football critic Paul Finebaum is wondering how much the scandal will really matter when it comes to the College Football Playoff race and more.

Michigan football critic Paul Finebaum questions if scandal really matters

Does the Michigan football sign-stealing scandal really matter? For the time being, the widespread belief is that the NCAA and Big Ten will allow Michigan to finish the season — the College Football Playoff committee might weigh their options, though they, too, are unlikely to do anything before 2024.

Paul Finebaum, one of the most-watched college football analysts in the country and a massive critic of Michigan football and Jim Harbaugh, recently questioned whether or not the scandal in Ann Arbor will really matter. Of course, Finebaum had to take his shots at the University of Michigan before commenting but eventually concluded that — no, the scandal will not ultimately matter in this year’s College Football Playoff race.

“As far as Michigan? This is a very sleazy, disgusting story,” Pual Finebaum said, appearing on ESPN’s ‘Matt Barries Show.’ “There are leaks up there coming out left and right, and every (report) makes the school (Michigan) look worse. That’s on one ledger. But we’re also talking about a time in college football when people shrug their shoulders about everything because of NIL, because of the (transfer) portal, because of all of the things that are going on.

“All I’m interested in now is, can any of this stick? Does any of this really matter? And, quite frankly, I don’t think it does,” he continued. “I don’t think any of this is going to stick to Jim Harbaugh. I don’t think it’s going to influence or impact the College Football Playoff. That’s what we’re interested in.”

Jim Harbaugh press conference later today and more

As the rumor mill continues to churn out new allegations against Michigan football, the team inside of Schmbechler Hall is still 100% locked in on one thing: winning the national title. At the end of the day, expect these reports to only fuel Michigan’s “villain” mentality, adding a little extra chip to the Wolverines’ shoulder with games like Penn State and Ohio State coming up soon here.

Jim Harbaugh has his weekly press conference later today — we will be there, and will be ready to bring you all the latest intel and updates throughout the week.

You’ve read the article — let’s both get rewarded! Download the Autograph app HERE using our referral code “bluebyninety”.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!