Michigan football program ready for unprecedented action

Today is the day — the Big Ten will make its call on what it wants to do with the Michigan football program amid the sign-stealing scandal. With the NCAA investigation still ongoing and nothing concrete linked to head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Big Ten Conference is about to decide whether or not to take in-season action against the Wolverines heading into a Week 11 matchup at No. 10 Penn State. If something is to happen, the school is reportedly ready to take unprecedented action.

Michigan football program ready for unprecedented action

The Wolverines, including President Santa Ono, are ready to defend the Michigan football program and Jim Harbaugh leading up to this weekend’s game at Penn State. For Michigan, which is ranked No. 3 in the nation with a perfect 9-0 record right now, this is about more than the rules — it’s about due process.

The Big Ten served Michigan with a notice of potential punishment coming on Wednesday, meaning today is the day. For some time, reports have shown that the University of Michigan –including its regents, president, AD, and head coach — are all on the same page right now. If the Big Ten Conference takes action, Michigan will likely return fire by dragging this into court, where it appears to have an advantage, especially given the lack of evidence against Jim Harbaugh.

Words from Santa Ono and more as Big Ten Conference makes final call on Wolverines’ sign-stealing scandal

“It’s precisely at these times — when all key facts are not known, but others are all too comfortable offering strongly held opinion — that it is essential for everyone to ensure that investigations are conducted fairly and that conclusions are based on what actually happened,” Santa Ono said in a latter to the Big Ten over the weekend. “The reputation and livelihoods of coaches, students, and programs cannot be sacrificed in a rush to judgment, no matter how many and how loudly people protest otherwise. Due process matters.”

Pete Thamel of ESPN reported on Monday that the Big Ten would withhold punishment for 48 hours or more. 48 hours have now passed, so it’s time to see if the Big Ten wants to play ball with Michigan or not.

Additionally, in that same report, Thamel noted that the school was expected to start a legal battle if the conference’s punishment was deemed unfair. In the days since these reports, Michigan football has turned over tons of proof to the Big Ten that other schools — namely Ohio State, Rutgers, and Purdue — had a sign-stealing ring going against them last year. This, obviously, makes things even more complicated for the conference — especially with Michigan (3) and Ohio State (1) listed as top playoff contenders in last night’s updated CFP rankings.

Stay tuned, Michigan football fans, because today could be interesting.

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