Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh received a three-game suspension from the Big Ten on Friday due to sign-stealing allegations that surfaced three weeks ago.
In response, the University filed a temporary restraining order in an attempt to curtail the suspension and keep Harbaugh on the sideline as Michigan enters the vital final stretch of the regular season. A stretch that could very well determine if they’re playing for a National Championship here in the next few months or some meaningless bowl game in late December.
Court filings are one thing. They’re in a sense anticipated in cases like this, especially given Michigan’s position in the broader stage of college football. They have everything to lose at this point.
However, given how messy this entire process has played out thus far with the Big Ten, and again, given what’s on the line, could Michigan go further than just court filings? What about the possibility of leaving the Big Ten altogether?
As Michigan regents discussed a possible suspension for Jim Harbaugh last week, the notion of leaving the Big Ten as a result did come up according to a Sports Illustrated report.
Ten years ago it would’ve seemed unimaginable to picture a Big Ten without Michigan. However, given the trajectory of College Football in the past few seasons as teams like Texas, USC, UCLA, and Oregon are set to switch conferences, Michigan doing the same all of a sudden doesn’t seem that out of place. Still, there would be plenty of hoops and court battles to contend with during the process, especially considering the $7 billion media rights deal that was just signed last year. The money alone that comes with the media deal you’d think would be enough for Michigan to stay in the Big Ten, however, it’s not inconceivable that in the here and now Michigan uses some of its brand power to attempt to influence and sway not only the court of public opinion but the conference as a whole, especially considering how this sign-stealing saga has been handled.
