Stop, thief!
Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh already got pinched this season after not cooperating with an NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations during the COVID-19 dead period, leading to a three-game, university-imposed suspension. His program still faces allegations of a handful of related, reportedly less-serious violations, with an NCAA ruling expected sometime in 2024.
And now, there’s more: a separate NCAA investigation into Harbaugh’s program for allegedly breaking rules prohibiting in-person scouting of future opponents. The crux of it, as first reported by Yahoo Sports: suspicion of a brazen strategy to steal opponents’ signs.
The Wolverines have been one of college football’s most dominant teams for three seasons running, a period during which Harbaugh’s reputation as a coach has soared higher than it did when he was killing it at Stanford or even, arguably, when he was leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl. This season, the 7-0 Wolverines — who have yet to surrender more than one touchdown in any game — have been essentially flawless. But did they get here the old-fashioned way?
At best, this is a distraction that will make their national-championship mission more difficult as critics — and foes — view them with a collective side-eye. At worst, it could blow up into a scandal the size of which Harbaugh, who denies having any knowledge of improprieties, has never had to face.
Either way, some already are speculating that Harbaugh will decide he has had enough of being judged and monitored. Speaking of which, might the Bears be looking for a coach before long?
Harbaugh to the Bears is a juicy thought. Meanwhile, so is No. 2 Michigan (-24) at Michigan State (6:30 p.m., NBC 5), the latest rendition of a rivalry that has burned extra-hot over a 15-year stretch in which the Spartans have gone 10-5.
This year’s Spartans — 2-4 and without Mel Tucker, who was dismissed in September amid a scandal that couldn’t have been more salacious — are deeply vulnerable. That’s especially the case given Michigan’s undoubted desire for a measure of vengeance after a pair of Wolverines players were beaten by Spartans in the Michigan Stadium tunnel following last year’s game.
“That seems like a long time ago,” Harbaugh said early in the week, though it wasn’t.
Before the latest story broke, Harbaugh sounded as focused on victory as he ever has.
“There’s definitely a November mentality,” he said. “When all the leaves are brown and the skies are gray, that’s when the championships get decided. But November is here for us. It’s here for us now.”
The mamas, papas and everyone else expect the Wolverines to win this one, but just how distracted is this team? Has the emotional edge swung back Sparty’s way? Will this game be close?
Ah, but the sweet stench of payback is in the air, and the bet here is it’s a decisive factor. With tunnel vision, the Wolverines win 37-10.
OTHER WEEK 8 PICKS
No. 7 Penn State (+4½) at No. 3 Ohio State (11 a.m., FOX 32): Nittany Lions coach James Franklin is a meager 1-8 against the Buckeyes, who’ve won six straight and 10 of the last 11 in the series. Are PSU believers really sure the gap between these programs has closed?
If not for the Harbaugh news, we’d certainly have led the column with this game, the first in the all-important round-robin between these teams and Michigan. Franklin believes this is his best team ever, and he’s far from alone. He does have the nation’s No. 1-ranked defense and, in Drew Allar — an Ohioan, by the way — a quarterback who clearly possesses NFL tools.
“There’s challenges across the board,” OSU coach Ryan Day said. “We’ve just got to go out there and lay it on the line.”
That’s a Buckeye battle cry that rarely fails to get the job done. Nice try, Nits, but OSU holds on 27-21.
Wisconsin (-2½) at Illinois (2:30 p.m., FS1, 890-AM): The Badgers lost 34-10 to the Illini in Madison a year ago and now have their No. 2 QB, Braedyn Locke, pressed into duty. So why are they favored? Because the Illini were awful for half this season before last weekend’s surprising upset win at Maryland.
But bear in mind the Jim Leonhard factor. The highly respected Wisconsin alum was widely expected to be promoted from the interim coach position he held for seven games last season, but his alma mater went out and snatched Luke Fickell instead. Leonhard, now on Bret Bielema’s staff as a senior analyst, has insight that can only help the Illini with their game plan. They might not even need it. Illini, 23-19.
Northwestern (+11½) at Nebraska (2:30 p.m., BTN, 720-AM): Whether or not QB Ben Bryant is cleared for this one, the Wildcats will struggle to produce points against a Nebraska defense that has been terrific in coach Matt Rhule’s debut season. If the Wildcats’ bottom-of-the-Big Ten run defense doesn’t rise up against an outstanding rushing attack, it becomes hopeless. Huskers, 27-13.
No. 17 Tennessee (+8½) at No. 11 Alabama (2:30 p.m., CBS 2): Nick Saban is 15-1 against the Volunteers, but guess who won on the Third Saturday of October last year. Yep, the Vols in a raging 52-49 thriller. Not a chance the scoreboard gets lit up like that again; neither offense is close to what it was in 2022, and the defenses are much better. Roll Tide, 23-17.
My favorite favorite: No. 4 Florida State (-14) vs. No. 16 Duke (6:30 p.m., ABC 7): Duke is good, but the Seminoles — 21-0 all-time in the series, with only one of those games decided by fewer than 19 points — are in a beeline for the College Football Playoff. They show it here.
My favorite underdog: Arizona State (+27½) at No. 5 Washington (9:30 p.m., FS1): You don’t think the Huskies — coming off that insane showdown win against Oregon — are going to let down just a bit? Please. Sun Devils keep it respectable.
Last week: 4-4 straight-up, 4-3-1 against the spread.
Season to date: 39-17 straight-up, 31-21-4 against the spread.
