The Michigan football team was one of the most talked about teams in college football last year, for a few different reasons. The Wolverines were a popular team from the start of the season as they were ranked #2 in the country to start the year, but when the NCAA began investigating the program because of illegal sign-stealing, Michigan became the focal point of college football. The Wolverines never left the spotlight as they ended up winning the national championship.
Now, it looks like we are close to finding out what the punishment will be for the Michigan football team. The Wolverine reported on Monday that the Wolverines should be receiving a notice of allegations (NOA) soon, and they could be facing a postseason ban.
“A probe led by the NCAA could result in the Michigan football program receiving a Notice of Allegations as soon as this week, and the result may include an attempt to ban the Wolverines from playing in the postseason for up to two years, according to TheWolverine.com. The pending NOA is related to sign-stealing allegations and the resulting investigation into the program that began late last season and center around the claim that former football staffer Connor Stalions engaged in improper scouting.”
One thing that was mentioned in the report from The Wolverine is a potential postseason ban for Michigan. However, this likely wouldn't affect the Wolverines for a few years as the school would try to fight it if the NCAA does try to take that route. Because of that, this will likely take multiple years to fully resolve if that punishment is actually attempted.
Another important note is that a postseason ban from the NCAA might not affect the College Football Playoff. The two are separate, so there is a chance that Michigan could receive a postseason ban from the NCAA and still qualify for the CFP during that time. There are a lot of questions marks there that will likely be cleared up when an NOA is officially issued.
It does not sound like Michigan football will vacate wins
A lot of Michigan football rivals were hoping that the recent national championship win and Big Ten championship wins would be vacated because of the investigation, but it doesn't sound like that will be the case. If the report from The Wolverine is accurate, then the worst of it would likely be the postseason ban, and that is something that Michigan would fight.
It sounds like Michigan doesn't think there is enough evidence for anything serious like a postseason ban, but Connor Stalions, the head of the sign-stealing project, will likely face level 1 violations. There has been no word about Stalions working with other staff members, and if he truly worked alone, that will be the best-case scenario for Michigan.
If the report is accurate, the NOA should officially be issued soon, and a lot of questions about the potential punishments will be answered then. All in all, it sounds like Michigan is probably going to be fine.
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