Michigan Sign-Stealing Scandal 'Not A College Football Playoff Problem' Says Committee

According to the College Football Playoff committee, Michigan's sign-steal scandal is an NCAA issue and "not a CFP problem."

Matt Galatzan | Nov 1, 2023

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Ohio State Buckeyes

The Michigan Wolverines came in at the No. 3 spot in the initial edition of the 2023 College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night.

And they did so, despite their highly publicized sign-stealing scandal that has been the talk of college football over the last two weeks, and has the Wolverines under NCAA investigation.

However, according to College Football Playoff committee Boo Corrigan, the scandal is not a CFP problem, but an NCAA one.

“We really view it as it's an NCAA issue, not a CFP issue," Corrigan said on ESPN. "At this point in time, as we’re looking at this, we want to make sure we get not just the top four teams but the top 25 teams right.”

Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh watches from the sideline beside off-field analyst Connor Stalions, right, during the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium — Connor Stalions standing next to Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines vs. Ohio State :: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch-USA TODAY NETWORK

And to make this even stranger, it appears that the issue was never even under discussion by the committee to begin with.

“Our job, as we look at it, is to rank the teams and to follow our protocols,” Corrigan said. “As we went through it, that wasn’t part of any of the discussions that occurred during our time together.”

Based on that criteria, the Committee likely does have the top-4 rankings relatively correct.

The Buckeyes have the best resume in college football as of this past weekend, which earned them the No. 1 spot, while Michigan and the Georgia Bulldogs have faced relatively soft schedules up until now.

Meanwhile, Florida State does have a win over LSU but has also not had much challenge outside of that.

So for now, if Michigan's opponents want to keep the Wolverines out of the playoffs, they will have to beat them on the field.

The rest of the way, Michigan will face the No. 1 toughest strength of schedule in the nation, with matchups against, Purdue, No. 9 Penn State, 5-3 Maryland and finishing with the Buckeyes on Nov. 25.

Published Nov 1, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com, AllAggies.com, and the Managing Editor of BuckeyesNow.com and TheGroveReport.com He is also the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com