Ohio State Football: Big Ten needs to make example of Michigan

As the Ohio State football team gets ready to play Rutgers next weekend, Michigan should be worried about the state of affairs in Ann Arbor.

The Ohio State football team is looking to improve to 9-0 this upcoming Saturday when they square off with Rutgers. But the entire Big Ten Conference and the college football world have their eyes on what’s unfolding in Ann Arbor as the Michigan football program is soiled in turmoil.

Michigan has had a black eye on its program for a few seasons now and little has been done about it. Whether it’s minor recruiting violations, computer access crimes committed by coaches, or the latest sign-stealing scandal, Jim Harbaugh has been flirting with the ethical line and he’s officially crossed it.

You would have figured that Michigan’s self-imposing three-game suspension earlier this season would be enough to correct Jim Harbaugh’s behavior, but it has not. No matter what side of the issue you stand on, Harbaugh and his coaching staff broke NCAA rules on in-game scouting and it needs to have a consequence.

But as the NCAA continues to have its own problems in being able to uphold the ethical standards of college football, it’s only right that we look to the Big Ten Conference to do something about it. Coaches like Greg Schiano and James Franklin have already publicly spoken on the matter, even if they were dancing around it. It does not seem as if the Big Ten coaches are happy about the situation with Harbaugh and Michigan.

And as Michigan marches towards the Penn State and Ohio State games undefeated, the Big Ten needs to come in and uphold the integrity of the league. Jim Harbaugh should be suspended for the rest of the season at minimum. I would also argue that the Wolverines should be banned from participating in the Big Ten Championship game if they get that far.

It’s only right that there are consequences for breaking rules in college football. And especially for a program that has recently been repeat offenders in breaking those rules, the Big Ten needs to come down in a big way on Michigan.