Of all the organized sports leagues in the country, the NCAA seems most consistently mired in controversy. This college football season did not change the status quo.
There were two times this season where the NCAA had a choice to make: stuffing the coffers or respecting the loyalty of fans. Both times, in the case of the Connor Stalions scandal and Florida State’s being left out of the playoffs, the NCAA elected to make the most money instead of to make the most sense.
Stalions, a former Michigan assistant, was at the center of Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal as he was spotted on Central Michigan’s sideline during their Sept. 1 game against Michigan State.
Originally, his job was to go to other teams’ games to record their sideline signals. Given that college players don’t have radios with their head coaches like their NFL counterparts do, the signals are paramount in keeping a team’s plays secret.
Eventually, though, Stalions found himself deep behind enemy lines, obtaining passes to be on the opposing teams’ sidelines. According to Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, the program had no knowledge of the sign-stealing system.
Of course Harbaugh denied any involvement. He’s not going to go on a podcast and say that he orchestrated a scheme that led his team to be ranked No. 1 in the nation. That would cost him his career.
Still, knowing that the sign-stealing system was orchestrated by some unknown within the Wolverine locker room, the NCAA chose not to act beyond a slap on the wrist, suspending Harbaugh for the last three regular season games.
He was reinstated for the College Football Playoff, which his Wolverines won, finishing their undefeated season as NCAA champions. As of May 20, 2024, Michigan’s title has not yet been vacated, which has happened to several schools’ title runs after scandals arise.
It would have been tough for the NCAA to make a decision. They would have had to run an investigation to find who orchestrated the scheme and just how effective the scheme was, but in a perfect world, Harbaugh would have been suspended for the rest of the season.
The NCAA had a choice to make: money or credibility. They chose the profit that came with having one of the largest and most successful programs in the sport win the National Championship over the honesty of punishing the program by suspending their coaching staff for the rest of the season.
From fans’ perspectives, the NCAA had an easy decision to make. It picked the wrong side. Now, Michigan won a title that they may not have deserved, and Harbaugh jumped ship to coach in the NFL.
Though Michigan went 15-0, the NCAA started their season 0-1. That losing skid would continue with Florida State’s snubbing in the College Football Playoff.
Going into conference championship weekend, it seemed like the seeding was set. Georgia had the No. 1 seed locked up, as they were the reigning champions and undefeated up to that point. The No. 2 seed was Michigan’s, the No. 3 spot belonged to Washington and Florida State was at No. 4.
The only undefeated teams in the top 25 were those four schools. No. 8 Alabama, though, had other plans going into the SEC title game against Georgia.
The Crimson Tide upset the Bulldogs in Atlanta, which left the AP rankings in limbo. Sure, it made sense to move Michigan, Washington, Florida State and the white hot Texas Longhorns up and into the CFP, but given the NCAA’s Connor Stalions decision, it’s not surprising that they chose profit over fans.
Alabama was in. Florida State was out.
The decision made sense on only one level: money. Alabama didn’t deserve to make it. The Crimson Tide were smoked in Tuscaloosa by Texas earlier that season, and the Seminoles were rallying around a backup QB, but instead of sending undefeated Florida State to the playoffs, the CFP selection committee chose Alabama, who the post-conference championship AP poll ranked below FSU.
It was so obviously about the money. Florida State was the better team. They were the better story. Alabama just represented more money. The Crimson Tide fell to 13-1 after being bounced by Michigan in the first round, and the NCAA dropped to 0-2.