Skunkbear Signal Stealing Scandal

IrishLax

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The bare minimum here is that they will be vacating 2 full seasons of wins. Most likely, there will be either a postseason ban or show-cause penalty for the involved coaches. The only issue is that the NCAA lacks subpoena power, so they will need evidence + snitches.
 

Irish#1

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If Michigan's alleged sign-stealing is as bad as it looks, Wolverines will pay a big price

"What Stalions allegedly and seemingly did was 100-percent intended to gain a competitive advantage that everyone in the sport understands is wrong. It violates even the lowest standard of ethics, it spits on sportsmanship and it’s just a cut-and-dried line you can’t cross.

There will be a big price to pay for Michigan and perhaps for a lot of people inside that program. But will it stop the Wolverines from winning the national championship this year? It’s difficult to see that happening unless the University of Michigan’s embarrassment is greater than its ambition."
At the pace the NCAA moves, they have a shot. However, if they were to win it all, then the hammer comes down, the only people that will recognize the win are Michigan fans as the championship will be as tainted as it can get.
 

Lberry

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My one thought is TCU. I’m beginning to conclude they never scouted their signals because it was so late in the season or maybe they just got cocky and didn’t think they needed TCUs but went all in on Georgias.

UM smashed OSU only for OSU to give Georgia a great game… only for Georgia to smash TCU. That playoff just seemed weird with how it all played out.
Very good observation. At face value it adds up and makes sense of their struggle with a pretty good but certainly not great team.
 

EvilleIrish

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The bare minimum here is that they will be vacating 2 full seasons of wins. Most likely, there will be either a postseason ban or show-cause penalty for the involved coaches. The only issue is that the NCAA lacks subpoena power, so they will need evidence + snitches.
It's sounding like there's a line of snitches just waiting their turn.
 

Lberry

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The bare minimum here is that they will be vacating 2 full seasons of wins. Most likely, there will be either a postseason ban or show-cause penalty for the involved coaches. The only issue is that the NCAA lacks subpoena power, so they will need evidence + snitches.
Is there any chance the post season ban could apply this year? Is there ever precedent of the NCAA doing that in season?

I couldn't imagine a better ending to the 2023 CFB year. ND could sign Porker to a 10 year contract and I wouldn't even be mad.
 

zelezo vlk

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The bare minimum here is that they will be vacating 2 full seasons of wins. Most likely, there will be either a postseason ban or show-cause penalty for the involved coaches. The only issue is that the NCAA lacks subpoena power, so they will need evidence + snitches.
so_good.jpg
 

FDNYIrish1

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My one thought is TCU. I’m beginning to conclude they never scouted their signals because it was so late in the season or maybe they just got cocky and didn’t think they needed TCUs but went all in on Georgias.

UM smashed OSU only for OSU to give Georgia a great game… only for Georgia to smash TCU. That playoff just seemed weird with how it all played out.
yup. Said the same exact thing the other day in here. They had no idea who they were playing so couldn’t advance scout it. So pathetic
 

Luckylucci

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I would bet we’re going to get more “evidence” as other schools look into who was in those seats for those games.
 

Pops Freshenmeyer

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Just keep in mind that at least one school is supposed to be submitting surveillance footage of this guy video taping their entire game from inside the stadium.
I don't think it is this guy. He would get other people to do it. But if he's buying the ticket they will be able to link the video taker to that particular seat.
 

NDpendent

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Is there any chance the post season ban could apply this year? Is there ever precedent of the NCAA doing that in season?

I couldn't imagine a better ending to the 2023 CFB year. ND could sign Porker to a 10 year contract and I wouldn't even be mad.
It has never happened in the past. It's always been vacating wins after the season but there has been a lot of talk that this might be the first case in NCAA history that they do it before the season is over
 

Luckylucci

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I don't think it is this guy. He would get other people to do it. But if he's buying the ticket they will be able to link the video taker to that particular seat.
Correct, my mistake.

I would think as other schools do the same, they’ll find the pattern.
 

Jiggafini19Deux

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Vacating wins is such a crock of shit. It's not a punishment. I understand there is still a contingent of people that believe all time wins and win percentage matter, but in the grand scheme of things, this all goes well beyond that.

They have to be hit with less scholarships, less practices, major fines in dollars and cents, a bowl ban, recruiting and portal restrictions, or really anything that actually hurts and is an actual punishment against the present and future. Bruce Pearl kept finding work for a reason, folks.

Until you put some teeth into something and make it a real punishment, the grifters and cheaters are just going to keep doing what they're doing. They'll learn from their mistakes and be more careful.
 

stlnd01

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It has never happened in the past. It's always been vacating wins after the season but there has been a lot of talk that this might be the first case in NCAA history that they do it before the season is over
If they don’t, it will overshadow the entire playoffs. (Assuming Michigan makes the playoffs.) They won’t want that.

Longer term, of course they’re not going to death sentence Michigan but modest scholarship reductions and a bowl ban seem plausible. Harbaugh will just skate to whatever NFL team will have him.
 

mango4

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Vacating wins is such a crock of shit. It's not a punishment. I understand there is still a contingent of people that believe all time wins and win percentage matter, but in the grand scheme of things, this all goes well beyond that.

They have to be hit with less scholarships, less practices, major fines in dollars and cents, a bowl ban, recruiting and portal restrictions, or really anything that actually hurts and is an actual punishment against the present and future. Bruce Pearl kept finding work for a reason, folks.

Until you put some teeth into something and make it a real punishment, the grifters and cheaters are just going to keep doing what they're doing. They'll learn from their mistakes and be more careful.

The NCAA should just force them to end their program.
 

Plankton

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The bare minimum here is that they will be vacating 2 full seasons of wins. Most likely, there will be either a postseason ban or show-cause penalty for the involved coaches. The only issue is that the NCAA lacks subpoena power, so they will need evidence + snitches.
Wonder how mad Don Brown and Josh Gattis are at Harbaugh and Michigan?
 

BleedBlueGold

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It has never happened in the past. It's always been vacating wins after the season but there has been a lot of talk that this might be the first case in NCAA history that they do it before the season is over

Good friend of mine is a scUm diehard. Football season is always dicey for our friendship. haha. Anyways, he seems to think it'll be dealt with after the season to which I exploded that that serves no purpose. IF scUM is still allowed to compete for a national championship after playing their weak ass schedule AND getting caught cheating, I will lose my mind. The punishment must hit the current coaching staff NOW. Punishing future players and coaches that had nothing to do with the rule breaking is something I will never understand.
 

Irish#1

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If they don’t, it will overshadow the entire playoffs. (Assuming Michigan makes the playoffs.) They won’t want that.

Longer term, of course they’re not going to death sentence Michigan but modest scholarship reductions and a bowl ban seem plausible. Harbaugh will just skate to whatever NFL team will have him.
Excellent point. Even if that dude is gone, I wouldn't be surprised if the network keeps a camera focused on the sidelines just to fuel the discussion.
 

LSWho?

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A key difference between this and Northwestern and most other NCAA violations is that this directly hurt (and cheated) other programs that have just as much standing with the NCAA as Michigan does. It’s not internal to their program. There are victims with big-time influence of their own.

Yes Michigan’s a big dog but do you think Ohio State and Penn State, for instance, won’t swing their weight around here?

I made this point earlier, though not as well. While the moral crimes of this may not be as bad as NW's hazing and involve the type of money that gets thrown, illegally, at recruits. It will likely be treated far worse because the victims are the other power brokers of the conference. The schools that Michigan was cheating to get ahead.

While it may not be able to move fast enough to impact this season, in real-time. I would think they get crushed for this.

Exactly, this situation is different. People complained about the SEC buying recruits for decades, but it was hard to prove because of the pirate's sense of justice...if everyone in a given conference is cheating, no one has incentive to turn over evidence, because they are just as exposed. For the old-timers, this is why the Albert Means situation at Alabama was so scandalous. Tennessee broke the pirate's code, which led to bad blood between Alabama and Tennessee for decades.

But there seems to be universal agreement within the Big 10 that this was egregious, and they're pissed. Big 10 coaches suspected this was going on but couldn't prove it until recently. Now that the dam has broken, new evidence is emerging daily. Even if the NCAA wants to avoid punishing UM for this, which, frankly, there's no evidence for except UM fans hoping out loud, Big 10 programs are not going to let this issue go.

Also, the last thing the OSU fanbase needs is a martyr complex, but I have to say I'm with them on this one. That sideline video from the Columbus news station is conclusive. Watch that sideline. UM had the signs before the game began and their whole sideline was reading the OSU sideline. The outcome of that game needs to be vacated.
 

Jiggafini19Deux

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the situations might be different, but the response of the accused is going to be the same. Deny, deny, deny. Plausible deniability. Fitz didn't know what was happening at NU but it was right in front of him and he encouraged it.

Harbaugh is going to claim he knew nothing about this yet there is evidence mounting that the coaching staff and players knew signs from opposing teams. Regardless of the situations, the "leaders" where the buck is supposed to stop simply lie and deny everything. That's where it all remains the same in the end.

Plausible deniability.
 

zelezo vlk

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I think we need to start figuring out whom we want to target from Michigan's roster when the NCAA inevitably gives their whole roster free transfers a la PSU in 2012 and Ole Miss in 2017
 

Katzenboyer

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Good friend of mine is a scUm diehard. Football season is always dicey for our friendship. haha. Anyways, he seems to think it'll be dealt with after the season to which I exploded that that serves no purpose. IF scUM is still allowed to compete for a national championship after playing their weak ass schedule AND getting caught cheating, I will lose my mind. The punishment must hit the current coaching staff NOW. Punishing future players and coaches that had nothing to do with the rule breaking is something I will never understand.

It would be so tasty if the CFP committee ranks them at #10, or in that vicinity, based on these issues.

It'll never happen, but the meltdown would be absolutely glorious.
 
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