Michigan sign-stealing allegations: More info leaks from Big Ten coaches’ call

Big Ten coaches met on a video call on Wednesday and discussed the Michigan sign-stealing scandal, which is arguably the biggest story in college football at the moment.

More information is starting to come out about that call and what all was discussed.

A source told Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic that Big Ten coaches are unhappy that, “The playing field is not level right now. How can you have a team that you know has a competitive advantage over you still being allowed to play? That’s what the coaches are grappling with.”

The coaches call involved Big Ten coaches and conference commissioner Tony Petitti, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh was on the regularly scheduled 90-minute call, but hung up after the normal business to let the others freely discuss the situation in Ann Arbor without him. Pete Thamel of ESPN reported multiple coaches urged Petitti to take action during the “intense and emotional” conversation, which lasted about an hour after Harbaugh left.

“Collectively, the coaches want the Big Ten to act — right now,” a source told Thamel. “What are we waiting on? We know what happened.”

Michigan and Ohio State are currently the only two undefeated teams in the Big Ten at 8-0 (5-0). As things stand, the winner of that game to close out the regular season is in an excellent spot to reach the Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff. That could change if action is taken against Michigan.

The Wolverines are set to host Purdue this weekend.

Under the Big Ten’s sportsmanship policy, the league could punish the Wolverines and members of the Michigan staff. Thamel reported Petitti didn’t indicate what his stance was on that direction.

The NCAA opened up its investigation into the sign-stealing allegations at Michigan two weeks ago, and Thamel and others reported it’s centered on analyst Connor Stalions. Since the initial report from Yahoo! Sports, multiple other allegations have come out related to the situation, including reports that Stalions bought tickets to multiple Big Ten and potential College Football Playoff opponents’ games. Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson reported Stalions bragged about having signs as part of the “Michigan Manifesto.”

Michigan suspended Stalions with pay, pending the results of the investigation.

The allegations go back a few years, and teams apparently knew about what might have been happening within the Wolverines program. According to Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger, TCU got word of possible sign-stealing going on at Michigan ahead of last year’s CFP game and used “dummy” signs in the 51-45 victory.

Tuesday night, the Wolverines — who are off to a red-hot, 8-0 start to the season — came in at No. 3 in the first CFP rankings of the year. But the question remains how the sign-stealing allegations will impact Michigan’s standing regarding the Playoff. Both executive director Bill Hancock and committee chairman Boo Corrigan said it’s an “NCAA issue, not a CFP issue” and said the committee will continue to look at what happens on the field when deciding the rankings.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report