Evaluating how a potential Jim Harbaugh suspension would impact Penn State game

This week is shaping up to be a big one for the sign-stealing investigation at Michigan. On Monday, the Big Ten presented the Wolverines with a notice of possible disciplinary action — a major step from the league toward a possible punishment.

All eyes are on Jim Harbaugh and what will happen with him as a result of the investigation. Former analyst Connor Stalions was at the center of the inquiry, but he announced his resignation late Friday night ahead of Michigan’s game against Purdue. There continues to be chatter about a possible punishment for Harbaugh from Tony Petitti under the Big Ten’s sportsmanship policy, and the Wolverines have until Wednesday to respond to the conference’s notice.

This is all happening days before Michigan will take on Penn State on Saturday afternoon. If Harbaugh winds up dealing with his second suspension of the year, it’s worth wondering how that impacts that game.

According to BWI’s Sean Fitz, it likely won’t change things too much.

“Michigan has done it without a head coach before, so it’s not an unprecedented situation for them to go through this,” Fitz told Andy Staples on Andy Staples On3. “First off, I think the line is probably a little bit smaller than it maybe should be. There’s too much of that outside interference taking its toll on the line. … Yes, Penn State has played Michigan well at home. This series has been sort of home and home, and that’s, I think, what goes into it. But Michigan is still, regardless of who’s actually wearing the big headset in the game, that’s still going to be a top-to-bottom really good team.”

How Michigan could fare without Jim Harbaugh if the Big Ten levies a punishment against him

Harbaugh missed Michigan’s first three games of the year because of a self-imposed suspension stemming from an NCAA investigation into recruiting violations. While the suspension wasn’t a result of the allegations, Harbaugh allegedly mislead investigators, resulting in the season-opening ban.

During that time, Michigan used a rotating group of acting head coaches and still went 3-0 against East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green.

The pending decision from the Big Ten comes after Petitti met with multiple groups of conference officials. Last week, he held calls with league coaches and athletic directors, who all called for action against Michigan in light of the allegations. He also met with conference presidents and, on Friday, was on campus in Ann Arbor for the Big Ten field hockey championships. While there, he met with UM president Santa Ono and other officials about the situation.

Petitti has the authority to punish Michigan because of the Big Ten’s sportsmanship clause, which is about the “integrity of competition” in the “competitive arena,” if the discipline is “standard” or “major.”

Last month, the NCAA opened an investigation into Michigan regarding alleged in-person scouting — a nearly 30-year-old rule — and it eventually led the inquiry to center on Stalions. He allegedly bought tickets to multiple Big Ten teams’ and possible College Football Playoff opponents’ games. The university suspended him with pay, initially, before confirming his resignation.