cofopoff

[Bryan Fuller]

Harbaugh in the wind update. The Athletic clears some things up about what's going on in Harbaugh's head:

…sources pushed back on the theory that Michigan’s handling of NIL will be a major factor in Harbaugh’s NFL decision.

“Everybody’s got this so unbelievably wrong,” one source said, pointing to Cade McNamara, Blake Corum, J.J. McCarthy, Aidan Hutchinson and other Michigan stars who landed lucrative NIL deals, along with an arrangement that allows players to profit from the sale of officially licensed jerseys.

However:

Whether it’s relaxing restrictions on the use of school trademarks or providing additional NIL infrastructure, there’s a sense that Michigan can do more to maximize its NIL potential.

Harbaugh is Harbaugh so he may indeed flit off to the NFL at a whim but it doesn't sound like it'll be because he feels like he can't compete at a high level. Michigan had the misfortune to run up against a generational Georgia team without the kind of flamethrower at QB you need to overcome that kind of opponent, but that's more an accident of timing than fate.

Settlement reached. The Dr. Anderson number:

Michigan has reached a $490 million settlement with more than 1,000 survivors of sexual abuse by former team doctor Robert Anderson. Parker Stinar, an attorney representing Anderson survivors, said the two sides reached an agreement at approximately 10 p.m. Tuesday.

I have no opinion on whether this is the correct number. So much of the sturm und drang around this was plaintiffs lawyers saying whatever to make the number go up and university officials saying nothing because they weren't allowed to. The number does not matter. What matters is how the university handled it once it was brought to light—pretty well, it seems, no John Englers—and how ruthlessly they ejected Mark Schlissel when his malfeasance came to light. I've seen a lot of questions about why they released the massively embarrassing emails, and I sincerely hope the answer was "fuck around and find out." No quarter for people high up in the university's governance who can't follow basic protocols about decency.

[After THE JUMP: PSU gets aggressive with ticket holders]

Alabama: never in a bowl game again [Patrick Barron]

College football may be dropping traditions left and right but one will always remain: Bill Hancock being trotted out to endorse a reconfiguration of college football he'd spent years decrying.

“This proposal at its heart was created to provide more participation for more players and more schools,” CFP executive director Bill Hancock said. “In a nutshell, that is the working group’s message: more participation.”

We may not get Texas-Texas A&M or Oklahoma-Nebraska anymore, but we'll always have the greatest rivalry: Hancock now vs Hancock five minutes ago.

Anyway, the reconfiguration in bullet points:

  • 12-team field.
  • The 6 highest-ranked conference champions get automatic bids.
  • The 6 highest-ranked non-champions get at-large bids.
  • The top four conference champions get byes.
  • The first round is at home sites. Quarters, semis, and the final are at bowl sites.
  • There is no re-seeding to avoid rematches or intraconference matchups.

To the takes machine!

[After THE JUMP: maybe talk to Bob Homegames next time]

goodnight sweet prince [Marc-Gregor Campredon]

Sponsor note. Have a business? Want a business? Want that business to cross the Ts and dot the Is? Well, go call Richard Hoeg.

hoeglaw_thumb

Richard Hoeg has a small business of his own and loves other small businesses, including this one. He will get you up and running with all the required paperwork. He'll help you with contracts, and Star Wars opinions, but mostly documents and contracts. You can also follow him on twitter.

If you want a full Michigan Stadium/Crisler/Yost. The state government has set a path to full reopening based on vaccination rates:

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At 65% they'll lift indoor capacity limits but still require social distancing. At 70% it's go time. If you haven't gotten vaccinated yet there are walk-in opportunities all over the state. Ken Haddad's twitter feed is the most comprehensively updated vaccine availability notification device I've run across.

Also, if you took advantage of Ohio's Yokel Factor and got vaccinated south of the border because of increased availability you probably want to tell your primary care physician.

[After THE JUMP: playoff expansion inevitable]

if I stop talking about Nico Collins targets for five minutes I will die 

if you do not read this a pokemon will descend from the clouds and give you a minor static shock 

of course Liberty hired Hugh Freeze

Stu Douglass chair fight