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This team has been fun to…

This team has been fun to watch and I do think they'll get into the playoffs, but I wouldn't expect any big moves that could knock them off course from the long term plan, which is fine.

After some really dark years, Detroit sports are seemingly on a comeback trail. No Detroit team had advanced in the playoffs since the Tigers went to the ALCS in 2013, with most teams going on extended playoff appearance droughts during this same span, it's been brutal.

But the Lions ended that by advancing to the NFC Championship, the Wings look poised to end their playoff drought, and not a lot of people are talking about it but I think the Tigers have had a quietly really solid offseason to compliment a nice group of young players finally hitting their stride in the majors and could make some noise in a weak central.

The Pistons.... well they exist I suppose. But for everyone else it feels like the dark days are coming to a close.

"Kelce has one job"
1. block…

"Kelce has one job"

1. block
2. run routes
3. catch the ball

Sad to see Harbaugh go but…

Sad to see Harbaugh go but it's refreshing that Michigan can have a coach leave and we get to have a podcast reflecting on so many great moments and memories. Sure beats the last few coaching changes.

During the press conference…

During the press conference Moore seemed to hint he already had someone in mind for OC. I would guess that probably means Kirk Campbell is in line, but could be wrong.

I was thinking that. There's…

I was thinking that. There's a ton of memes out there that basically say the same thing depending on the person making it.

The Lions/Michigan football finally won a Super Bowl/National Championship, and all it took was sacrificing the Pistons/Michigan basketball.

Meanwhile, I am not a super follower of hockey but it kind of looks like the Red Wings and Michigan hockey are aligned as well, both well positioned to make the post season but not really make much of a run once there. But the hockey fans can correct me if I am wrong on that.

I continue to be of the…

I continue to be of the opinion that this is going to backfire on Ohio State and possibly lead to the end of the Ryan Day era.

From a football point of view, they're going to be very good, especially defensively. But I don't really see the offense being that much better. They lose MHJ and I don't see Howard as an upgrade from McCord. Their offensive line will be good and they have the best RB room in the country, but I am just not sold they can win with another just above average QB. They do have two highly touted prospects coming in, but they're going to be true freshman so likely wont earn the starting nod.

But the even bigger problem now is the expectations. They're good enough to be one of the handful of teams that can win a national championship, but they ALWAYS are that. The difference is this year they basically HAVE to, or the donors that spent all this money aren't going to keep opening up the checkbook.

I can see a scenario where they don't win the national championship, and even a worse case scenario for them, Michigan comes in there and beats them in Columbus (given that Michigan should have an elite defense, they'll be underdogs in this game but the defense will keep it close enough), heads are going to roll in Columbus. They will blow the entire thing up if they lose to Michigan for sure, and probably might still if they don't win the whole thing.

This is for sure an "all-in" scenario for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, and I'm not that convinced it's going to work.

As someone who watched those…

As someone who watched those original videos over and over and always kind of revisited that time it's cool to see this come full circle.

I don't think you get to appreciate real triumph without feeling the pain and suffering that comes before it.

Thanks for sharing.

Look, I love Jim Harbaugh…

Look, I love Jim Harbaugh and want him to be the coach next year and for the next decade, I want this to be his last coaching job, he has earned it and Michigan has been better and would be better having him lead the program.

But also at some point you have to be honest. I know this isn't a popular opinion, but I don't think this is on Warde, the regents, or anyone else, this is on Harbaugh still having that itch to coach in the NFL.

And I don't blame him for this, and if that's what he wants to do, I will be the first one to wish him success. But at some point Jim Harbaugh shares the blame in this contract negotiation too. We've heard over and over again that Jim just wants to feel the love from Michigan, that's all he needs, but that has to go both ways. Three years now we have heard the same thing. "I am going to flirt with the NFL, I didn't find the right situation, but I am coming back to Michigan and this is only going to be a one time thing."

But every year we go through it again, so as much as I love Jim Harbaugh, I don't believe him. So at what point do we just part ways? His inability to really give up on that itch has left Michigan somewhat incapable of capitalizing on what he's built here. Three straight Big Ten Titles, three straight wins over Ohio State, three straight playoff appearances, and a National Championship, accomplishments for which he deserves a lions share of the credit. Yet every spring it's hard to keep players, jump in the portal, keep classes together, etc., because we don't know if Jim Harbaugh is going to the NFL or not. Michigan has been incapable of fully capitalizing on what he built because he is incapable of truly being committed to Michigan, which is completely fair on his part.

And that's fine, but let's just be honest about it for once. The narrative is that all Jim Harbaugh wants it for Michigan to show him love and loyalty, but when does that feeling get returned? If it can't, let's just put a plan in place to move on so everyone can be happy and fondly remember what he has done here, because everyone has earned that right.

Without starting a new…

Without starting a new thread, who are we still waiting on?

I've seen chatter than Moore and Paige are both coming back but was that ever made official? I didn't see it. Otherwise we're still waiting on Trente Jones, right? Or did I miss that too? Anyone else?

In the Thumb of Michigan, so…

In the Thumb of Michigan, so the storm just started here about 4 hours ago.

Made General Tso's chicken and fried rice for dinner, now sipping on what most would consider a weird combination of Seagrams and Squirt.

On the Lions game, I said before the season that I would be thrilled with the division and one playoff win. This feels even more urgent now with Stafford coming back to town, feels like a must win. I'll take the Lions.

Otherwise give me Browns, Chiefs, Bills, Cowboys, and Bucs.

Trying to make a funny. I…

Trying to make a funny. I can let the mob be the judge of that. 

He hasn't been mentioned yet…

He hasn't been mentioned yet from what I see but Tyler Morris has flashed some ability and should enter a make it or break it year as far as if he can solidify a consistent role.

I think it's pretty exciting to get a guy back that outran the entire 4.5-5* Alabama defense. 

I could be wrong, but wasn't…

I could be wrong, but wasn't that provision added AFTER the cheeseburger incident? So in that case, Harbaugh isn't going to be retroactively punished anyway.

And the Level 1 Infractions against Harbaugh don't relate him actually buying cheeseburgers, but the claim that he wasn't forthcoming with investigators about it.

Either way, it's a pretty silly hill to die on for the NCAA and I wouldn't trust that they wont die on similarly silly hills with SignGate.

Agree with this. JJ could…

Agree with this. JJ could certainly improve his stock by coming back another year and getting more reps. This goes even futhher considering what Michigan is losing, JJ will have to be a dude next year for Michigan to compete.

But my post is more about the guy himself. Whether he goes late first round this year, or earlier next year, it doesn't really matter. He's never gonna put up the numbers of some of these other QBs, but he could. He also doesn't care, and that's the kicker.

He's talented enough, he CAN do it, but he doesn't care if he does it. He's a winner, he's a team guy, he's focused, but he can also elevate his game. He's a dream come true as a pro athlete, and teams will miss out on the intangibles that we'll sit here on MgoBlog always knowing he had.

Brady was like that, there's only a select few people like that. JJ is one of them. 

We're in a different era as…

We're in a different era as far as how the NFL values the QB position. Whether JJ comes back another year or not, there's no way he's falling to the 6th/7th round, quarterbacks are too valuable now.

But if you consider this year at least, there's a possibility he is the 5th or 6th QB off the board. Brady was the 7th QB off the board. Back then, that was the 6th/7th round, today that's at the worst the 1st-3rd round.

The game has changed, but the story remains the same, someone who wants to draft a QB will draft a player not named JJ McCarthy, multiple teams will, they'll likely regret it. 

There's a lot of options in…

There's a lot of options in this group, but football always comes down to the quarterback, and that quarterback is JJ McCarthy.

I broke into Michigan fandom during the era of Tom Brady vs Drew Henson, and I could never understand why Tom Brady wasn't the starting quarterback for Michigan, he just had *it*, you could tell then, it was clear as day. He became my favorite Michigan player during the most formative years of my Michigan fandom.

When he got drafted, I swore I would follow Tom Brady wherever he went. I was born in Michigan, a Lions fan by birth, but I swore wherever Tom Brady went, that was my second favorite team.

Despite all my confidence, I had no idea at the time, how well following Tom Brady's career would go. I had so many highs following him from New England to Tampa Bay, what a ride he gave me for deciding that he was my ride or die dude. 

JJ McCarthy has that same *it*. I'm not saying his career will go as splendid as Brady's did, that's almost impossible to do. But he has his doubters, and those doubts may extend to the draft, where he might go late first round, early second, have 3-5 QBs picked before him, just like Brady.

But I'll tell you this, whatever NFL team gets this kid, is in for a treat, the same way as the Patriots were for a treat when they drafted Tom Brady, they just didn't know it yet. Every team that passes on JJ McCarthy will live to regret it, he has *it*, the same way Brady does. He is talented, unselfish, puts the team first, and is a fierce competitor.

I look forward to following his career the same way I followed Brady's, because I have no doubt he will make good on it. 

Everyone says this, but…

Everyone says this, but thanks for everything Brian. I've been on this journey with you and it's great to see it come to this day. 

I generally agree with this…

I generally agree with this but would note that for the players, lining up in the formation the coach asked them to allowed them to avoid him detecting that they were about to go against him.

If they had lined up in any other formation he could have called a timeout, said "wtf are you guys doing??" and yanked Williams off the field. 

Lloyd Carr retirement…

Lloyd Carr retirement/Coaching search that resulted in Rich Rod hire.

It took a few years to create an account once they switched over to this platform, but this has always been the best sports blog/website regardless of sport or level on the internet for a long time.

The Harbaugh era has been…

The Harbaugh era has been much better than the Hoke era when it comes to the uniforms. Some of the alternates or bowl unis they had were weird, the maize looked like highlighter yellow, and I wasn't a fan of keeping the number on the helmet for all of 2011.

When Harbaugh first arrived I didn't really like the reintroduction of the helmet stickers, but they've since grown on me.

My obviously definitive top…

My obviously definitive top 25.

1. Michigan
2.Texas
3. Ohio State
4. USC
5. Penn State
6. Florida State
7. Notre Dame
8. UCLA
9. Washington
10. Alabama
11. Iowa
12. Florida
13. North Carolina
14. LSU
15. SMU
16. Nebraska
17. Colorado
18. Tennessee
19. Clemson
20. Stanford
21. Oklahoma
22. Bowling Green
23. Minnesota
24. Washington State
25. Ole Miss (Best if powder blue)

There is one moment I wish I…

There is one moment I wish I could see a clip of but I doubt it caught much attention.

Not during the game itself, but while still in the pregame when the Michigan band was on the field, Rece Davis was trying to talk as the band was playing The Victors, and you could hear the M fans belting out "HAIL!" loudly even as the broadcast was going on and you could tell this almost made Davis emotional, like he had to stop speaking and just said something like "listen to this."

Thought that was a cool moment. 

I don't know if there is one…

I don't know if there is one as in depth as MGoBlog but I have always enjoyed reading Black Heart Gold Pants (Iowa), especially in the lead up and aftermath of any Michigan game.

Anyone doing a ESPN Bowl…

Anyone doing a ESPN Bowl Challenge league?

I have been on the struggle bus, 13-10 and only in the 77.4 percentile, yet thankfully I am still in a tie for first place in my league.

Bowl games feel harder and harder to predict. 

I think the Tigers are…

I think the Tigers are closer than people expect. I really like this front office so far and am a huge AJ Hinch fan. The Tigers have been young and below average talent but have punched above their weight and won more games than they were supposed to in 2 of the 3 Hinch years so far, even with getting hit by a ton of injuries.

They've quietly had a really nice offseason with some of the additions they've made. Not huge splashes, but they're not ready to make huge splashes yet. Riley and Tork seem to be coming into their own, the outfield is talented, Skubal is a legit ace in the making, and you have to believe at least one of the other young arms (Mize, Olson, Manning) will be a solid mid rotation guy.

They still need some help in the infield, especially with the travesty of that Baez contract, but do have some young options coming up there too as well, especially 3B.

With the weak AL Central I think the Tigers could put themselves in a position to contend for it this year. Not saying they will, but Tigers baseball is getting back to worth watching again imo.

Interestingly, a lot of the…

Interestingly, a lot of the smaller games are more watchable than the NY6 games. The NY6 games are are supposed to be the top games, featuring the top teams/brands, but they also have a higher concentration of NFL Draft talent willing to opt out since they didn't make the CFP.

A lot of the lower level games feature Power 5 teams trying to cement a nice season or program building win, especially for those with new coaches or rebuilds, and Group of 5 teams who truly view the game as a reward and the culmination of their good season.

Works for me on the main…

Works for me on the main page but not when I am in a board thread. 

The key is going to be…

The key is going to be whether Michigan can box in Milroe and limit the damage he does with his legs.

Michigan is going to throw defensive looks at Milroe he's never seen before and he's going to be confused about it. He's also not going to have a ton of time to figure it out, because Alabama's O-Line isn't the O-line of old and working against Michigan's interior DL is a decided mismatch for them.

Michigan can absolutely with coverages and pressure force Milroe into game changing errors, so long as they limit the amount of times he breaks contain and makes plays with his feet. These will happen, there's no getting around it, it's just how often they happen.

If it's not that often, Michigan wins by a couple scores and everyone wonders why anyone would be concerned about Bama. If he gets loose this will be a close one and Michigan will have to execute in the final minutes/possessions to win.

Frankly, I'm not that worried about it, I think Michigan is pretty clearly positioned to beat this Bama team.

Link:

 

https://www.on3…

Link:

 

https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/news/dj-uiagalelei-oregon-state-beavers-quarterback-football-clemson-plans-enter-transfer-portal/

I do think it is a little…

I do think it is a little unfair to judge coaches based on their performance in top 5 games, which are obviously the hardest to win and also provide the smallest sample size.

It's in a way similar to Harbaugh being 0-5 at one point vs Ohio State and saying, "well he's good, but he can't win the big one," when those are the hardest games to win.

Day did inherit a better situation that Harbaugh obviously, and I think Harbaugh is a better coach, but just like Harbaugh, Day has caught some rough breaks in close games in those top 5 matchups too.

Day obviously does have some weaknesses, especially in game management. But I think overall he is proven to be a good coach. If the pressure of beating Michigan forced him out of Columbus I would celebrate, unlike some people, because I don't think Ohio State's next coach will be better.

Then again, we're talking about the school that moved pretty seamlessly from Tressel to Meyer to Day, so maybe they would pull of another miracle. But you'd think, like every other major power, they're due for a "oops we hired the wrong guy" and 5+ years of trying to recover from that at some point.

Don't forget both came…

Don't forget both came around during the fall of Paterno era and chaos at Penn State as well. The last year's of Paterno, the short O'Brien era, and the first years of Franklin, were all very mediocre teams.

Dantonio, more than anyone, benefited from the void left by that era at Penn State and the Rich Rod/Hoke eras at Michigan. 

You have to believe Harbaugh…

You have to believe Harbaugh is being truthful about not knowing this whole thing is going on. The rest of the staff better have been being truthful too. If they weren't, then this program is coached by the dumbest group of people on earth.

These are minor violations, there would be no reason to die on the "I didn't know" hill unless you were being 100% honest. If Harbaugh and the coordinators or other assistants knew, they should have just said that from the start and been like "yeah, Connor was the sign stealing guy, we found out he was having people tape games but didn't realize it was against the rule, it looks like a gray area to us but maybe we're wrong, but the rule is old and outdated and not a huge deal so yes, just give us our slap on the wrist and be done with it."

That's all they should have done if they knew about all this. If they chose to die on this hill, sued the Big Ten, saber rattled for 3 weeks, and they knew about the scheme all along, they turned a stupid minor violation into a big one and don't deserve to coach a Big Ten football team.

I have to imagine they're telling the truth, they can't be that dumb.

While I am not saying he's…

While I am not saying he's wrong or that Michigan's team hasn't been surprisingly ahead of expectations, coaches kind of have incentive to say stuff like this.

"Yeah I know we got our faces kicked in but I am telling you right now, that's one of the best teams in the country so really it's not that bad of a loss."

I think Hoke has changed the…

I think Hoke has changed the tide on the rivalry. Hell people in Ohio are starting to believe him. Never in a million years I would have thought that. Selling Michigan jerseys is a good start.

Michigan should fight any…

Michigan should fight any penalty, to not do so would be hypocritical given the firm stance they have taken and the arguments laid out in the letters.

That being said, this would be welcome news as it would allow Michigan to play out the season with Harbaugh and alleviate the need for any TRO or injunction. 

They can handle the litigation behind the scenes while everyone gets back to worrying about football.

These people trying to draw…

These people trying to draw a distinction between Stalions and this operation are out of their minds. Relevant part of the story:

"Schools sharing signal information is not uncommon in college football, multiple sources in the coaching profession told SI, nor is it against NCAA rules. “Every week you call your friends on other staffs and say, ‘Hey, what you got [on our next opponent]?’ ” A current coach with Big Ten experience said. “Everyone does it. Who cares?”

1. First of all, the "everyone does it" defense isn't going to work for them if it doesn't work for Michigan.

2. There is no realistic difference between what Stalions did and what these schools are accused of doing:

- Stalions had random people advance scout Michigan's opponents

- Michigan's opponents had OTHER COACHES advance scout Michigan

- The competitive advantage argument and pearl clutching "think of the children" is obviously out the window. If coaches were so concerned about the player safety repercussions of having a team's signs before games, they didn't show that concern here.

In both cases, an arrangement was made with a third party to advance scout an opponent for the purpose of stealing signs. 

All the gray area arguments that apply to what Big Ten coaches were doing also apply to Stalions.

You could make the argument that what Michigan's opponents were doing was worse, given that instead of having information from nobodies and grainy Iphone footage, they had PROFESSIONALS scouting Michigan. Moreover, it seems that much of the league was colluding together to beat Michigan, where as Michigan was looking out for only itself. 

OP, I would suggest just…

OP, I would suggest just editing your post to put the information at the top of this. You already made the thread, might as well make sure people don't have to dig for what you're talking about.

I just read Sam's post and…

I just read Sam's post and it is unreal how out of control this situation is.

The basic gist of the situation is that other Big Ten coaches and ADs want Harbaugh fired, and they are pressuring the Big Ten to force Michigan to do it.

Think of how unprecedented this is. Over a media firestorm and without a complete investigation, the governing body of a conference is trying to bully a member school into firing an employee. That is an absurd overreach and such a clear example of mob rule that has to be resisted by Michigan at all costs.

If the investigation reveals damning information that this was a program wide thing and that Harbaugh knew, Michigan would be well within their right to fire Harbaugh. But that's MICHIGAN'S decision and that's AFTER an investigation, it's not the mobs call.

To let rivals who benefit from the fall of one of the best coaches in college football dictate this situation is a complete sham.

He dropped a few days ago…

He dropped a few days ago that there was a "felony" in obtaining information from Stalion's drive. Today, Balas dropped his PI report that basically said the same thing.

Tbf, I get the complaints with Hole. Sometimes he's so vague it's basically impossible to make out what his actual point is, let alone accuse him of being wrong.

He says time and time again that it's to protect his sources, and he's probably not lying. I have worked a ton of stories myself, and sometimes sources give you information on background that you just can't use for one reason or another. But what you can use it for is to inform your reporting.

So in a way, Hole is kind of serving as a debunker even though he can't say why. This report or that report is coming out, and Hole knows because of the information he has that it's unlikely to be true, but he also can't report the information he has for whatever reason.

Having information on background also helps point you in the right direction for when you can reveal information, either from the source you have on background or if you confirm it with another source, especially one who will allow you to use the information.

Yeah, that's basically what…

Yeah, that's basically what he said.

He mentioned Thamel may have this, but said that his sources have told him that it either 1. doesn't exist or 2. if it does exist, it wouldn't be related to his sign stealing operation.

To be clear, he confirmed…

To be clear, he confirmed the reporting on the PI firm/potential illegal activities, but seemed more neutral and aligned with Sam on the whole Balas doom reporting. 

From my understanding of Sam…

From my understanding of Sam's post, which was on the message board for those wondering, the "not in the clear" seems to mostly pertain to Harbaugh, because Sam's understanding is that the rest of the B10 coaches and admin are really out for him.

I don't want to divulge too much paywall information, but since this is floating out there and I think Sam has been misunderstood, Sam said something to the effect of the "B10 wants [Jim Harbaugh's] head."

If you don't read what Sam said closely, it can be misunderstood to mean the conference and the commish want Harbaugh's head, and i've seen this floating around Twitter. But if you read what he says carefully, he's clearly talking about the coaches and ADs who complained to the B10, that want Harbaugh's head. I think that's an important distinction. 

It's a statement through a…

It's a statement through a lawyer lol, they're going to make you give yourself wiggle room.

I wont get too much into…

I wont get too much into what Maize & Blue Review is saying, because it's paywalled, but John Hensche over there is basically disputing the the Balas characterization of everything and doesn't believe anything has significantly changed. Link if you're a member or want to sign up:

 

https://michigan.forums.rivals.com/threads/intel-on-%E2%80%9Cdamning-evidence%E2%80%9D-and-what%E2%80%99s-next.354336/

None of this is going to…

None of this is going to happen but if Michigan were to leave the Big Ten, they should just go independent. The Michigan athletic department is among the wealthiest in the country and Michigan's TV ratings and massive following would land them a good media rights deal in which they'd be able to keep every penny.

On the field, the annual game with Notre Dame should be restored, a game that annoys a lot of people but is frankly mutually beneficial to both programs. Annual games with Oregon State and Washington State could also be on the schedule, with both teams likely having to move to a conference like the Mountain West or go independent themselves, creating demand to schedule strong competition.

Not saying anything SHOULD…

Not saying anything SHOULD happen, nothing should happen. But this is what I predict based on how this is playing out. I hope I am wrong but the script is so obvious.

I am starting to believe…

I am starting to believe that a likely outcome of this, for this year, is that Harbaugh will be suspended for two games.

I have been saying from the beginning that this isn't really a rules violation case, at least in the normal sense of the word. This is a PR effort to damage Michigan, to essentially "cancel" Michigan.

This has played out consistently on other issues, it hasn't really touched college sports, but the script is always the same. The target person or organization either commits some sort of what most would typically brush off as a minor transgression, but in this case well-connected people with a goal in mind drum up a media firestorm, control the narrative, and push for IMMEDIATE harsher punishments.

The mob on social media and other parties that could stand to gain by take down of the target then pile on and demand action. More news comes out every day, never really changing much but always packaged and spun in the most outrage inducing way to keep the fire hot, and the cycle repeats until whatever entity has power over the target acts.

The leaks coming out of the most recent meeting seems to indicate that the league is "considering options" but don't want to "hurt the players," so a suspension of Harbaugh has "been discussed." This is a perfect get out of jail free card for the Big Ten to act in a spineless fashion. They won't nuke Michigan and ban them from the championship, but they'll suspend Harbaugh and issue a $10k fine so they can say they "did something" to appease the mob.

Of course, this will be unlikely to appease the mob. They will then point to the suspension as "proof" that Michigan is guilty of major sins and turn their attention to the CFP. Whether they cave or not is anyone's guess.

I've said I am not convinced…

I've said I am not convinced that the allegations at the center of this story actually broke the rules. Given the history and rationale of the rule, you could at least argue that what he was doing was not a violation.

Some of that defense goes out the window when, and I believe if, they determine that Stalions attended the CMU vs MSU game. But again, that is a pretty clear rule and we have a history (2016 Baylor) of the type of punishment violating that rule would bring.

All of this other stuff about sign stealing is just noise, it could not matter less.... except to be used as a weapon to advance a narrative.

Two points on this:

1. It…

Two points on this:

1. It seems almost impossible that it wasn't Stalions on the CMU sideline. This case is easy to crack if it wasn't him. It's been 4 days since that picture came out, it would have taken CMU a lot shorter than that to see the pictures and go "uh no, that's Josh, one of our GA's in the recruiting department."

Since they have not done that, and instead launched an investigation, and had their HC go to the podium and say "I don't know how this happened," we can rationally conclude CMU has no idea who this person is. If CMU doesn't know who it is, who could it really be?

We already were kind of bracing for news that Stalions attended this game. Maybe we didn't know the full extent of HOW he attended, but we were already pretty sure he did. All of this put together, it seems almost certain the dude in the pictures is him.

2. All of that being said, this is the first evidence Stalions broke a rule for sure. The reports that came out before this said that he was sending other people to games. I'm not 100% sure that's against the rules, though some have argued it is. Others have argued it's a gray area.

No matter what though, him attending the CMU vs MSU game is for sure against the rules. But this rule has been violated before, in 2016, when a Baylor coach was suspended for one half for it.

But also all this kind of circles back to how ridiculous this plot has gotten. If you take one step back, the first thing you have to ask yourself when it comes to any punishment for Michigan is "did they break the rules?"

In the case of Stalions going to the CMU vs MSU game, that is absolutely the case. But stealing signs is not against the rules. And that's how you know this is more of a PR campaign than anything else. The media is beating the drum over sign stealing (not against the rules) because it sounds worse than in-person scouting (against the rules.) 

Would people be as mad if Stalions went to games to get a different look at opponent substitution patterns, formations, etc? I doubt it. Stealing signs in this case is no different. It's a normally legal activity done in an illegal way. They NEED the sign stealing for the narrative.

Why is the feature image…

Why is the feature image pointed at the Illinois sideline? We thinking they are going to emerge from the heap of the west?