But I get it. If you\u2019re someone who wanted blood over the sign-stealing scandal, you\u2019ve been conditioned for decades to expect postseason bans and vacated wins when a school gets in trouble. Personally, I\u2019m glad the membership has finally realized that the people most affected by postseason bans are athletes who weren\u2019t even on the team at that time and had nothing to do with the infractions. Some of the players on the 2010 and \u201911 USC teams who got banned over Reggie Bush\u2019s extra benefits were in junior high when Bush played there.<\/p>\n
Which is why USC fans \u2014 and Ohio State fans, and Miami fans, and any other fan base that suffered through a postseason ban \u2014 may be furious Michigan didn\u2019t get one.<\/p>\n
However, even though I think an eight-figure fine is plenty punitive, it\u2019s not exactly a deterrent. That money is not coming out of Jim Harbaugh\u2019s, Sherrone Moore\u2019s or Connor Stalions\u2019 pockets. And generally speaking, it\u2019s not \u201cprograms\u201d that cheat, it\u2019s individuals.<\/p>\n
I wonder how differently this would all feel if Harbaugh weren\u2019t already long gone to the NFL. The guy is effectively banned from college coaching for 14 years. That\u2019s unheard of. In this case, it doesn\u2019t matter because the guy wasn\u2019t coming back to college regardless. But if this were a college-only guy (Dabo Swinney, Kalen DeBoer, Josh Heupel) or someone still early in their career (Dan Lanning, Marcus Freeman, Kenny Dillingham), it would be devastating for them.<\/p>\n
As for Stalions himself, if you read that report, he is the clumsiest saboteur since the \u201cHome Alone\u201d burglars. I can\u2019t say his eight-year show cause will be a deterrent to fellow GAs and analysts as much as it will be comical reading material around their offices.<\/p>\n
Stewart, why can\u2019t Michigan\u2019s fans understand why we all think they have no integrity left anymore? They all claim to be so much better than every other team when they obviously aren\u2019t. Signed, your friends in SEC country. \u2014 Bob D.<\/p>\n
No idea what you\u2019re talking about, Bob. Haven\u2019t most Michigan fans accepted the punishment and expressed ample disappointment in the stain this story brought on their university?<\/p>\n
Do you and The Athletic refer to the Michigan \u201csituation\u201d as the sign-stealing scandal to sensationalize and draw engagement, or because it is easy (and a bit lazy)? \u2014 Todd D.<\/p>\n
Oh, I see.<\/p>\n
Several prominent coaches have the \u201ccan\u2019t win the big game\u201d label, like James Franklin. However, it would seem that if you keep getting close consistently, you eventually break through (e.g. Ryan Day last year). Tom Osborne couldn\u2019t win the big game \u2026 until he did. Now we only remember the dominance and the titles. Are there any coaches who have consistently had winning top-10 programs yet never broken through? \u2014 Cullen\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first guy that comes to mind in my time covering the sport was Georgia\u2019s Mark Richt.<\/p>\n
For most of his 15 seasons (2001-15), you could count on the Dawgs to field a top-10 team and compete for SEC titles. However, they never climbed that last rung to the national title game and suffered some pretty bad luck along the way. The 2002 team went 13-1, but it just so happened Miami and Ohio State were undefeated. In 2007, they were No. 4 heading into championship Saturday. No. 1 and No. 2 both lost, but they got passed by LSU when the Tigers won the SEC title game. And in the 2012 SEC championship game, they were four yards and six seconds short against Alabama from advancing to the BCS title game and playing overmatched Notre Dame.<\/p>\n
Most of all, his bad luck was that only two teams reached the \u201cplayoff\u201d back then.<\/p>\n
Contrast that with successor Kirby Smart, who began his tenure with a \u201ccan\u2019t win the big one\u201d run, specifically with Nick Saban and Alabama. There was a second-and-26 in the 2017 national title game, the infamous Justin Fields fake punt in the next year\u2019s SEC title game, a blowout loss in 2020 and the inexplicable 2021 SEC title game meltdown. Then the Dawgs won the rematch, and all anyone mentions about Smart now is the back-to-back championships. (And lots and lots of player arrests.)<\/p>\n
I do believe the \u201cgetting close consistently\u201d theory is correct. Franklin is a particularly extreme case, though, as his big-game record is truly atrocious (1-15 against top-five teams), and even with five top-10 finishes in 11 seasons, even after reaching the CFP semifinals last year, it doesn\u2019t feel like he\u2019s come close to the top yet. The Nittany Lions have been consistent, but not dominant.<\/p>\n
However, in most, if not all, of those top-10 losses, he did not have the better team. Simple as that. This year, he may well have the best team in the country.<\/p>\n
How does a Farmageddon loss this weekend shape either Iowa State\u2019s or Kansas State\u2019s season outlook? \u2014 Jon S.<\/p>\n
It\u2019d be bad!<\/p>\n
We\u2019re only one season in the expanded CFP era, but I think you can assume for now that anyone other than the Big 12 champ is going to face tall odds to be a CFP participant. The loser of this game will not have the same margin for error as the losers of Texas-Ohio State or LSU-Clemson. An 8-1 Big 12 record likely gets you to Arlington, but it\u2019s asking a lot to win eight straight in a conference with more parity than any of the other P4 leagues.<\/p>\n
However, you could also have a situation like last year, where everyone goes 7-2 and it\u2019s tiebreakers galore.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve noticed over the years that these big Week 0 games tend to foreshadow the rest of the teams\u2019 seasons. Nebraska\u2019s season-opening loss to Illinois in 2021 was the moment you began to realize, this isn\u2019t getting better, is it? And the 2022 loss to Northwestern, coupled with a Week 2 loss to Georgia Southern, led to Scott Frost\u2019s firing. (That was also Pat Fitzgerald\u2019s last Big Ten win at Northwestern before he, too, was fired the following offseason amid a hazing scandal.)<\/p>\n
In 2023, Sam Hartman threw it all over Navy in his Notre Dame debut. The Irish went 10-3, the Midshipmen 5-7. And Georgia Tech running all over Florida State last year was the most telling Week 0 precursor yet.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/USATSI_24885913-1-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The loser of Kansas State and Iowa State in Week 0 will have an uphill battle to make the CFP. (Nirmalendu Majumdar \/ USA Today Network via Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
Doubtful either Matt Campbell or Chris Klieman will lose their job anytime soon, but they need this win. And whoever loses might become a bit nervous about the rest of the season.<\/p>\n
The coverage of Michigan\u2019s sign-stealing scandal has been bad journalism all around. Michigan has been the victim of at least two known instances where their previous week\u2019s opponent deciphered all of their signals by game\u2019s end and then handed that information over to the next opponent. On a scale of 1 to 10 in the cheating department, this is a 10, and what Michigan did is a 3. \u2014 Adam L.<\/p>\n
Oh, those poor victims. Will no one think of the innocent children whose signs were stolen?<\/p>\n
Which do you think is the most likely reason for the Big Ten\/Tony Petitti pivoting to their new proposed 28-team Playoff? A. They think it\u2019s the best way to maximize revenue. B. It\u2019s a ploy to make the original 16-team proposal seem better or C. Spite for everyone making fun of him for his last proposal. \u2014 Tyler S.<\/p>\n
At this point, I\u2019m beginning to think it\u2019s D: Petitti is making his own elaborate Borat-style troll documentary and we\u2019re all unwitting subjects in it.<\/p>\n
Behind the scenes, folks are insistent this latest version is just an \u201cidea,\u201d not a formal proposal. However, many important people around the sport are still ticked about it, given that they found out through the media and the entire operation looks buffoonish by association.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe sound like immature children throwing garbage against the wall,\u201d a CFP executive told CBS Sports.<\/p>\n
Somehow, the lesson Petitti took from the 4-4-2-2-1 backlash wasn\u2019t \u201cpeople hate the idea of predetermined Playoff berths\u201d; it\u2019s \u201cmaybe they\u2019d accept it if we just gave out more of them.\u201d Rather than \u201cJeez, people aren\u2019t as fired up about play-in games as I thought they\u2019d be,\u201d it\u2019s \u201cOK then, what if we just did more of them?\u201d<\/p>\n
Whatever his motives, it\u2019s clear Petitti views college football not as a fixer-upper but a full-on teardown project. Where most of us see a wonderfully unique and charming home with room for improvement, Petitti sees an archaic structure in desperate need of a refresh. The same guy who put the final nail in the Pac-12\u2019s coffin would apparently be fine doing the same to the 120-plus-year tradition of bowl games.<\/p>\n
Bye-bye, college football. Hello, NFL Junior.<\/p>\n
To be clear, he\u2019s not on a total island. There are pockets of ADs and coaches around the country, including in the SEC, that quietly love the idea of their 8-4\/7-5-type programs becoming annual CFP contenders. They likely assume there\u2019s a golden pot of TV revenue waiting for them as well. (In reality, TV doesn\u2019t want this, either.)<\/p>\n
Fortunately, there are far more people in important positions who don\u2019t want any part of this tomfoolery. Because they happen to think college football is pretty great as it is.<\/p>\n
Will you refund my subscription money? The Athletic CFB coverage is becoming an outrage click farm. Ironic that you are lambasting Michigan about lacking integrity. Surely it isn\u2019t lost on you. \u2014 Ian S.<\/p>\n
@Ian S.: Because the trending questions are all Michigan-related. Michigan has a huge fan base because it\u2019s a great school *and* the all-time winningest program, so anything Michigan-related gets eyeballs and anti-UM outrage provokes engagement. Stew\u2019s strategy is Internet Trolling 101. \u2014Steve S.<\/p>\n
Stew\u2019s strategy is to write about the topics readers care about most. And the readers have universally told me, \u201cIt\u2019s not the sloppy espionage and the cover-ups that interest me about this Michigan story; it\u2019s their academic reputation and all their wins from 1902.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the last 40 years, no coach has gone more than six years between two national titles (Barry Switzer is the last coach to do so, winning his third title in 1985 after winning his second a decade earlier). Dabo Swinney last won a title in 2018. Has his window closed? \u2014 Brian\u00a0<\/p>\n
I think so. But many, many people disagree.<\/p>\n
It feels like the entire narrative around Clemson\u2019s program has shifted over the past eight months, starting with, strangely, a two-touchdown loss to Texas in the CFP first round. The Tigers head into this season with the sixth-best odds to win the national championship, and they got the second-most votes in The Athletic\u2019s staff survey predictions<\/a> behind only Texas.<\/p>\n While that wasn\u2019t my vote (I cast one of the three Penn State ballots), I did have Clemson No. 3 in my post-spring Top 25<\/a>. That was because Dabo has more high-level players returning than at any time since the last Trevor Lawrence-Travis Etienne team in 2020. Quarterback Cade Klubnik, receiver Antonio Williams, defensive linemen T.J. Parker and Peter Woods and cornerback Avieon Terrell are all projected first-round picks. And new defensive coordinator Tom Allen should be a big upgrade from Wes Goodwin.<\/p>\n But once it came time to make \u201cofficial\u201d picks, I backed off a little. I picked the Tigers to win the ACC<\/a>, but with an 11-2 record, including a home loss to LSU in the opener. Which would put them more like the low top 10. The main reason: What evidence has Clemson given us recently to suggest it can still compete at the highest level?<\/p>\n Clemson got drilled by Georgia 34-3 to open last season. The Tigers went on to lose to two more SEC foes, South Carolina (17-14) and Texas (38-24). To their credit, the Tigers beat CFP team SMU in the ACC title game, but no one thought SMU could win the national championship. Over the past four seasons, Clemson has had one \u201cbig\u201d non-conference win: at home against Notre Dame in 2023.<\/p>\n And as those struggles mounted, many others and I criticized Dabo for stubbornly steering clear of the transfer portal. He relented a little this offseason, landing a couple of possible key contributors, but his lineup will still be comprised almost entirely of homegrown guys. It\u2019d be a heck of a told-you-so to win a national title in 2025. However, my concern is depth. While the \u201cX career starts\u201d guys get the most attention in the portal, teams also use it to build and maintain their depth.<\/p>\n That being said, I hope Dabo proves me wrong. While there\u2019s nothing inherently wrong with leaning on the portal, it\u2019d be cool to find out the other way still works, too.<\/p>\n Mandel has pushed several overwhelmingly negative op-eds<\/a> on the 2023 national champions. I\u2019d bet Michigan hurt him. \u2014 Ian S.<\/p>\n @Ian S. Or maybe Stew is just a college football fan like the rest of us and feels like the rest of the country about all this. \u2014 Bob D.<\/p>\n @Bob D. If Stew were just a college football fan, he wouldn\u2019t be deceptive and engage in sleight of hand. Wake up. \u2014 Steve S.<\/p>\n Yep, that\u2019s right. I\u2019m now doing magic on the side. Email stewart@theathletic.com if you\u2019re looking for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah entertainer.<\/p>\n Hey Stew: As the season kicks off this weekend, are there any new rules or procedure changes to be aware of? Whether that\u2019s actual rules to the game of college football or procedures for TV timeouts\/commercial breaks? \u2014 Andy J.<\/p>\n Yes. The big one is faking injuries.<\/a> If a player goes down after the ball is spotted, his team is charged a timeout (or delay of game if no timeouts remain) and the player must sit out a play. Let\u2019s see if it works.<\/p>\n Also, when officials announce a replay decision, they will no longer distinguish between a call that\u2019s \u201cconfirmed\u201d versus a call that \u201cstands.\u201d Everything will either be \u201cupheld\u201d or \u201coverturned.\u201d<\/p>\n In overtime, teams still get one timeout for both the first and second periods, but once it goes to the third frame, it\u2019s one timeout the rest of the way.<\/p>\n Finally, there were several unsportsmanlike penalties last year against players who celebrated a play by pretending to fire a gun. Now you can also get one for pretending to brandish a sword. For real.<\/p>\n There are several more technical rule changes as well if you\u2019re interested<\/a>.<\/p>\n