ESPN commentators Rece Davis and Pete Thamel think that Michigan will retain their national championship despite the notice of allegations they've received. When it comes to the potential sanctions, it appears that a monetary fine might be the most probable penalty facing the Wolverines.
However, as Thamel and Davis have mentioned, the prospect of stripping the team of last year's national championship seems unlikely.
“I think the fans want to know, like the people on Twitter have reacted to is, will there be a postseason ban,” Thamel said on the College GameDay podcast.
“No,” Davis immediately added. This led to Thamel saying future discipline could be on the table, but unlikely.
“So the vacating thing I can say with full throated confidence,” Thamel said. “They take away wins when it involves players who aren’t eligible. And there are no players implicated in here directly by name or anything. Looking back there will be nothing. Looking forward, you could say, technically, some type of postseason ban is on the table. The actual likelihood of that happening considering Tennessee, considering the political climate, considering the NCAA has basically come out and said, ‘We don’t want to punish them.’
Davis strongly believes that Michigan's penalty should be monetary. After all, finances play a leading role in every aspect of college sports.
None of the current staff members at Michigan are accused of any violations. Nonetheless, it's alleged that a present coach eradicated text messages exchanged with Stalions, although it remains to be seen whether this will be included in the Notice of Allegations (NOA) from the NCAA.
“That is what the punishments should be, in my judgment,” Davis said. “I’ve said this for years. What drives this enterprise? Money. What sends the biggest message? Taking away money. So if the NCAA wants to be taken seriously consistently as an enforcement body for college sports and college football, particularly, that needs to be the direction in which they go. Fine people. They can do the show cause thing.”
The spotlight across the nation shifted to Stalions, a Michigan staff member who stepped down in early November 2023, when the scandal emerged. The controversy primarily centered on the in-person observation of rivals to clandestinely gather their signals.
It is worth noting that sign stealing itself isn't prohibited; however, the issue lies in employing sophisticated scouting methods on campus for this purpose.
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