Bruce Feldman addresses chatter of Michigan leaving Big Ten

There was talk last week that Michigan could look into leaving the Big Ten if Jim Harbaugh was suspended by the conference.

The Big Ten handed down a three-game suspension to Harbaugh last Friday. He missed this past Saturday’s game against Penn State and is slated to miss the next two games against Maryland and Ohio State.

College football insider Bruce Feldman joined The Rich Eisen Show earlier this week and was asked if he believes it’s possible Michigan could leave the Big Ten. Feldman feels that it’s highly unlikely. He was first asked about the Big 12 potentially being an option.

“Why would they go to the Big 12? The Big 12 makes way less money,” Feldman replied.

He was also asked about the SEC, which also seems like a long shot, for a number of factors.

“You know what would be interesting about that? The SEC… it’s like a completely different orbit they would be in,” Feldman said. “There are all kinds of TV contracts that are so tied in to this. You think there’s a legal battle with Jim Harbaugh now – I can’t imagine what that would be like if Michigan tried to leave. They’d have a better chance of going to the CFL.”

Michigan may be frustrated with the Big Ten suspending Jim Harbaugh, but as of now, it seems highly unlikely the Wolverines are heading anywhere.

Pete Thamel details what to expect for Michigan court trial

There is still a chance that Jim Harbaugh’s suspension could be cut short.

He has already missed one game, but a trial is scheduled for Friday that could allow him to get back on the sidelines as soon as this weekend.

ESPN insider Pete Thamel spoke on the College GameDay podcast about what to expect during Friday’s hearing.

“Essentially, for this hearing, the same thresholds are going to take hold for when they tried to get the emergency TRO (Temporary Restraining Order) the other night — and we won’t bore you with all of them, but irreparable harm becomes a big standard here. Again, can you prove irreparable harm?”

Michigan did not get word back on their TRO request before last Saturday’s kickoff as they had hoped. But in regards to the “irreparable harm” claim, Thamel spoke with a retired judge who isn’t sure there’s enough meat on the bone there, especially when the Wolverines were successful without Harbaugh on the sidelines earlier in the year.

“Now, this judge correctly noted that they may have a hard time getting an emergency TRO and prove irreparable harm, and his theory was in part because Michigan football did just fine the first three games of the season without Jim Harbaugh.”