Michigan sign-stealing allegations: Connor Stalions reportedly bought ticket to 2022 Clemson game
To this point, the Michigan sign-stealing operation has been within the Big Ten. Eleven different programs told ESPN’s Pete Thamel they found Michigan staffer Connor Stalions buying tickets to nearly 30 games over the years. However, it has now stepped outside of the program and toward potential College Football Playoff opponents.
According to TigerIllustrated, Stalions bought tickets to a Clemson game during the 2022 season but it was never scanned at Memorial Stadium. So, whoever was planned to be in attendance — Stalions or somebody else representing Michigan — did not wind up making their way to the game.
The ticket Stalions bought was for Clemson’s game against Syracuse on Oct. 22. At the time, Dabo Swinney‘s team was 8-0 and was considered the favorite to represent the ACC in the College Football Playoff.
Of course, Clemson wound up losing two games in the regular season and did not make the final four-team playoff. Michigan wound up facing off against TCU in the College Football Playoff semifinal but was seemingly just covering all of their bases.
This brings multiple different questions to the scandal, with the main one being — how many other programs has Stalions bought tickets to? Did he wind up attending those and get a scouting report for Michigan?
For now, Clemson is the only non-Big Ten program to be known but you have to assume more is on the way.
Sign-stealing scandal could affect Michigan and CFP
Due to the severity of the allegations against the Michigan program, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic believes there could be a direct impact on this season’s College Football Playoff. Michigan is currently the betting favorite to win the national championship but violations are beginning to pile up.
“I do think it’s possible,” Feldman said during Monday’s episode of The Paul Finebaum Show. “(Sources) definitely took note that the NCAA has been a lot more proactive on the front end, pushing back. Quite honestly, if you look at some of the comments the NCAA has made as it relates to Jim Harbaugh in the previous investigation, when it was that line ‘It’s not just a hamburger.’ It was very unlike the NCAA to kind of clap back at somebody in their crosshairs. I’ve had more than one person go ‘Maybe there was more to it.’
“Again, competitive balance and in this case, it’s a really messy situation. This is the elephant in the room. This is different than ‘There were rule violations during the COVID dead period.’ This goes right into the heart of the competitive balance of the games.”