Bury Your Dead

If you've been paying any amount of attention lately to the media sources that follow college football, you've surely heard rumors that a major program is on the verge of being ousted by a news source for major violations. Some thought this ousting was going to happen today, based on a much hyped SI article that was to be (and was) released. And while that article turned out to be a less than revealing piece on crime rates in college football, the furor over the possible program-busting investigation has only increased. Apparently the much-hyped article is due to print come Spring, and it still isn't clear which major news source is the one responsible for the investigation. There have been many rumors and theories as to which school it is and what they've been doing, but the noise is enough that it sounds like something is going to be released that is at least newsworthy.

Multiple media outlets, including Sports by Brooks and ESPN's Colin Cowherd have hinted that the guilty party may be Oregon and that their violation could have to do with recruiting agents stationed in Texas. While Oregon may certainly be the school in question, they don't have a history of violations and their recent success can be explained through the rise of head coach Chip Kelly and his high-powered spread offense and the financial support of Nike owner and Oregon graduate Phil Knight. Others have pointed to Alabama, Auburn and Florida State as schools in question. Whoever it is, the chances of it being Michigan are extremely slim. Any internal violations that were being committed under former coach Rich Rodriguez would have been discovered by the NCAA during their investigation of violations pertaining to practice time, and any paying of recruits or players by a booster would make no sense. For one, Rodriguez never had recruits that were worth paying, and it would have been nearly impossible to keep such actions secret from the number of unhappy transferring players, local media who were undersold on Rodriguez’s laurels and suspicious alumni who were ever-present throughout Rodriguez’s three year tenure in Ann Arbor. Others believe it could be Ohio State, and many Michigan fans hope it is, but OSU should be the last school Michigan would want to be guilty of major violations.

The Ohio State program transcends the dodgy reputations of current quarterback Terrelle Pryor and the blatant criminal activity of former running back Maurice Clarett, and for the entire program to be tarnished would tarnish the rivalry just as much. Many analysts who are detached from the two teams have grumbled that the rivalry has lost its luster over the last couple of years because Michigan has not been as competitive. If Ohio State ends up suffering the major penalties that would accompany the violations that are being whispered about, then don't expect them to be competitive over the next four to five years. Sure, this will make Michigan's schedule easier, but it will also threaten to kill the greatest rivalry in American sports and it will hurt the Big Ten exponentially.

Fans can certainly make the argument that a wounded Ohio State would help Michigan in recruiting, and in some individual cases it would, but what's stopping the state of Ohio from being raided by schools in the SEC if Ohio State is in disarray? Regardless, Michigan State and Notre Dame would likely gain as many Ohio recruits as Michigan. Keith Heitzman and Antonio Poole are two recent Michigan signees from Ohio who stated that the opportunity to be a part of the Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry was the reason they chose to attend Michigan. Michigan becomes less attractive without a strong rivalry with Ohio State. While Michigan’s poor overall record and placement upon the NCAA’s probation list were major problems over the last three seasons, Michigan’s weak performances against Ohio State played just as big of a role in leading to the January firing of Rich Rodriguez. The rivalry deserves to return to prominence. It should be one of the deciding games in both the race for the Big Ten title and the National Championship.

Many Michigan fans would likely point to the school’s successes against Ohio State as some of their greatest memories associated with the school. Whether it was the battles between former colleagues Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes or the exploits of Heisman Trophy winners Charles Woodson and Desmond Howard in defeating the Buckeyes in recent years, many a fan’s memories of the Michigan football program is reliant upon the presence of a competitive Ohio State team. And whether these fans realize it or not, the integrity that has been displayed by both schools over the years has brought the two schools closer, thus magnifying the importance of the rivalry on the field. Schools such as Michigan and Ohio State are in a unique fraternity, one that has preached winning with integrity and stressed the importance of promoting tradition, both athletically and academically. And as the big business aspect of college football has risen over the last twenty years, and seeds of corruption have been planted within it, many schools have preserved both their integrity and their success. To see one of these storied programs sink to a self-inflicted rock bottom should be no reason for any fan to celebrate.