‘Inexcusably bad’: College football giant claims controversial title after year-long cheating scandal
‘Inexcusably bad’: College football giant claims controversial title after year-long cheating scandal

For the first time in 27 years, college football giants Michigan are finally back on top of the mountain – but fittingly, it was a controversial climb to the peak.
The Wolverines downed fellow unbeaten Washington 34-13 to win the 2023-24 national championship in Houston, in a game that was tighter than the scoreline suggests, as the Huskies were within a touchdown halfway through the final quarter.
But the Wolverines’ dominant running game proved too strong with a Blake Corum touchdown to seal it, after backup Donovan Edwards sprinted for two long touchdown runs in the first quarter.
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Michigan claimed the 2023/24 national title, but not without controversy.Source: FOX SPORTS
The claims of “cheating” were grimly ironic given the sign-stealing scandal inside the program this season.
Wolverines staffer Connor Stalions, who allegedly attended opponents’ games to steal the signs which are used to signal plays in college football (in-helmet headsets so the coach can talk to the quarterback or defensive captain, as used in the NFL, are illegal in college), resigned while head coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended three regular season games – not because he had a direct role in the incidents but because as coach he oversees the program.
The Wolverines rallied around Harbaugh, feeling he had been mistreated by the sport’s governing body the NCAA, and he returned in time for their post-season victories over Iowa, Alabama and Washington.
“Off the field issues? We’re innocent. We stood strong and tall because we knew we’re innocent,” Harbaugh claimed post-game.
The former San Francisco 49ers coach is known to have major interest in returning to the NFL and having finally given his alma mater the championship he dreamt of, is likely to be heavily considered by teams like the Chargers, Falcons and Commanders this off-season.
The most recent college football champion to lose its head coach came in 1997 – the last time Michigan won the title.