Matt Barrie outlines how the Big Ten could use the Michigan scandal to its advantage
Matt Barrie believes the Michigan sign-stealing scandal could be used to the Big Ten’s advantage.
A punishment for Michigan has yet to be determined, but depending on what happens, Barrie believes it could work out well for the Big Ten.
Barrie broke down a scenario where Michigan still receives a punishment, but also reaches the CFP on his show on Sunday.
“Let’s say they beat Ohio State, but they make them ineligible for the Big Ten Championship, so they’re 12-0,” Barrie said. “Ohio State gets in at 11-1. Sure as the sun comes up, Ohio State’s gonna beat the hell out of whoever comes out of the Big Ten West. So now you’ve got 12-1, conference champ Ohio State, 12-0 Michigan who was ineligible to play for your Big Ten Championship, but the committee has already said this isn’t a committee problem, this is a Big Ten/NCAA problem So could you give the Big Ten what they want, punish Michigan, and still get both teams in the championship.”
The scenario would work well for the Big Ten as Michigan would still receive a punishment, but the conference would still have 2 teams in the Playoff. Without the scenario, it would likely be more difficult to have 2 teams from the conference in the CFP, because the likelyhood of Ohio State losing to Michigan or vice versa and still making the CFP is low.