Jim Harbaugh's Suspension to Be Considered by CFP Committee If Michigan Loses

If the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines lose Saturday's road game against the No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions amid head coach Jim Harbaugh's suspension, the College Football Playoff committee will factor in Harbaugh's absence when deciding how it will impact their CFP ranking.

According to Brett McMurphy of The Action Network, CFP executive director Bill Hancock said the committee "will take into consideration what happens in any game including absence of players or coaches. The committee looks at everything that affected goes into a game."

Per ESPN's Pete Thamel and Adam Rittenberg, the Big Ten announced Friday that it had suspended Harbaugh for the final three games of the regular season amid an investigation into allegations that the Michigan football program was involved with illegal off-campus scouting and signal stealing.

After receiving a notice of discipline from the Big Ten this week, Michigan objected to the idea of Harbaugh getting punished due to a lack of evidence regarding his involvement, according to Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports.

ESPN's Mark Schlabach and Thamel reported last month that then-Michigan staffer Connor Stalions purchased tickets under his own name to games involving multiple Big Ten teams who the Wolverines were later scheduled to play, and transferred the tickets to three different people.

One of the Big Ten schools reportedly used stadium surveillance to focus on Stalions' seat, and it showed the person sitting in that seat pointing a smartphone toward the home team's sideline for the entire game.

Stalions was suspended with pay by the University of Michigan amid an investigation, but he resigned from his position last week.

Harbaugh has denied having any knowledge of the alleged sign-stealing operation, and has insisted that he was not involved.

In the midst of his ninth season as the head coach at his alma mater, Harbaugh is serving his second suspension, as he was previously issued a self-imposed ban by Michigan for the first three games of the 2023 campaign for violations during the COVID-19 dead period.

The 9-0 Wolverines are starting a massively important stretch of the schedule Saturday, as they will face No. 9 Penn State, Maryland and No. 1 Ohio State over the next three weeks before potentially playing in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Per Thamel and Rittenberg, the University of Michigan requested a temporary restraining order in Washtenaw County Trial Court and filed an emergency ex parte motion.

If a judge grants the motion, Harbaugh's suspension could be halted until the judge hears arguments from all parties involved.

However, with Harbaugh out on Saturday, offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore is serving as acting head coach against Penn State.