University of Michigan faithful are left with the Unknown in Jim Harbaugh

'No Title' Photo Credit: MGoBlog via Flickr

In a year where Michigan fans should be talking about making a run for the ultimate prize, they are left instead to talk about another scandal inside the Michigan program. Fans must figure out what Jim has done again to bring on another NCAA fight and if there is any truth to the allegations that have now made national headlines.

Michigan fans now must deal with another NCAA investigation, hanging over them. They have the challenge of trying to understand or even justify the events that have led to this moment in time. Michigan fans were always told and led to believe one thing, that they did it the right way. They must now come to the realization it’s just not the case anymore and frankly, it shouldn’t be. If most fans are being truly honest with themselves, they are okay with it as long as the wins keep coming. Michigan fans never will or should apologize for now playing by the same rules as most of the other programs in the country. Some fanbases might want to look in the mirror at their own faults before casting shame on the Michigan program.

As the news broke it felt like you just got punched in the stomach by the heavyweight champion of the world. The Michigan football program has been irrelevant for the better part of the past two decades, then seemingly out of nowhere, the last two years took place bringing elation to a battered fanbase. And now if there is any truth to the news of Michigan possibly cheating to achieve those moments, it's possible that it has all been thrown in the garbage. With the news that came out it’s starting to look like the last two years have been nothing more than a fraud. Michigan used an unfair advantage to cheat their way to their best two seasons in 20 years.

Michigan fans are now left to figure out a situation where they won’t have any of the facts for months maybe even years. They are left to defend their program against nothing more than speculation. Unfortunately, we now live in a society where you're guilty until proven innocent and tried in the court of public opinion. Michigan fans must now sit back quietly and just wait to see how the investigation plays out.

As a child I was always told 'don’t play with fire', and regrettably that is what Jim Harbaugh did repeatedly. At every turn when Jim had the chance, he seemingly would take a shot at the NCAA. If we were left to be completely honest with ourselves, the NCAA would have done their usual nothing if another school’s name was attached to these allegations. The problem for Michigan is the very man we empower and praised for taking those shots is the same man who brought this upon us. And is the same man who might leave at the end of the year with Michigan left holding the repercussions of his actions.

What changed over the past two and a half years to explain how Harbaugh was able to pull this incredible turnaround. His recruiting never improved, his game management stayed the same, maybe player development but that’s really the only thing we can point to. For the better part of 7 years, he showed no ability to beat OSU, win big games, make the Big 10 Championship, and then out of seemingly nowhere he was able to figure it all out. The fact that this is what fans are now left to try and figure out is outrageous. It's upsetting that a man, we as fans trusted to lead something most of us cherished could be the same man to destroy it. Fans can take solace in Harbaugh's understanding of the rule book. He is a master of walking inside the gray area and bending the rules just enough to gain an advantage and this very much could be the situation facing us here.

There is a saying everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not their own facts, and that’s what most of the information facing us at this point is. It's nothing more than a guess and your opinion on what the NCAA has and brings forward against their most wanted target in Harbaugh. No one besides the Michigan staff knows the truth of what has been done to achieve their goals. Any of the reports are nothing more than speculation, no one knows the evidence that the NCAA has collected and is about to hand over to Michigan. No one even knows if the NCAA can prove it, could this be nothing more than the NCAA throwing darts at Harbaugh with the hope that one of the darts sticks?

Michigan fans are left with hope and unfortunately for us, hope is not a strategy but it’s all we got. The hope is that this team, the team we all believed in can prove everyone wrong, and trust me they can. Michigan now must show it never needed the advantage they were accused of and are still every bit as good as we thought they were. Michigan is left to play their remaining 5 games perfectly to show the country that it didn’t matter because if they don’t, we as fans will be forced to face a narrative none of us want to think about. It's too late to change what has been done but it's not too late to just enjoy the moment and not dwell on what the unknown may hold. It’s really all we can do at this point if you really think about it.