Rosenberg (SI): Michigan regents discussed leaving Big Ten Conference
Tony Petitti has no idea how badly he just botched his job, but here is a hint: In a meeting last week, Michigan’s regents discussed possibly leaving the Big Ten if Petitti suspended coach Jim Harbaugh without what the school considered due process, a person familiar with those discussions told Sports Illustrated.
November 10th, 2023 at 7:04 PM ^
Michigan moving to either of those conferences immediately raises their profiles. We can't stick around in a conference with 13 schools that are clearly willing to play dirty to try and take us down. There is no going back from this and no repairing our relationship with the conference itself and its constituents.
I agree with telling OSU to go shit in their coolers after we beat their ass this year. They can come along on the condition that they fire the soft ass bitch Ryan Day and replace him with dipshit meathead Brian Hartline.
November 10th, 2023 at 7:06 PM ^
Staying in the Big Ten materially hurts Michigan. We are getting paid less than our market value because we’re dragged down by the likes of Rutgers. And the conference leadership has demonstrated they will take capricious action to harm Michigan at the demand of sports rivals.
November 10th, 2023 at 6:56 PM ^
One of the few rational discussions of the situation I've seen in the national media.
November 10th, 2023 at 7:02 PM ^
I'm still stunned how obtuse and dimwitted Pettiti has shown himself to be. He could very well be dismantling one of the newly minted power conferences - jeopardizing hundreds of millions of dollars in the process - and not even realize he's doing it. Aside from the total lack of integrity it demonstrates to bypass due process.. he is going to alienate the most monetarily valuable athletic department not just in the conference, but in the entire country.
This is like watching a guy confidently and unknowingly shit his pants on stage during his TED talk about the importance of dust mite insurance. He and the league office fucked this up on a level that is almost incomprehensible. If Michigan leaves, the B1G falls apart. Full stop. He just made that a serious possibility by undermining the rulebook of his own conference. Utterly asinine.
November 10th, 2023 at 8:09 PM ^
Maybe the conference is happy they have the puppet commissioner they want. Their coaches and ADs clearly don't care if Michigan leaves. Maybe their presidents do but it seems like they had their chance to stop this and chose not to.
November 10th, 2023 at 7:03 PM ^
lol go ahead and leave. The B1G will just replace UM with Notre Dame and life goes on. Ohio State is not scared of UM leaving the B1G.
November 10th, 2023 at 7:08 PM ^
they’d be happy cuz then they’d be closer to being the toughest team in the conference
November 10th, 2023 at 7:20 PM ^
Scoreboard.
November 10th, 2023 at 7:59 PM ^
ND who has remained an independent will want to join a conference that is all too keen to turn on its own as opposed to remaining semi-independent and play UM consistently? Come on man.
November 11th, 2023 at 10:11 AM ^
You won't be trolling here anymore.
November 10th, 2023 at 7:05 PM ^
Make it so. Fuck these assholes.
November 10th, 2023 at 7:06 PM ^
Does this Petty-faux commissioner have a public email? Let’s bomb the snot out of it. Sign it up for every newsletter or commercial ad imaginable. As well as sending indignant letters.
November 10th, 2023 at 7:11 PM ^
I haven't said so here on the boards, but I have been 100% not on the "leave the B1G" train. I value the conference's long, illustrious history and the central role Michigan has played in it. I think we lose something irreplaceable if we leave.
But it has become clear that the B1G can't be counted on to value that as much as I... we... do. I think they absolutely HAVE to kick the tires on joining the ACC, especially if by doing so they can entice Notre Dame to come with them. Perhaps even the four premier PAC schools and/or PSU. It may even be workable in the short term to go Independent if the money can be recouped somehow.
It saddens me deeply to say it, but I don't see staying in a hostile, lawless conference as feasible.
November 10th, 2023 at 7:13 PM ^
The thing about Mike Rosenberg is fuck mike rosenberg. That is all.
November 10th, 2023 at 7:16 PM ^
The BIG 12 is the most viable remaining league where you could go rule the roost and still have a respectable conference. You get the Texas footprint for recruiting, ratings, and teams like Okie St, Kansas teams, and whichever Texas team that's having a good year for the resume.
November 10th, 2023 at 7:18 PM ^
This BS goes back 75 years. When Chicago withdrew from the Big 10, Pitt was already an affiliate and the leading candidate to replace them. But OSU didn't want a recruiting rival in western PA and eastern Ohio, and desperately wanted MSU to cut into Michigan's recruiting. Who won that battle? Pitt, and us, got screwed. And then there was the infamous Rose Bowl vote after the 10-10 tie. I could go on ...
November 10th, 2023 at 7:20 PM ^
This will be Pettiti’s legacy. Within six months, taking the most money-heavy, profitable conference in America, and taking a flamethrower to it, because he caved to a mob full of bitter rivals and lesser programs who shouldn’t have a say in situations like this anyway.
Honestly, I don’t think a situation like this would ever have happened in the SEC. They may all be a bunch of amoral cutthroats, but they know how to protect their money makers.
If accusations like this were thrown at Georgia or Alabama, and Vanderbilt/South Carolina were the ones demanding that Saban or Smart were removed from their positions, Sankey would’ve kicked Vanderbilt and SC’s coaches out of his office and disciplined THEM instead.
November 10th, 2023 at 7:26 PM ^
Welp!
November 10th, 2023 at 7:39 PM ^
Petitti could've unilaterally suspended Harbaugh for two games, leaving him available for Ohio State, without this committee. But he didn't do that. That's what tells me this is Ohio State throwing its weight around, trying to get us out of the picture.
November 10th, 2023 at 7:43 PM ^
You'd wonder if the new schools would back out due to something like this.
November 10th, 2023 at 10:26 PM ^
Nobody wonders that except you. They want the money. Only.
November 10th, 2023 at 7:47 PM ^
Tbh we should have done this after the tunnel incident. No team that crosses a line like that should be able to suspend a handful of players and get right back into competition.
November 10th, 2023 at 7:54 PM ^
I will not click a link with that shthead's name attached.
November 10th, 2023 at 10:25 PM ^
ACC or big12…..really? Everyone needs to go to bed. You sound both drunk and delusional.