Bacon on football: New eras for Wolverines and Spartans. Plus, what we learned from the sign-stealing documentary

The 2024 college football season is here.

Michigan State fans are about to get their first look at a new era of Spartans football under head coach Jonathan Smith.

Michigan is also entering a new era under a new head coach, but in the past several days, last season has taken center stage. The NCAA formally delivered allegations to U of M about a sign-stealing scheme just before Netflix released a documentary about it.

Michigan Public sports commentator John U. Bacon joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou for a look at all of that and more.

Doug Tribou: Netflix released its documentary about former Michigan football staff member Connor Stalions on Tuesday. It’s called “Untold: Sign Stealer.” Stalions was in charge of decoding the signs Michigan’s opponents were using. He participated in the documentary. Here's a bit of what he had to say in the film:

"First of all, one - I’ve never advance scouted. Two - if this is about signals, I obtain signals the same way every other team does. Through watching TV copies and talking to other intel guys and other teams. And what set me apart was the way in which I organized that information and processed it on game day."

John, sign stealing is not prohibited under NCAA rules. But scouting games in person is. Stalions denies sending people to other games to record [other teams'] signs. He denies using video people sent him to decode signs. What stood out to you about the film?

John U. Bacon: Well, Doug, it confirmed my long-held belief that this is the dumbest scandal in college football history at almost every level — from the NCAA side, the Big Ten side, Michigan side, and so on. It's a lot about not much.

Scott Turow said in one of his great crime novels that when you go to the witness stand in the court of law not fully prepared to tell the whole truth, you are like a three-legged dog. And you're very vulnerable. And that's the impression I had here. He was clearly not willing to tell the whole truth, so it's hard to know what to believe and what not to.

But, for sure, his sense of self-grandeur is very strong. And that's probably why you don't hire a guy who writes a 500-page manifesto on how he's going to turn around Michigan football. So, don't hire him. And if you hire him, monitor him carefully. And Michigan failed at that.

DT: Two things got my attention. One is the amount of planning and research that Stalions put into the sign stealing. The systems he created are beyond elaborate. But the other thing — and you touched on this — is his answers or non-answers to some questions from the NCAA during an interview that’s included in the film. There were some “I can’t recall” moments that felt awkward. What got your attention during that NCAA interview?

JUB: Well, just that. On the one hand, he's confessing what he knows to the NCAA. And then he's denying it. And by the way, this guy is clearly very, very bright. No question about that. And he's young and all that. So him saying "I don't recall" repeatedly seems unlikely. So, not your ideal witness and probably not your ideal employee.

DT: The NCAA delivered a notice of allegations to the University of Michigan about the sign-stealing scandal. Not everything has been made public and the process could take a long, long time. But if Michigan is determined to be in violation of the rules, could there be any punishment that strips Michigan of last season's national championship? And what else could be on the table?

JUB: Well, the caveat here, Doug, is that this is the NCAA, so I'm not about to make any real predictions here. They could do anything. And as you point out, the book is not closed. We don't know what all the evidence is. So, who knows... is the short answer.

The flip side is the advantages gained here were minimal at best. [Stalions] was around for seven games last season for Michigan. They played not one ranked team. They won all the games. And then the last six games, they played five [top-20 ranked] teams and beat them all soundly without Connor Stalions. So I think the advantage here was minimal.

The odds of them taking away any games are virtually nil. And Charlie Baker, the NCAA president, has said already that Michigan won the national title "fair and square" is his quote.

DT: And ironically this season, in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the highest level of college football, coaches will now have the option of using coach-to-player-helmet communication, as they have been in the NFL for years. So, that could render a lot of the work that Stalions did obsolete anyway.

Let’s turn to on-field action, John. Michigan opens the season Saturday night against Fresno State. Lots of new starters and a new coach, Sherrone Moore. Moore is letting competition for the starting quarterback job go right down to the last minute. Junior Alex Orji and senior Davis Warren are the contenders to start Saturday.

Moore says he’ll let them know his decision Friday night or Saturday morning. How do you like that approach?

JUB: Well, it's very smart to keep the opponent off balance because they don't know which film to watch. Everything I'm hearing, however, is that is not true. Alex Orji has got this job. He's looking phenomenal, they say, in August practice. And he will be the starter Saturday, certainly.

DT: Michigan State is also in a time of major transition. This will be the Spartans’ first season under new head coach Jonathan Smith.

Not that long ago, we would have been talking about how Smith needs a couple of seasons to get his own recruits on the team and get his system in place. But now, the transfer portal lets you remake a roster virtually instantly. How does that change the expectations for Smith in his first year in East Lansing?

JUB: I'm not sure about expectations because they should be patient in East Lansing. I think they did a great job hiring Jonathan Smith. I think he's very strong. He would have gotten a lot of attention were it not for all the Michigan stuff, of course, good and bad. But with 61 new [transfers and freshmen], anything is possible, which shows you what an aggressive job he's done on that front. And hats off to him. These days, the idea of waiting three or four or five years to turn it around seems passé. I suspect they'll be playing competitive football very soon in East Lansing, possibly this year.

DT: The Spartans will open their season Friday night. They’ll host Florida Atlantic University.

John, before I let you go, let’s talk some baseball. You might say the Tigers turned the dog days of summer into cat days. The Tigers have been hot and they have a winning record for the first time since early June. The Tigers haven’t finished a season above .500 since 2016. What’s your advice for fans right now?

JUB: Bask in the competence. Bask in the competence, Doug. [A record of] .500 is just mere competence. I mean, that's flipping a coin, right? And the fact that it's come up tails for eight straight years is stunning. So yes, bask in the competence, people. It might be rare.

Editor's note: Quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity.

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