Mike Bianchi lays it all out there about on of college football's biggest programs.
The longtime Orlando Sentinel columnist labeled Michigan “the dirtiest" this week, and he argued the label is no longer rooted in opinion, but in evidence. His comments came as Michigan interim coach Biff Poggi acknowledged his players feel “betrayed” following the firing and arrest of former head coach Sherrone Moore.
Bianchi wrote that the sense of betrayal extends far beyond Moore’s personal implosion. In his view, it reflects years of institutional decisions that prioritized winning over accountability, transparency and ethics.
Poggi made his first public comments on Monday at a bowl news conference in Orlando ahead of Michigan’s Cheez-It Citrus Bowl matchup against Texas. He said players cycled through disbelief and anger before landing on a deeper feeling of betrayal. Bianchi agreed with the assessment, but said the blame belongs higher up the chain.
Sherrone Moore's role as Jim Harbaugh's preferred candidate
Moore was not an outsider when Michigan elevated him to head coach. He had been sanctioned and suspended for his role in the Connor Stalions scandal and was connected to the investigation. Michigan promoted him anyway, a decision Bianchi described as emblematic of the program’s recent culture.
Two years ago, Michigan was caught operating an illegal, organized sign-stealing scheme that drew national scrutiny and NCAA penalties. Instead of cleaning house, the university publicly defended its leadership, threatened legal action and pushed forward toward a national title.
Bianchi wrote that the pattern repeated itself when concerns surfaced during the season regarding Moore’s conduct. Serious questions were deferred until after the season, when the damage was unavoidable.
The history in Ann Arbor can't be ignored
"Moore wasn’t some unsuspecting outsider," he wrote. "He was a central figure in the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal that rocked college football and permanently stained Michigan’s so-called national championship two years ago. He was sanctioned. He was suspended. He literally tried to delete text messages tied to the cheating operation. And Michigan still elevated him to head coach."
Michigan has since announced an internal investigation into its athletic department. Bianchi called that move damage control rather than accountability, arguing the university should be examining its leadership and decision-making philosophy.
Fans may dismiss the criticism as bias or jealousy, but the record is difficult to ignore. In his view, no major program has combined elite success and repeated ethical failure quite like Michigan in recent years.
“When winning becomes the standard at all costs,” Bianchi wrote, “scandals stop being surprises and start becoming inevitable.”
More college football news:
- Deion Sanders buyout, contract details as Colorado Buffaloes coach
- Pat McAfee delivers reality check to Diego Pavia for Heisman weekend antics
- Fernando Mendoza won't keep the Heisman Trophy
- Why LSU should be extremely nervous about Michigan firing Sherrone Moore