Michigan cheating scandal may have also included 3 SEC, 2 Pac-12 contenders

It just keeps looking worse for the Michigan Wolverines.

As the fervor surrounding the alleged sign-stealing and cheating scandal within Jim Harbaugh's program, there seems to be new information revealed by the minute. Most recently, we're finding out that the staffer at the center of the controversy, Connor Stalions, was in attendance for numerous college football games.

ESPN's Pete Thamel and Dan Murphy reported on Monday that Stalions had purchased tickets to see 11 different Big Ten teams. Now, new reporting states that the Michigan staffer might not have been seeing just in-conference opponents.

After social media uncovered the possibility of Stalions using someone in his network to scout the Georgia-Ohio State matchup in last year's Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal, Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports reported that he also attended other non-conference games, including the likes of Alabama, Tennessee, and of course Georgia.

James Crepea of The Oregonian then added that Stalions had tickets to watch Washington play Oregon in Eugene in the 2022 regular season as well.

Michigan analyst Connor Stalions scouted SEC, Pac-12 Playoff contenders

When you look at the five teams mentioned in these reports -- Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington -- you'll recognize a common thread. All five were College Football Playoff contenders in the 2022 season with Michigan on that same trajectory.

Viewing it through that lens, the allegations paint a clear picture that Michigan was looking to gain a competitive advantage over any potential opponent in both the regular season and the postseason. As if the allegations could look any worse for the program, this ought to do the trick.

We're now past a dozen teams that Stalions allegedly either attended or tried to attend with the assumed intent of filming and stealing signals based on the reporting regading this situation. The more that gets uncovered, the less recoverable it seems for the program to avoid and repercussions moving forward.

But don't touch that dial -- with the way this story has developed, there will surely be new information or evidence sooner rather than later.