How first College Football Playoff rankings would look if Michigan were banned

Sign-stealing allegations against Jim Harbaugh and Michigan have shocked the college football world, as the Wolverines allegedly sent a staffer to multiple games in hopes of figuring out their signals. In the Big Ten and College Football specifically, this type of scouting is not allowed.

The rumor has taken on a life of its own, as seemingly every Big Ten school is curious if their football team was scouted illegally. Even Central Michigan, a MAC team the Wolverines played early this season, believes they could be at the center of the entire controversy. Nonetheless, the Big Ten released a statement on the matter:

"The Big Ten Conference and University of Michigan were notified by the NCAA that the NCAA was investigating allegations of sign stealing by the University of Michigan football program. The Big Ten Conference has notified Michigan State University and future opponents. The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance and will continue to monitor the investigation. The Conference will have no further comment at this time."

What College Football Playoff rankings would look like if Michigan were banned

Michigan is unlikely to face punishment from the NCAA until 2024, which could include removing wins and even banners from program history. Any real punishment would come from the Big Ten, which could theoretically ban the Wolverines from the Big Ten title game if they deem their transgressions egregious enough.

Michigan was ranked No. 3 in the initial CFP rankings this week. They have been deemed by the AP and many other pundits as the second-best team in the country, sign-stealing allegations aside. The Playoff rankings, as they currently stand, would look like this if Michigan were not involved.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes
2. Georgia Bulldogs
3. Florida State Seminoles
4. Washington Huskies

The Huskies out of the Pac-12 are the team that would benefit from any CFP mess, including a Michigan scandal that knocks them out of the race.