Most likely penalty for Jim Harbaugh, Michigan revealed

Amid the ongoing NCAA investigation into Michigan's alleged violations relating to sign-stealing, one potential penalty for the Wolverines was recently revealed.

This week, Big Ten coaches and athletic directors are turning up the heat on commissioner Tony Petitti to make a ruling on the Michigan scandal, as reported by ESPN.

One source said Big Ten coaches want a decision "right now." The source spoke for the rest of the coaches: "What are we waiting on? We know what happened." Another source said, "[Petitti] is going to have to act or he will lose the coaches and ADs."

Petitti is in his eighth month as the newly hired commissioner and appears to be feeling the pressure from all sides as those around him encourage him to levy penalties against Michigan.

Yahoo Sports reported that Petitti has discussed potential consequences with school administrators, and one path appears to be the most likely and the "cleanest": a suspension of head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Jim Harbaugh suspension is the "cleanest" penalty amid Michigan scandal

Why hasn't a Harbaugh suspension been issued yet? Petitti and the conference harbor concerns over the blowback, mainly a potential legal response from Michigan. Legal experts say the situation is delicate since a coaching suspension penalty delivered by a conference is largely unprecedented: "If too severe, such a penalty could eventually trigger legal action from the program."

Other discussions of consequences included the possibility of not penalizing the players directly. As such, levying a suspension on Harbaugh would be the "cleanest" in theory, allowing the school to continue competing for the rest of the season with the caveat that Harbaugh must stay off the field.

Given the typically long and arduous process of NCAA investigations, Big Ten members clearly want punishment for Michigan to go into effect right now. Whether Petitti will be swayed by the conference's members remains up in the air.

The Wolverines are currently 8-0 this season and ranked No. 3 in the College Football Playoff.