Let’s look at some fun hypotheticals.

I should start this off by saying that I am in no ways an insider, nor do I have any inside information regarding Michigan potentially leaving the Big Ten. I’m simply here to kickstart the discussion about what Michigan’s options are as a school, as a football program, and as a brand.

The University of Michigan was a founding member of the Big Ten Conference back in 1896. The Wolverines have won 44 Big Ten Championships, the most of any program. The Michigan brand is one of, if not the most recognizable in all of college sports. As proof, more than nine million people tuned into the game against Penn State last weekend. The Wolverines also a one half of the equation of the biggest rivalry in college football. It’s safe to say that Michigan is a gargantuan brand name.

Tony Petitti decided to poke the bear this month by not affording Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh due process, leading to rumors that Michigan may pursue options regarding leaving the Big Ten. But where would the university go? In my opinion, there are only three options, many of which would cause absolute chaos.

Option 1: Independence

Look no further than the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the precedent here. Notre Dame has been independent for well over a century at this point with no end in sight. Should Michigan go this route, it would have complete autonomy in setting its schedule. I would assume an annual matchup with the aforementioned Fighting Irish would be back on the table. Michigan would also have the option to continue rivalries with Ohio State and Michigan State while not having to go play in West Lafayette or Evanston on a mostly annual basis. Michigan could also bring the battle for the Little Brown Jug with Minnesota back to an annual tradition.

The downside here is figuring out what to do with the non-football sports. Notre Dame has participated in the ACC for most non-football sports. Michigan would likely have to do the same. This would be just fine for basketball, but would certainly be to the detriment of other programs such as ice hockey and wrestling. It would also be sad to see the Michigan vs. Michigan State basketball rivalry fall by the wayside.

Option 2: The ACC

From an academic standpoint, the ACC is a much better fit for Michigan than any other conference. With academic powers such as Duke, Stanford, and Georgia Tech already in the fold, Michigan would fit right in. From a football perspective, this would be quite the upheaval. The ACC would benefit tremendously by adding arguably the biggest brand in college sports. Plus, how cool would it be to see Michigan play Florida State and Miami on an annual basis? From a basketball perspective, yearly trips to Cameron Indoor and the Dean Dome doesn’t sound too bad.

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