How to think about Michigan’s cheating, on the brink of a national title

It’s one of the most polarizing and controversial terms in sports: asterisk.

Jim Harbaugh and his Michigan Wolverines are on the verge of being the center of yet another asterisk discourse. By winning the college football national championship on Monday against Washington, Michigan would reach yet another rung on the list of the most well-known — and successful — cheaters in sports.

The Wolverines have the reputation of a team built on fraudulent recruiting and using fraudulent means to gain a major gameday advantage.

Harbaugh was suspended six games this season for their two separate cheating scandals. Including Michigan’s thrilling Rose Bowl overtime win over Alabama, Harbaugh has coached in just eight.

First, he was suspended for the first three games of the season over recruiting violations committed during the COVID-19 dead period in 2020.

During Harbaugh’s first six years at Michigan, he did not beat archrival Ohio State a single time, and failed to reach the College Football Playoff once. After that sixth season, he was forced to take a significant pay cut to keep his job.

Then came his recruiting violations, and the success followed. The very next year, Harbaugh started a streak of three straight wins over Ohio State and three straight playoff berths. Coincidence? It’s hard to be that naive.

Then, more scandalously, Harbaugh was suspended for the final three games of the regular season — Michigan initially planned to contest the ban, then folded and accepted the penalty — for an alleged sign-stealing scheme helmed by former staffer Connor Stalions.

Though it’s unclear when the scheme originated, Stalions reportedly purchased tickets to watch, and in some cases, record at least seven Big Ten schools before those teams faced the Wolverines over the past three seasons, and TCU reportedly bait-and-switched signs during the playoff semifinals last season. The sign-stealing most likely was in place for multiple years. Again, right when Michigan’s success has occurred.

It’s hard to believe Michigan didn’t benefit from that, too.

Beyond Stalions — who shamelessly was in the stands for the Rose Bowl — being forced to resign, linebackers coach Chris Partridge was fired for allegedly destroying evidence surrounding the sign-stealing case. Innocent parties usually don’t, um, destroy evidence.

No, there are no actual asterisks in any record books. But Michigan will soon join the company of the most infamous teams and tainted achievements.

The most direct comparison for most is likely to the 2017 Astros, who won the World Series before being revealed to have used a wide-scale sign-stealing scheme. Astros personnel used video cameras to pick up opposing catchers’ signs and then banged garbage cans to relay to the batter which pitch was coming.

Though they weren’t stripped of their title, it’s widely regarded as a fraudulent ring, and many of the players’ reputations were tarnished.

Then there are the Spygate Patriots — and multiple Patriots teams thereafter. During the 2007 season, which the Patriots began with a perfect 18-0 record before falling to the Giants in the Super Bowl, New England was investigated and fined for illegally taping opposing coaches to learn their signals. In the next “gate,” Deflategate, the Patriots were found to have illegally deflated balls to Tom Brady’s liking en route to their 2014 Super Bowl title.

No, none of their wins were vacated and no Super Bowl titles were taken away, but Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots became the face of NFL chicanery.

There are countless cases of athletes doping to gain an advantage, most notably baseball players during the “Steroid Era.” Barry Bonds’ all-time home run record is considered hollow by many, as is his (and previously Mark McGwire’s) single-season home run record. He has yet to be voted into the Hall of Fame, nor have PED villains Alex Rodriguez and Roger Clemens.

Lance Armstrong, once one of the most famous athletes in the world, became one of the most hated after it came out he had doped his way to seven Tour de France crowns.

The list goes on. Italian soccer power Juventus was found guilty of match-fixing, and still carries that stink to this day. Manchester City’s recent dominance is now in question as the Premier League juggernaut faces 115 charges of financial fair-play violations. The club has become a symbol of corruption as a result.

What Michigan also has in common with these teams is success. Nobody really doubts the Wolverines’ credentials: Their 14-0 record is stellar, they possess top-notch players and have beaten elite teams.

We didn’t doubt how good Brady and Belichick’s Patriots were; their dynasty spoke for itself. It was obvious Bonds, McGwire and other steroid users were great, and the same with Lance Armstrong. Juventus has since returned to being an international power, and Manchester City is the team to beat in world soccer at the moment.

We know they were great. But that’s what makes their cheating even harder to stomach: It’s greatness marred by disgrace.

Will that affect how fans watch the national championship game, hoping Michigan doesn’t win, so that there is no controversy to grapple with? That would be the cleaner scenario.

But the Wolverines are 60 minutes away from being crowned champion. They’re 4.5-point favorites.

And either way, they’ve joined the ranks of sports’ most infamous cheaters.

Today’s back page

A Giant decision

Week 18 will likely play an integral role in how the Giants approach their biggest offseason question.

What should they do at quarterback?

The Giants (5-11) are in position to land the No. 5 pick entering the final week of the regular season, and are still mathematically alive to move all the way up to the No. 2 pick and to move all the way down to No. 8.

The Commanders, Patriots and Cardinals own the three picks in front of the Giants, and have four wins apiece — meaning a win by one or more of those teams, coupled with a Giants loss, could see the Giants move up. All are heavy underdogs.

And if the Giants win, they could jump back several draft spots.

So much uncertainty surrounds Daniel Jones, who managed to play just six games in his first season after signing a four-year, $160 million contract extension. A return to his injury-prone ways — neck and knee injuries derailed his season — and a regression in his performance quickly rekindled doubts about his future as a franchise quarterback.

Tommy DeVito has earned the right to fight for a roster spot next year, but not much more. Tyrod Taylor is not expected to be back. Many will want the Giants to draft a quarterback with their first-round pick, but whether Giants brass will want to do so one year after investing so much in Jones is be a different story.

Where the Giants pick could heavily influence that decision.

If they somehow move up to No. 2, it will be hard to pass up the chance to draft one of the clear-cut top two quarterback prospects — Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. After that, there is ample room for discussion about who deserves to be taken where.

If they stay at No. 5, will LSU’s Jayden Daniels or Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. be worth the pick? Will either still be available? We see every year how quickly quarterbacks seem to “float” up draft boards and get taken much higher than originally anticipated. Penix’s stellar College Football Playoff semifinal performance in Washington’s win over Texas certainly will help his stock, and he can further impress in the national championship game.

If one or both of those quarterbacks are there when the Giants pick, that also might be pretty difficult to pass up. If the Giants do slide in the draft order, might they need to trade up for land a quarterback?

Though he’s not in the same class as the aforementioned prospects, J.J. McCarthy’s stock has risen in taking Michigan to the national title game. How much more will it potentially rise with his showing in the College Football Playoff?

Clarity is coming after this weekend, one way or another.

Stuck in the middle with you

The Knicks have ground to make up, and they’ll have to reverse some recent trends to do so.

The Knicks (18-15) are one of five teams separated by just one game in the Nos. 4-8 spots in the Eastern Conference standings — along with the Heat (19-14), Magic (19-14), Pacers (18-14) and Cavaliers (18-15) — in what’s shaping up to be a dogfight to claim the three final spots to automatically qualify for the playoffs. The Knicks are currently in seventh place, in position to land in the play-in tournament.

The Celtics, Bucks and Sixers aren’t out of sight for anyone in the Eastern Conference’s upper-middle class, but they’re all far enough ahead that it isn’t a conversation yet.

On their recent road trip, the Knicks lost back-to-back games against the Magic and Pacers, and neither was pretty. They needed a furious comeback just to lose to Orlando, 117-108, and were blown out, 140-126, by the Pacers.

Put simply, on the road, the Knicks looked a cut below their more realistic middle-of-the-pack playoff competition.

Both games, however, came before the Knicks made the blockbuster trade to acquire OG Anunoby with the aim of raising the team’s ceiling (“No question about it, he’ll fit into the fabric of the city and the Knicks,” Anunoby’s college coach, Tom Crean, told The Post).

The early results were hopeful. In their first game with Anunoby, the Knicks knocked off the Timberwolves, who own the best record in the West.

They’ll need more results against playoff-caliber opponents to avoid the play-in tournament. If Anunoby does in fact raise their ceiling, it should be expected.

New York’s free-agency winners

Gotham FC isn’t resting on its trophy.

The National Women’s Soccer League champions are making a splash in the early stages of free agency, luring multiple stars to the New York-New Jersey area as part of a roster makeover just weeks after cementing their first title.

At the curious hour of early New Year’s Eve morning, Gotham announced the signing of Crystal Dunn, a USWNT stalwart and former league MVP who hails from Rockville Centre, to a three-year contract.

Dunn, 31, a World Cup winner as a left back with the USWNT, has featured at midfield in the NWSL, most recently with the Portland Thorns.

“I’m not just coming home, but I’m here and staying put to be able to build a life back here with my family, and I’m most excited about that,” Dunn, who gave birth to her son in 2022, told The Equalizer. “And as a New Yorker, I’m passionate about the growth of women’s sports in this area.”

On Tuesday morning, Dunn appeared on “CBS Mornings” with USWNT defender Tierna Davidson, who said she also was joining Gotham on a three-year contract. Davidson, 25, is a former No. 1 draft pick who spent the past five years with the Chicago Red Stars.

And that’s not all. Gotham also has been linked with star Rose Lavelle — one of the handful of most exciting players in American soccer — and defensive midfielder Emily Sonnett.

It’s just the second year of full-fledged free agency in the NWSL, and Gotham has stamped itself as a premier destination.

To make room for the high-profile additions, Gotham watched midfielder Kristie Mewis sign with England’s West Ham and traded forward Ifeoma Onumonu to the Utah Royals.

— Jonathan Lehman

The scoreboard

Pelicans 112, Nets 85: A laugher, minus the comedy. Mikal Bridges struggled to 13 points; Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Thomas and Royce O’Neale each put up goose eggs. The Nets (15-19) have dropped four straight and are 2-9 with two wins over the Pistons in their past 11.

Hurricanes 6, Rangers 1: The trouncing at MSG by their closest division rival dropped the Rangers from the best record in the NHL. The special-teams failures were notable for a team that has been merely OK at five-on-five: The Rangers were shut out on the power play, and allowed the Hurricanes to score on a pair of first-period power plays.

Avalanche 5, Islanders 4 (OT): There was some consolation in securing a point despite being thoroughly outplayed. Lane Lambert uncharacteristically went off on the officiating.

St. John’s 86, Butler 70: Six players scored in double figures, led by Daniss Jenkins’ 17, as an improving St. John’s (10-4, 2-1) bagged another important Big East win. The Johnnies held Butler and former Red Storm point guard Posh Alexander to 32.3 percent shooting in the second half.

---

📱 Join the Inside St. John’s text-message conversation to keep up with all the behind-the-scenes buzz around Rick Pitino’s Red Storm and to get your Johnnies questions answered by reporter Zach Braziller.

---

What we’re reading 👀

🏀 The Knicks’ schedule eases considerably over the next 20 games, starting with Wednesday night’s 8:30 p.m. Garden tip against the Bulls. It’s time to make a move, writes The Post’s Mike Vaccaro.

⚾ We have remaining offseason to-dos for the Yankees and the Mets as the calendar flips to 2024.

🏈 The building blocks of the Jets’ 2024 roster are in place, says The Post’s Mark Cannizzaro. But goodbye, Dalvin Cook.

🏈 The Post’s Ryan Dunleavy puts the big names aside and looks at the looming decisions on the rest of the Giants’ free agents.

🏈 The NFL fined Panthers owner David Tepper some couch-cushion change for throwing a drink at a fan.

🚨 Caitlin Clark, at the buzzer.

🎾 Naomi Osaka dropped the second match of her tennis comeback, with a smile on her face.

🎯 We’ve got a darts prodigy.