Despite sharing a state and being separated by approximately 130 miles, the football programs at Michigan and Central Michigan don't share much of a history with one another.
The Wolverines and Chippewas' Week 3 game on Saturday, Sept. 13 will be just the fifth football matchup between the schools since 1931, and the first since 2013. The series hasn't been particularly compelling, either, with Michigan winning each of the previous four matchups by at least 24 points.
Over the past 23 months, though, the two programs have been connected by one of the biggest and undeniably strangest stories in modern college football history.
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The saga surrounding a recently completed NCAA investigation into Michigan's sign-stealing and illicit advanced scouting took one of its more unexpected turns when photos emerged in 2023 of a man who looked like former Wolverines staffer Connor Stalions dressed in CMU gear on the Chippewas' sideline for their game against Michigan State earlier that season.
What was initially viewed as a potentially humorous coincidence became one of the most notable wrinkles in the NCAA's probe into the Wolverines.
As Michigan and CMU prepare to face off in Michigan Stadium on Saturday, here's a look at how the Chippewas played a role in Stalions' operation:
Much of the college football world was stunned in October 2023 when news first broke that the NCAA had notified both Michigan and the Big Ten that it had received allegations of the Wolverines taking part in a sign-stealing scheme.
In the days that followed, the story grew in scope, with various outlets reporting that Stalions, a previously anonymous analyst on the Michigan staff, had orchestrated an elaborate in-person scouting operation in which he would purchase tickets for games of upcoming Wolverines opponents and have the attendee film the sideline to record play signals that could then be deciphered.
Over time, the extent of the plan started to become clearer. About two weeks after news of the NCAA's investigation first broke, shots from the television broadcast of Michigan State's 31-7 Week 1 win against CMU showed a goateed man who had an uncanny resemblance to Stalions on the sideline and next to coaches while wearing sunglasses and a Chippewas shirt and hat, as well as a sideline pass. The Wolverines were set to play the Spartans seven weeks later in their annual rivalry game.
Shortly after those photos went viral, CMU announced it would be conducting an investigation into the matter.
Complicating matters were some inextricable ties between the Chippewas' coaching staff and Michigan. Then-CMU head coach Jim McElwain had worked as wide receivers coach for the Wolverines in 2018 under Jim Harbaugh, and when Stalions was working for the program as a volunteer, before being hired to lead the Chippewas after that season. Defensive backs coach Michael Zordich and quarterbacks coach Jake Kostner also had worked at Michigan while Stalions was there. Kostner resigned from his position in September 2024.
In "Sign Stealer," a Netflix documentary on Stalions that was released in August 2024, Stalions addressed the photos publicly, downplaying what many saw as an unshakeable coincidence.
"I don't even think this guy looks like me," Stalions said while holding up a picture of the figure in question.
The documentary also included a clip of Stalions speaking with NCAA investigators, who he told he didn't "recall attending a specific game there" when asked about the CMU-Michigan State game.
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In June 2025, nearly two years after CMU's investigation into Stalions' sideline presence was announced, the Chippewas were served a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA and given 90 days to respond.
While the university denied receiving the notice, it said in a statement to the Free Press that it was working with the NCAA on the matter.
"We are aware that the NCAA has updated its online infractions dashboard for parties contesting their allegations," the statement said. "CMU has not received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA because it is working with the NCAA toward a negotiated resolution.
"We have been working collaboratively with the NCAA since Fall 2023, and we look forward to bringing our matter to a fair conclusion soon."
Back in August, when it released its long-awaited findings from its investigation into Michigan, the NCAA confirmed that, yes, the mysterious figure on the CMU sideline was Stalions, who the organization said was there to engage in in-person scouting while in disguise.
"According to interview statements by a former football staff member, Stalions attended that game in part to decipher Michigan State's signals, but also to help a Central Michigan staff member with play calling," the NCAA wrote in its infractions decision.
Days after the decision was released, CBS Detroit reported that the CMU football staff had requested that Stalions help it during the Michigan State game. While speaking in November 2023 about the now-infamous photos of Stalions, McElwain said he didn't know how Stalions got sideline access.
"I certainly don't condone it in any way, shape or form," McElwain said. "I do know that his name was on none of the passes that were let out. We keep tracing it back to try to figure it out. It's in good hands with our people. There's no place in football for that."
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The Chippewas' game against the Wolverines will not include one notable figure from the NCAA's sign-stealing investigation.
Second-year Michigan coach Sherrone Moore, who was the team's offensive coordinator during that 2023 season, will be serving the first game of a two-game suspension the university handed down ahead of the NCAA's decision. As part of that punishment, Moore will also miss the Wolverines' Big Ten opener against Nebraska.
Michigan associate head coach Biff Poggi, who spent the previous two years as the head coach at Charlotte, will serve as the interim head coach for both of the games Moore is suspended.