There’s no question that the NCAA investigation into alleged in-person scouting has taken a toll on the Michigan football team.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh has been suspended three games and will serve the final game of his suspension on Saturday for the Ohio State game.

It’s unbelievable that Michigan football would be without its head coach. It’s even harder to believe that the NCAA was interviewing players last week.

The NCAA’s actions, including its accelerated investigation and persistent press leaks despite Michigan’s inability to comment, have given the impression that this is the biggest college football scandal ever, even though it is actually an investigation into minor infractions by an analyst.

In any case, Michigan football fans will be relieved to learn that this week’s NCAA investigators will not be questioning the players.

The NCAA is a feckless organization. It should never have been allowed to interview players during the season anyway. However, according to a report from Josh Henschke of Rivals, I am happy that the NCAA is at least giving them a break this week.

I have no issue with the NCAA investigating, but the pace and the punishment already feel like selective prosecution. The NCAA certainly isn’t equitable.

In any case, Michigan football will have an opportunity to perform at its best on Saturday afternoon if they can have a typical practice week with minimal outside distractions.

And despite all this noise, the only thing that matters is beating Ohio State. It stinks that Jim Harbaugh won’t be there. He should be, but hopefully, this team can overcome that and win their third straight game against the Buckeyes.