Michigan AD Warde Manuel skipping this week's College Football Playoff rankings summit

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, a member of the College Football Playoff selection committee, announced Monday he will not be traveling to Dallas to do this week's rankings due to the NCAA's ongoing investigation into the alleged illegal sign stealing by the Wolverines.

"I will not be traveling to our weekly meeting in Dallas but instead will stay in Ann Arbor, attending to important matters regarding the ongoing investigation into our football program," Manuel said in a statement. "I look forward to being back in the room with my fellow committee members next week and every week through the end of this season."

The CFP's second rankings will be released Tuesday night. Michigan was No. 3 in the first rankings, released last week.

The NCAA is conducting an investigation into whether Michigan was scouting future opponents in-person and using video to decipher opposing coaches' signals from the sideline. Both are against the sport's rules.

A key figure in the investigation, Michigan staffer Connor Stalions, resigned Friday and reportedly refused to cooperate with investigators.

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The announcement comes just hours after Central Michigan announced the NCAA was joining its investigation to determine whether or not Stalions was on the CMU sideline dressed as a Chippewas staffer for the season opener against Michigan State.

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Manuel declined comment to the Free Press when asked about the NCAA's sign-stealing investigation, following Michigan's 41-13 win over Purdue on Saturday night.

Manuel, U-M's AD since 2016, joined the selection committee in late January, following the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, for a three-year term. He is the lone Big Ten administrator on the 13-person committee after Iowa AD Gary Barta retired this summer.

Michigan is looking for its third straight berth to the four-team postseason bracket. It faces its biggest test of this season so far Saturday at No. 11 Penn State.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan AD Warde Manuel skipping this week's CFP rankings summit