Michigan Wolverines Head Coach Rich Rodriguez has one of the hottest seats in college football this year. He posted an 8-16 record his first two years in Ann Arbor. Michigan hadn’t seen such futility since the 1962-1963 seasons. Throw in the first ever NCAA investigation for rule infractions at Michigan, and the consensus was that this was Rodriguez’s make of break year at Michigan.
Seven games into the season, and Rich Rodriguez’s job should be secure, in my opinion. While Michigan has yet to show any improvement in the wins and loss column from 2009 to 2010, and it is a fact that Michigan is not even bowl eligible yet, one thing is clear. Rich Rod isn’t the problem. The defense is.
Michigan saw the writing on the wall at the end of the 2007 season. Ohio State had just lost a second straight BCS national championship game to a faster team. The spread and speed had become essential parts of college football offenses. When Lloyd Carr retired at the end of the season, Michigan knew they needed to hire a coach that could change the traditional smash mouth identity of Michigan if the Wolverines were to do more than win a Big Ten championship. Rich Rodriguez was the natural choice.
Fast forward to year 3. The Michigan offense is on fire. The Wolverines are second in the nation in total offense averaging 532 yards per game. With Denard Robinson at the helm the offense can strike from anywhere on the field at anytime. Michigan averages over 35 points per game. You don’t want to disrupt such a potent attack.
If changes are going to be made, they need to be made on the defensive side of the ball. Calvin Magee and Greg Robinson have some explaining to do. UMass scored 37, Indiana reached the end zone five times, and Michigan has given up 34 and 38 points in their two losses. While Michigan should be favored to win their next three games, wins won’t be enough to justify keeping these two coaches. Three more shootouts and these two should be out the door before the bowl game.
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