Michigan Strikes it Rich

Michigan football fans are performing Mexican Hat Dances in the snow-covered streets of Ann Arbor this afternoon, because Rich Rodriguez has been hired! He met with Bill Martin and Mary Sue Coleman in Toledo on Friday, and took part of the weekend to mull over the offer that was on the table. Apparently the offer was so good Rodriguez couldn't pass it up, which leads me to believe that he'll be making at least $3 mil a year and probably has control over who he hires to be his assistants, some incentives for getting to the BCS, scholarships for his kids, a house, who knows.

Before we pat Bill Martin on the back, though, it seems that it may not have been him who inked RR...Mary Sue Coleman has been rumored to be the one who took control of this coaching search and went after RR. So perhaps the next step is to send Sailboat Bill off into the sunset...

More exciting for the football program, though, is the kind of players who could be wearing the winged helmet next year. The fact that Les Miles was not hired means that Sam McGuffie, the top running back in the nation, won't decommit, and now Rivals.com is reporting that Terrelle Pryor, the #1 QB prospect in the nation, who was set to go to West Virginia, is considering Michigan now. Michigan may finally bring the spread offense back, or at least a reincarnation of it. Additionally, if RR has control over who his assistants are, that means Mike DeBord will be canned, and perhaps he would grab John Tenuta from Ga. Tech to replace Ron English, which Les Miles was going to do were he hired.

I'm changing my tune that Miles was the best fit...there was no indication that he would have given the football program the drastic overhaul it needed, maybe just in pockets. He's also 54, and RR is 44...and I don't think he could get the kind of recruits Rodriguez will be able to with a block M on his shirt.

Michigan coaching search = trying to get a date in high school

The University of Michigan football program, at the hands of AD Bill Martin, is becoming a laughing stock in college football. All of us here in Ann Arbor have had our chains jerked around since November 19th, and I can't take it anymore. Sailboat Bill led us to believe Les Miles was coming here, but in reality listened to Lloyd and screwed up the pursuit. Then we had hopes that Greg Schiano was "the guy," yet rejected Billy's offer of $2 million. Wonder why...not that he had a brand new mansion of a house and a program that he himself built or anything. Our hopes spiked again when Billy and Mary Sue actually talked to Miles on the phone, but again they didn't just flat-out say "We want you to be the next coach."

I don't believe for an instant that WVU's Rich Rodriguez is a legit candidate. People think he could just magically turn Ryan Mallet into a Pat White and recruit speed players to place around him, but I think if Martin was serious about hiring him, he would have done so. $4 million is a ludicrous buyout, and MGoBlog has a rumor that he's for sure staying put.

This whole thing reminds me of High School. Les Miles is the cheerleader captain, and we were too shy to ask him out, and only spoke through a proxy, with the overprotective father watching over the whole thing (LSU AD Skip Bertman). So we got rejected, and went after the girl no one was foolish enough to ask out (Schiano), and got rejected again. And now it appears we've been rejected by the crazy girl (Rodriguez) because she just liked to lead us on and then rip our heart out. So what happens is Bill Martin is spending prom night alone in his basement 'cause no one taught him how to ask the dreamgirl out, and will get the pity date to homecoming (Ron English).

My prediction? If there's no hire by the National Championship game it's been Miles all along and the next day he's introduced as coach. He's a smart dude, I think he's handled this beautifully.

Catalogue of Columns

Now that our Fall publishing period is at and end, I have decided to post links to each of the columns I wrote this semester. No matter what I write about, there's always someone out there that finds something wrong with what I say...even though it may not even be an issue where there is two sides. There's still a lot I want to write about, and focusing more on a critical look at the University at that. I feel that as a soon-to-be graduate, I should voice some concerns I have over where I see this place going, because right now I don't like it.

Leadership in Iraq
Where's the real GOP?
A Hail Mary for the Big House
The cause of our time
Talk that Matters
Marketing machine
Comcastic-ally upsetting