The Worst Hire In College Football

There are many candidates for this title including Ty Willingham, Bill Callahan, Bobby Petrino, Rick Neuheisel, or Charlie Weis.

But my pick goes to Michigan coach Rich Rodriquez.

And this has less to do with last weekends loss AT HOME to Toledo as it does his entire coaching history. For anyone that knows me you would know that I have felt this way SINCE THE DAY he was hired. And this season is doing nothing but confirm my suspicions and opinions.

I understand that he doesn't have the personnel to run his offense. And that next season he should have a running quarterback that will make his offense go. But is that really going to make a difference.

For years he got the best players in the Big East and for YEARS he failed to win all his games. He ISN'T a big game coach.

If your offense can't get it done every week in the Big East how is it going to do it in the Big Ten against defenses like Ohio States and Penn States?

Simple answer......it's not!

Even if Rich Rod had Pat White and Noel Devine (or even Steve Slaton) he would not be winning at Michigan right now.

The defense is supposedly good but how can the offense be THAT BAD? I mean these kids were all recruited to be division 1 football players at a big time school. Did Carr really not have a clue what he was doing and signed an entire couple classes of bad players? I don't think so.

I think you have to look at the coach. Why would you INSIST on running your spread option attack with a quarterback who CAN'T run? And if he is better than we all think and you think he can do it than HOW DO YOU LOSE TO A 1-4 TOLEDO TEAM?

I think Rich Rod thinks Threet can run his offense. Okay let's go that way for a minute. While he might not be fast and he might not be elusive maybe he can run the offense. Good for him. So is the rest of the team THAT BAD to lose to Toledo? Apparently it is.

Another reason, and this is the one that I think completes my argument, he is the worst hire Michigan could have made is that this team will NEVER be able to come back in a game. The key to beating West Virginia the past few years was to get ahead of them by a couple scores because the offense is not designed to play from behind.

Now consider the offenses in the Big East the past few years.....Rutgers, running team, South Florida, sporadic, there really aren't any more. Now consider the offenses in the Big Ten the past few years.....Ohio State, mostly balanced, Illinois, dynamic, Penn State, solid, Michigan State, solid, Northwestern, explosive. And now Minnesota is coming on strong.

The Michigan offense will NOT BE ABLE to keep up with most of the Big Ten offenses. The Michigan defense better be the best in the country or Michigan will NEVER win more than 10 games with Rich Rod as the head coach. And I wouldn't count on that because the weak link on ALL of Rich Rod's West Virginia teams was the defense!

As a Penn State fan I say Thank You Michigan for hiring a head coach that won't win in the Big Ten....I truly appreciate it!