Michigan Gets Rich: Now What?

There’s a new team south of Michigan that hates the Wolverines even more than the Buckeyes…

The West Virginia Mountaineers.

WVU has become the victim of two Michigan coaching raids in the last year, including the theft of John Beilein to coach their basketball team.

Hey, WVU, remember, how Les Miles has a Michigan clause in his contract? Better make it mandatory for all coaches in Morgantown.

Personally, I wonder why this had to be done now. Why not wait until after the bowls?

Rodriguez gets them to the doorstep of the BCS Fiesta bowl, then tells them he’s got to go, and to have fun and enjoy themselves. It might be that Les Miles would have taken the job after the BCS Championship Game, and Rich knew he had to make this move now or never.

Think I’m crazy?

Michigan paid $4 million to buy out Rodriguez; it would’ve only taken $1.35 million to buy out Les. What’s the first thing the Rich does before making his announcement public? Call Terrell Pryor, of course, right before the dead period starts.

The ripples are still being felt in Columbus, which was the supposed favorite to land the #1 rated recruit. One problem still remains as far as recruiting, Lloyd Carr. He remained at Michigan to coach his team for his final bowl appearance, but also stayed to continue to recruit so that Michigan’s new coach was not left with the cupboards completely empty.

He wasn’t preparing for a coach who runs the spread, so Rich is going to have to do some adjusting before unleashing his powerful spread offense. Without having the right players in place, Rich is going to have to wait a few recruiting seasons to get things running properly.

So it goes without saying that during these next two or three seasons, UM wont completely struggle, but don’t expect a National Championship either.

This whole situation probably seems like a logistical nightmare, as attributed to the varying offensive and defensive schemes. But it doesn’t stop there. Remember that there’s a whole horde of coaches in this mix from both schools.  

Rodriguez says he will be taking several of his coaches with him, which means the coaches at UM are likely out of a job. A guy like Ron English is not going to accept a demotion from his current defensive coordinator position, especially when teams like the Chicago Bears have shown interest in him. If he’s interested in the Windy City, then he may also want to check out the opening at Northern Illinois.

This season gets crazier with each passing week, but there is one thing we can be certain of: WVU Athletic Director Ed Pastilong had better check his voicemail. Terry Bowden called and said something about coming home to coach.