Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon's Game Plan

Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon has not given much insight into what he plans to do about the head coaching position after this bowl season, or even any thoughts as to what he might do. Rather, he continues to leave the Michigan fan base wondering if their coach next year will be a man who has a 15-21 record at Michigan currently, or someone else.

Many people disagree with the method that Brandon has used thus far, but one thing is for sure, he has a game plan of his own and he is sticking to it. In my opinion, I would think that a man of his stature knows what he is doing in a situation such as this. He is a successful businessman, CEO, and has made various decisions that have benefited the Michigan brand to date, including The Big Chill, installing lights at the Big House, and hosting Michigan's first night football game in 2011.

Dave Brandon does not have a lack of options going into the future. I would hope that Brandon sticks to a script that goes a little like this. Brandon should not fire Rodriguez without a proven, big name coach to be the new leader in Ann Arbor. This means receiving a guarantee from someone like Jim Harbaugh that he would leave Stanford and return to his alma mater. If Harbaugh does not verbally agree and "accept" the position, Rodriguez should be kept another year to see if he can improve a defense and regain Michigan’s status as an elite Big Ten football team.

If the 2011 season is deemed a failure, there will be more options a year from now.  Will Harbaugh then grow tired of seeing Michigan fail and leave Stanford (if he is still there), and accept the job?

Will Jon Gruden grow tired of the ESPN Monday Night Football position and want to return to the sideline? He is from the Midwest and is on the radar of any pro organization or college that has an open position. Could you picture Gruden, with the intensity he has for football, entering a household to speak to the mother and father of a five-star recruit?

Urban Meyer will be a year removed from Florida. One would hope his health concerns are gone, and that he has the itch to return to coaching. Would he jump at the chance to return to the Midwest and lead the Wolverines?

There are always up-and-coming coordinators and head coaches each year. With the money that Michigan is able to throw around, they should be able lure a coach away from their school ties (i.e. Will Muschamp leaving Texas for Florida).

Everyone is quick to criticize Dave Brandon because he has not made a decision on Rich Rodriguez. If they do keep Rodriguez another year, there will still be plenty of coaches left in America to choose from. Let’s all sit back and have faith that this intelligent, capable man has a good strategy to go by. After all, if someone like me is able to think of a game plan such as the one above, one would hope that the AD of the University of Michigan is able to think of a better one.