Rich Rodriguez: 10 Potential Replacements Besides Jim Harbaugh
Rich Rodriguez has yet to be fired by Michigan, but the widespread belief is that he'll be on the next train out of Ann Arbor.
Like the Big Ten during bowl season, Rodriguez has been an epic failure at Michigan.
He has to go—and he will.
However, it's important to note that Michigan has seemingly neglected all other potential replacements for Rodriguez in favor of Stanford's Jim Harbaugh.
But what if Harbaugh stays at Stanford? What if he bolts for the NFL?
Everything Michigan prepared for will go down the toilet quicker than Lindsay Lohan's acting career.
Don't fret, though.
There are plenty of coaches out there who would jump at the chance to coach at one of the most prestigious football schools in the country.
In fact, let's take a look at 10 candidates who could wind up as the next head coach of the Michigan Wolverines.
10. Ralph Friedgen
1 of 10
Ralph Friedgen may turn off potential suitors with his striking resemblance to Mark Mangino, but his accomplishments on the football field can't be denied.
He's led Maryland—which is traditionally a basketball school—to 75 wins in 10 years, including three seasons with double-digit wins.
Friedgen has gone 5-2 in bowl games and brings a wealth of experience to the table—he's been coaching since 1969.
His age (63) and his recent struggles (just 26 wins over the last four years) will probably prevent him from getting another head coaching job.
But it's college football. You never really know.
By the way, Friedgen is currently rumored to be in line for a position on Virginia Tech's coaching staff.
9. Mike Gundy
2 of 10
Given Mike Gundy's love for offense—Rich Rodriguez, anyone?—his hiring might not go over well with Michigan fans.
But the Oklahoma State head coach has led a resurgence of the Cowboys in the Big 12.
Gundy went just 4-7 in his first season there, but he's improved steadily and has led the Cowboys to a 29-8 record over the last three seasons, including an impressive 11-2 campaign in 2010.
He's 3-2 in bowl games, he's developed Oklahoma State into one of the most prolific passing attacks in the nation and he's only 43 years old.
Gundy's defenses have struggled against the pass, but I'd argue that has a lot to do with the Cowboys being up by wide margins.
If Michigan is looking to retool its offense to be a pass-heavy attack, then Gundy is the way to go.
After all, he's a man. He's 40.
8. Chris Petersen
3 of 10
Aside from winning a national championship, what else can Chris Petersen do at Boise State?
Pretty much nothing.
The 46-year-old head coach is 61-5 for his career (38-2 in the WAC), he's won double-digit games every season at Boise State and he's 2-0 in BCS bowl games.
Sure, he could build up the Broncos program.
But even with the move to the Mountain West, it's a long shot at best that Petersen will ever play for a national championship there.
I guess he's probably looking at Dan Hawkins as proof he shouldn't leave Boise State.
I can't blame him if that's the case, but Michigan is a better program than Colorado, and Petersen is a proven winner.
He'd be a good fit there.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Skip Holtz
4 of 10
Skip Holtz didn't have a ton of success as a head coach early in his career, but he's developed into one of the best young coaches in all of college football.
He's 80-55 overall as a head coach, he led East Carolina to three seasons with at least eight wins and two Conference USA titles in just five years there and he led South Florida to 8-5 record and an impressive bowl win over Clemson in his first season as the Bulls' head coach.
Holtz obviously has a head coaching pedigree—his father is Lou Holtz—and he's shown the ability to help turn around a struggling program (ECU).
Although he was hired by South Florida less than a year ago, there's no doubt he'd head to Michigan if the opportunity presented itself.
6. Dan Mullen
5 of 10
Arguably the hottest coach on the market, Dan Mullen has turned Mississippi State from SEC cellar dweller into serious contender.
He's won 14 games in his first two seasons there, including a nine-win campaign in 2010 that was capped off by a 52-14 beatdown of—oddly enough—Michigan in the Gator Bowl.
Mullen's offenses have shown the ability to run the ball down their opponents' throats, and his defenses have dramatically improved in just two short seasons to rank among the SEC's best.
In his first season in Starkville (2009), Mullen was able to land a top 25 recruiting class according to both Scout.com and Rivals.com.
The man knows how to draw recruits, his teams know how to play defense and his squads also know how to win.
Mullen could do a lot to change the culture at Michigan, much like he's done in his short time at Mississippi State.
5. Mark Richt
6 of 10
Mark Richt is still the head coach at Georgia, but the team's 6-7 overall record and poor bowl showing lead many to believe he'll get the ax sooner rather than later.
Though his team has struggled a bit in recent years, it's not like you can just throw away all his success at Georgia.
He's led the Bulldogs to six seasons with double-digit wins, he's appeared in bowl games in all 10 years at Georgia (three BCS appearances), he's gone 7-3 in bowl games and he's 96-34 in his head coaching career.
Richt's recent résumé is pretty mediocre, but the total package is definitely impressive.
4. Kyle Whittingham
7 of 10
Since taking over for Urban Meyer at Utah at the end of the 2003-04 season, Kyle Whittingham's done his best T-Pain impression: All he does is win.
He's 58-20 overall, he's never won less than seven games in a season and he's won at least 10 games in three of his six full seasons as the Utes head coach.
Whittingham is also an astounding 6-1 in bowl games—he was co-head coach with Meyer in 2004.
Given Utah's move to the Pac-12, however, Whittingham will probably stay put at the school.
But with his postseason and overall success, you have to think his name will continue to be brought up in head coaching discussions for the next several years.
3. Les Miles
8 of 10
As an LSU alum, I'd be lying if I said I didn't think Les Miles was as overrated as overrated gets as far as his actual abilities as a coach.
I had to work with him for an internship while in Baton Rouge, and let's put it this way: The man doesn't come across as a football genius.
But his numbers are pretty damn good.
Miles is 89-38 overall, he has four seasons with double-digit wins, he's won a national championship and he's 5-3 in bowl games.
He also consistently draws some of the top recruiting classes in all of college football.
Not to mention he played at Michigan, and he worked as an assistant for the Wolverines back in the 1980s.
Miles has been linked to that job opening in the past, he's got strong ties to the university and he's a proven winner.
He'll be a strong candidate once again—like he was when Rodriguez was hired—even if he denies being interested in the opening.
2. Tom Bradley
9 of 10
Tom Bradley has been rumored to be the coach in waiting at Penn State for years now, and he's also linked to the head coaching job at Pittsburgh.
The defensive coordinator has also been a candidate for numerous head coaching vacancies in the past, but he's never left Penn State because of his loyalty to the program—he played there, he's coached there since 1980 and several family members played football for the Nittany Lions as well.
But Bradley also appears to be testing the waters with his interest in the Pitt job, and it doesn't look like Joe Paterno's ever going to retire.
Bradley has developed a reputation as a stellar recruiter, and he would bring some much-needed toughness to Michigan's defense.
Given his ties to Penn State, he's a long shot. But the Wolverines might want to give him a long look.
1. Brady Hoke
10 of 10
Brady Hoke isn't a name that's going to jump out at very many people, but it's hard to overlook the success he's had at smaller FBS schools.
In 2003, he took over as the head coach at Ball State, going 4-8 in his first season there but leading the Cardinals to a 12-1 season in 2008, his last with the program.
The following season, Hoke headed to San Diego State, and in 2010 he led the school to its first bowl win since 1969.
Hoke also has strong ties to Michigan, where he was the Wolverines' defensive line and associate head coach from 1995-2002.
His recent success as a head coach at the FBS level and his history with the Michigan football program make him a strong candidate for the job.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
