Rich Rodriguez: Odds on Where He'll Land Next
Rich Rodriguez is gone from Ann Arbor, and the University of Michigan administration didn't take too long to find his replacement, hiring former Michigan assistant and most recently San Diego State head coach Brady Hoke yesterday.
Rodriguez didn't exactly fall flat on his face as the Wolverines head coach: they started 5-0 this year and reached the Gator Bowl. But in three seasons, his overall record was a paltry 15-22, 6-18 in the Big Ten.
And although he ruffled a plenty of feathers in Ann Arbor, and was at the helm when the program was dealt its first-ever NCAA sanctions, Rodriguez is still a pretty great offensive mind. Sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson did become the first player in history to rush for 1,500 yards and throw for 2,000.
Someone will be interested in bringing that type of offensive production to their team. But whom?
(It seems highly unlikely that a team would be searching for a new head coach this late in the recruiting stage, so Rodriguez probably won't take over a new head coaching gig until 2012.)
No. 10: Georgia Bulldogs (2012)
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Of course it's highly unlikely, and the chances of Rodriguez getting such a prominent job just two years removed from his failure at Michigan are not good.
But if the Bulldogs go through another mediocre year (and they are losing their best player A.J. Green to the NFL Draft) Mark Richt could be on his way out.
From a purely football standpoint, Rodriguez could fit in Athens. In a conference that has won the past five national championships (four of them to major rivals for the Bulldogs) Georgia might want to make splash.
If Rodriguez can recruit a player like Denard Robinson and turn him into a great duel threat in just two seasons, he should be able to do something similar in the South.
Three of the past four Heisman Trophy winners (Tim Tebow, Mark Ingram, Cam Newton) have been powerhouse SEC runners, yet Georgia has not finished higher than 49th in the nation in rushing since 2004.
If the Bulldogs look for a new head coach after the 2011 season, Rodriguez would definitely improve upon that total.
No. 9: Auburn Tigers (Offensive Coordinator, 2012)
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Again, this is a tremendous long shot.
But after coaching Cam Newton to a Heisman Trophy and a national championship in just a year's time, Tigers offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has to be the top coaching candidate for any vacancies in 2012.
Auburn will have several great recruiting classes for years to come, and that should include dual-threat, great athletic quarterbacks who want to play for Gene Chizik and be the next Cam Newton.
Rodriguez's history suggests he wouldn't necessarily revamp the style and playbook that produced a 14-0 season.
No. 8: West Virginia Mountaineers (Offensive Coordinator)
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Well, maybe this is even more unlikely than Rodriguez going to Auburn, Georgia or even replacing Bill Belichick as the head coach of the New England Patriots.
But perhaps he could mend fences in Morgantown. Rodriguez was a college teammate of Athletic Director Oliver Luck and coached under WVU icon Don Nehlen.
Now he did burn all his bridges there and anger the fanbase and alumni when he bolted for Ann Arbor, but under Bill Stewart, the Mountaineers have not reached a BCS bowl and failed to win 10 or more games in a single season, something Rodriguez did in 2005 and 2007.
If he really wants to rehab his image after a borderline disastrous tenure at Michigan, he can start by returning as the Prodigal Son.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 7: New Mexico Lobos (2012)
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The worst offense in the nation? New Mexico.
In a second straight 1-11 season, the Lobos finished dead last with 266 yards per game.
Mike Locksley finished up his second season in Albuquerque, so he'll have another year on the job.
But if Rodriguez takes the standard "year off" and throws his hat back into the head coaching ring this December, Rodriguez would boost both the running and passing game.
With defensive juggernaut TCU leaving the conference in 2012 (but potent teams like Hawaii and Boise State on the way) the Lobos need to improve their offensive output.
No. 6: Rutgers Scarlet Knights (Offensive Coordinator)
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Greg Schiano isn't going anywhere just because the Scarlet Knights had a down season in 2010. After all, he led the team to an 11-2 record in 2006 and four consecutive bowl victories.
But just a few seasons after sending Ray Rice to the NFL, Rutgers' running game was miserable this year. Their 100 yards per game average was the 11th-worst in the nation while overall, the offense (295 yards per game) was seventh-worst in the nation and worst amongst AQ schools.
Since Schiano is a defensive guy through and through, he might not clash with Rodriguez, who would love a shot at playing West Virginia each season.
No. 5: Kansas State Wildcats (Offensive Coordinator)
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Set to lose Daniel Thomas to the NFL Draft (their second-leading running back, William Powell, is also a senior), the Wildcats could be interested in revamping their offense while at the same time looking for a potential heir apparent to Bill Snyder.
Again, it's hard to know whether or not Rodriguez would want to work under a campus legend like Snyder.
But if he hopes to return to a BCS-conference head coaching position, this would be a nice way to transition there. How much longer will the 71-year-old Snyder remain in Manhattan? Unlike ageless wonders Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno, he already retired once.
Perhaps sophomore quarterback Colin Klein (who rushed for two touchdowns and 127 yards against Texas, then 141 yards against Missouri) could fit into Rodriguez's offense.
No. 4: Indiana Hoosiers (Offensive Coordinator)
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The Hoosers are going to lose senior Ben Chappell, and they don't exactly have a great running game to fall back on. They averaged just 100 yards rushing per game in 2010 and only one player, senior Trea Burgess, carried the ball more than 64 times last year.
Rodriguez is familiar with the region and the conference, having spent the last three years recruiting at Michigan. And since this will be Kevin Wilson's first season as a head coach, Rodriguez could help show him the ropes.
He'd have a chance there to match up his offense against Brady Hoke's offense, and earn an immediate shot at showing up his replacement when the Hoosiers play the Wolverines in the Big House during Homecoming on October 15.
No. 3: Washington State Cougars (2012)
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Ty Willingham was fired from one of the most prominent head coaching jobs in the nation (Notre Dame) and immediately found a good job in the Evergreen State. Maybe Rodriguez will be as lucky.
Paul Wulff has not fared well in Pullman, winning just five of 37 games in his three seasons, and finishing dead last in the Pac-10 the past two years.
With just 91 yards rushing per game, only Bowling Green, Idaho and San Jose State were worse than the Cougars in 2010.
In the Pac-10, with Oregon and Stanford returning key players next year, the Cougars could use a major overhaul to compete.
No. 2: Colorado State Rams (2012)
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After producing the program's first winning season in five years, Steve Fairchild and the Rams have struggled the past two seasons.
Back-to-back 3-9 seasons and only two conference wins during that stretch isn't as bad as the fact that the Rams scored 10 points or fewer seven times in 2010 and scored the seventh-fewest points per game (16.4) in the nation.
And in the Rams' season finale, they were shut out 44-0 to the 2-9 Wyoming Cowboys.
Colorado State isn't a powerhouse program, but a change in leadership down the road might be in store.
No. 1: Tulane Green Wave (2012)
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In the past two seasons under Bob Toledo, the Green Wave have finished last in Conference USA's Western division.
And in four years on the job, Toledo has a 13-35 record, far worse than he did at UCLA back in the 1990s.
Rodriguez has a history in New Orleans, serving as the Green Wave's offensive coordinator from 1997-98, when he made Shaun King one of the nation's top passers during the program's historic 12-0 season that ended with a 41-27 win over BYU in the Liberty Bowl.
That was the only time since 1939 that the Green Wave finished the season inside the Top 10.
That year, under Rodriguez, Tulane averaged 44.3 points per game, far better than the 24 they averaged in 2010.
Overlooked in the recent fervor over the New Orleans Saints and LSU Tigers, the Green Wave could make headlines by bringing in Rodriguez.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
