Michigan: A Program Torn Asunder

As far as misery goes, it's been a record-setting season for Michigan. The worst part: at eight losses, the pain isn't over yet. Barring a miracle of Walt Disney standards, the block M will log nine losses in Rich Rodriguez's first year -- and that will set a historical mark unlikely to be broken.

What has gone wrong in Ann Arbor? Scenario: legacy coach and staff depart under pressure, but gracefully. Hot, national-stature coach is hired to the delirious joy of the fans. Talk of a difficult rebuilding year commences -- but no one expected the wheels to catch fire, fall off, and the cart to explode into a thousand fiery fragments.

One of the first things to happen upon Rich Rod's arrival: defections. Quarterback Ryan Mallett to Arkansas was understandable; Mallett possessed every possible skill and ability not needed by Rodriguez's spread offense. His departure laid the groundwork for Nick Sheridan and Steven Threet. To say that these two quarterbacks have struggled would be an understatement.

But then came a more troubling departure. Justin Boren, a lineman who started as a sophomore for the Wolverines, left the program for none other than Ohio State, leaving behind a nasty statement to the press relating precisely what he thought of Rich Rodriguez. Then came the losses, in what seemed like a never-ending stream of pain: Utah, Notre Dame, Illinois, Toledo, Penn State, Michigan State, Purdue, Northwestern.

Michigan squeaked by Miami of Ohio and Wisconsin, and logged their most impressive victory of the season, a 29-6 win over Minnesota. And that's it.

The problem as former Michigan standout Desmond Howard sees it:

"I made a comment (Sunday) on our show that it's not like they were trying to learn a spread offense (as much as) like they were trying to learn how to play football in some of those games, they looked so bad. This isn't Michigan, this is like Michigan Tech."

Can't field kickoffs. Can't catch passes. Can't hold onto the ball. It's not just that they're losing; Michigan does indeed look like a parody of a real football team.

And the news never seems to get better. Earlier this week, Rich Rodriguez lost his cool when he started blasting fans for their frustration, telling them to "Get a life". Even more disturbing, rumors of a new wave of player defections are surfacing from solid sources. Our own Brian Cook reports that Zion Babb is "no longer with the team" and two others are following suit. Via the excellent MGoBlog:

So... yeah. I was sitting on this until I had some outside confirmation and this serves as outside confirmation since three guys were mentioned as a group of players who had already made their decisions. The other two who have told the coaches they are out: sophomore LB/S Artis Chambers and Sam McGuffie.

EVERYBODY PANIC.

Of course, running back Sam McGuffie has been somewhat of a bright spot for the Wolverines. The frosh from Cypress, Texas has a 4.1 YPC average and 3 TDs to his credit. Also leaving the team: backup defensive tackle Jason Kates.

Not much else can go wrong for the Wolverines.

Rich Rodriguez deserves at least a second and third year to straighten things out, but compared to other programs which have replaced their head coaches this season, Rodriguez is grading out as an 'F'. Arkansas under Bobby Petrino has showed signs of competence and even improvement despite a cupboard at least as bare as what Rodriguez found upon his arrival. Ole Miss under Houston Nutt is the 'best four-loss team in the country' and is clearly improved from Ed Orgeron's 2007 version. Both programs face what few would argue to be a much tougher conference slate, yet they have still found a way to win games.

So why can't Michigan find a way to at least beat Toledo?

Whatever has gone wrong for Rodriguez in Michigan has gone badly wrong, and staring at 3-9, it's no longer possible for Michigan fans to wear a brave face and say, "He gets a first-year pass, it'll be better next year." Rodriguez's second year in the maize-and-blue can't be anything like the first, or he won't survive long enough to coach a third.

FanHouse Gut FeelingTM: There's no chance in hell the Michigan faithful will tolerate another losing season. Rodriguez has used up all his good will and then some. After the Ohio State game has reached its merciful conclusion, Rodriguez would be well-advised to hit the recruiting trail hard, and to install an exceptional off-season training program. Michigan needs every last bit of help it can get ... and so does Rodriguez.