The End of the Rich Rodriguez Experiment in Michigan

Today I read on ESPN.com as well as at USATODAY.com that Michigan players were alleging NCAA rules violations at Michigan perpetrated by the coach, Rich Rodriguez. This is a very bad sign for Rich Rodriguez.

I'm sure that every football team breaks NCAA rules to some extent. But the majority of these infractions are never made public. And of those that do reach the public's ear, even fewer are reported by the players.

This is especially embarassing for Michigan because it shows there is virtually no solidarity amongst the team and some strong resentment and dislike for the coach. A team that is divided like this can't succeed.

I also recall reading earlier that a Michigan tackle, who was expected to help the team immensely this year, opted to transfer to Ohio State. Ohio State and Michigan for the top rivalry in the Big Ten and one of the biggest college football rivalrys in the nation.

The aforementioned tackle left because he no longer felt Coach Rodriguez and his staff embraced the family values of Michigan football and what it had come to mean over the years.

This is terrible news for Coach Rodriguez. I wouldn't be surprised if he was fired before the season ended. Despite arriving amidst tremendous hype and excitement, he seems to have alienated the players and worn out his welcome. A coach can't coach and certainly can't thrive when his players are openly (albeit anonymously) behaving mutinously.

Rich Rodriguez and Michigan

Is the reason Rich Rodriguez is struggling so much because he has a system developed in West Virginia and he is trying to force Michigan to adapt to it? Could it be that his high speed, cutting, juking, sprinting offensive system isn't working because its too damn cold?

Now that I think about it, his team was doing well last year....until they playing in late November at Pitt...which was quite a cold game, and they scored only nine points. Interesting