The Status of the Michigan Football Program

Wolverines continue disappointing 2008 season

By now all Michigan fans know which way the 2008 season is headed and instead of trying to predict the outcome of the upcoming game, it is better to look to the more distant future.

Now no fan was expecting the season to be great, but no one was expecting it to be the disaster it has become. As someone who has never seen a losing Michigan season or remember a bowl-less year, this season has been a shock to the system. During times like this some fans yearn for the past, they remember Bo or even wish Lloyd Carr was back in charge so things would not be this bad. I prefer to appreciate the past and look at the big picture beyond the pain of 2008.

Though it might not look good or make any sense based on the play this year, Michigan made the right hire in Rich Rodriguez as head coach. Most of us thought before the year that despite the losses on offense and the change of style, things would be not be that bad. For those of us on the outside, no one knows exactly what is going on inside the football program, but what is happening is that Michigan football is being torn right down to its core and being built back up again. It is not a pretty process, though to not only compete again with Ohio State but to compete with the top teams in the county year and year out it was necessary.

Even John L. Smith could have recruited top-tier talent to come to Ann Arbor. The problem with Michigan and many other places is that half of the talent would go to waste by not developing into being a player. Now Rodriguez is not going to hit on every recruit, one thing is for sure that each player is going to work and contribute something to the effort. Rich Rod was a former walk-on himself, and someone who has worked hard to get up the coaching ladder and he will instill that work ethic into these big time recruits.

Now when will all of this hard work payoff for the Michigan program? Who knows! One thing is for sure though, it will happen and when it does happen, we the fans, will not be wishing for another coach to be in charge.