Rodriguez meets with Michigan

[BaltimoreTerp]

There's a very small number of jobs that are truly special. Michigan is one of them. (The simple fact that nobody laughs at them when they're wearing those goofy-looking helmets is proof of that ;-)

Appalachian State started the season by beating a team in those helmets, and finished the season by beating a team in those helmets!

[ledzepp8]

Fair enough.

I bet not. I'm sure the money is part of it, but for a career college football coach, getting a job like Michigan has got to be absolutely huge. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and that's only if you're both good and very lucky. Not many people get a shot at a job like that. Hundreds of guys try their whole career, and only a very few actually get a shot at it. I don't think many guys would turn it down.

I agree with this, but listening to the man himself he has totally contradicted himself over the years. This was his dream job, he wanted nothing more in life than to play football for WVU, he wanted nothing more in life than to coach for WVU. If we're talking about wanting a chance to win a national title then he's had that here for the last three seasons and most likely that would continue at least for the next season or so. He had the title game gift wrapped for him this year and he blew the chance. He wanted to turn WVU into a national power and he was doing that. He held the university for ransom last year with 'Bama and he got a very very large raise and the promises of better facilities and money towards football. He was getting all of these things he wanted and apparently he wasn't patient enough to see them through. Apparently since all of those things weren't completed within a year, they weren't going to get done. He tried to play the 'Bama game again and this time he lost(well in some ways at least).

[geschinger]

I agree with this, but listening to the man himself he has totally contradicted himself over the years. This was his dream job, he wanted nothing more in life than to play football for WVU, he wanted nothing more in life than to coach for WVU. If we're talking about wanting a chance to win a national title then he's had that here for the last three seasons and most likely that would continue at least for the next season or so. He had the title game gift wrapped for him this year and he blew the chance. He wanted to turn WVU into a national power and he was doing that. He held the university for ransom last year with 'Bama and he got a very very large raise and the promises of better facilities and money towards football. He was getting all of these things he wanted and apparently he wasn't patient enough to see them through. Apparently since all of those things weren't completed within a year, they weren't going to get done. He tried to play the 'Bama game again and this time he lost(well in some ways at least).

Ever since the Bama situation last year I've been under the impression that he isn't the type of guy who is going to be a lifer anywhere. He won't be at Michigan either - there is no chance that it will be his last job.

I'm sorry to see him go - I didn't expect him to depart this quickly but I'm not going to attack him for taking an appealing job that comes with a huge raise. For someone not interested in being a lifer it really is a no brainer. And I'm looking forward to him breating some life into the Big 10. For a team that couldn't stop the spread to go out and get the father of the spread to run their program will make the changes at Michigan profound. I'm not worried about WVU - I have confidence they'll find the right guy to finish the job that RR didn't. I'm thankful that RR got the improvements commited to and I'm thankful that he was willing to sign a deal last year that brings another $4m into the program. The next coach is going to have an outstanding foundation from which to build from.

[Why Not?]

I agree with Shack here. I think this is one of a handful of jobs that are almost impossible to turn down. WVU is what it is, a great program in a small state playing in a second-tier conference.

[Birds of B'more]

It's official, he has joined John Beilien in Michigan. Just call WVU the Wolverines' AAA team.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10532347

I question how a big, dropback QB like Mallet will be able to run RR's offense.

Maybe Rodriguez will drop Mallet so far down the depth chart that he transfers to another school, like maybe Michigan State or somewhere like that? Then Mallet can become his new team's starter and come back to haunt RR for a couple years.......like some other fellow from College Park once did.

[Todd-O]

I have to admit, there really is no special place in my heart for WVU (primarily because of the Mountaineer Fans... just my opinion... don't want to start a war over that statement). I took great pleasure in watching Pitt manhandle WVU a few weeks ago... the looks of agony on Coach Rod's face were icing on the cake.

All that being said, I really would never "wish" this kind of ill will on WVU. If I were a Mountaineer fan I would be really upset right now.

But, all that being said, I agree with the above poster who said you really can't turn down the Michigan job. They've only had a handful of coaches in recent decades... and it is a great place to recruit and play.

This leaves me to wonder... how hard is it for a program like WVU to make the leap from decent team --- to a good Top 10 team --- to an elite program.

Right now, I peg them as a good Top 10 team that *could* see some decline once Schmidt, White, and Reynaud, and Slaton leave the scene. Their defense is okay... obviously the offense can be prolific. BUT. The Question remains, if Coach Rod had stayed, would they have slipped back to an 8-9 win team? Or, would they have continued to improve and dominate? I kind of felt like some off their success was coming of gadget-esque misdirections that might not work as well with other players handling the ball. Again, that's just my opinion. I was really curious to see what the next few years would bring for them. I *thought* next year would be their absolutely best shot to go the BCS Champ game without having to rely on another team losing to open up a spot. However, the coach's departure is really going to send shockwaves --- I bet some recruits pullout, perhaps some kids will transfer, and players like Slaton might forgo learning a new system in a Senior year and test the pro waters. It's a shame.

I guess we'll never know the answer. Anyhow, I think the Big East is weak enough at this point that a good Top 10 team could continue to have success for years to come.

Oh well, good luck to the Coach and here's looking forward to continuing the Boarder War in a few years.

[RShack]

This leaves me to wonder... how hard is it for a program like WVU to make the leap from decent team --- to a good Top 10 team --- to an elite program.

AFAIK, it's damn near impossible for a school to upgrade itself to "an elite program". The only guy who has done that in recent decades is Bobby Bowden, and it took him a very long time to do it... and not just a long time either... it took the most amazing record of anybody to pull that off... it took him finishing in the Top-5 a whole bunch of years in a row to do it... being an "elite program" is a pretty small club, and it's a very old-timey closed club... Beamer's been highly successful by any reasonable standard, and he hasn't done it... it takes more than just a NC game to pull that off...

[Todd-O]

I pretty much agree with what you say. I think the primary issue is the overall size of squads. It's much easier for a basketball program to rise -- much harder for a football program simply because of the sheer number of players needed to truly dominate. Also, I guess you could say that that really leaves less for everyone else to have (?).

One thing that's true... is that a team like Auburn can have crap seasons and still remain a "power" whereas a team like Maryland can't afford to many crap seasons before the recruiting really takes a hit.

It must be nice to be on the "in" in college football.

[Birds of B'more]

I pretty much agree with what you say. I think the primary issue is the overall size of squads. It's much easier for a basketball program to rise -- much harder for a football program simply because of the sheer number of players needed to truly dominate. Also, I guess you could say that that really leaves less for everyone else to have (?).

One thing that's true... is that a team like Auburn can have crap seasons and still remain a "power" whereas a team like Maryland can't afford to many crap seasons before the recruiting really takes a hit.

It must be nice to be on the "in" in college football.

True......and imagine how much tougher it was for programs to rise before football scholarship limits were lowered to 85 per team? That's probably why there are so few of what we consider truly elite programs. Now, with the limits, mass expansion of TV coverage, and tendancy for kids to want to play right away, the wealth is being spread out more.

[Todd-O]

Yeah... you are absolutely right.

[geschinger]

I felt a lot better about Rich Rodriguez leaving thinking it was just the lure of the Michigan job and a huge raise. But with ESPN reporting that the primary reason for Rodriguez leaving West Virginia was his deteriorating relationship with the athletic department that is more worrisome. When Belien left one of the reasons cited was his problems dealing with the athletic department. Losing one coach due to problems with their relationship with Pastilong can be written off as maybe incompatible personalities. When it happens twice one must assume there is some real problems w/Pastilong and if that's the case, one would expect this not to be the last time something like this happens.

[mweb]

Well Terry Bowden is apparently very interested. What do you WVU fans think of him?

[ledzepp8]

I felt a lot better about Rich Rodriguez leaving thinking it was just the lure of the Michigan job and a huge raise. But with ESPN reporting that the primary reason for Rodriguez leaving West Virginia was his deteriorating relationship with the athletic department that is more worrisome. When Belien left one of the reasons cited was his problems dealing with the athletic department. Losing one coach due to problems with their relationship with Pastilong can be written off as maybe incompatible personalities. When it happens twice one must assume there is some real problems w/Pastilong and if that's the case, one would expect this not to be the last time something like this happens.

This could be true or it could be that for the third year in a row Rod tried to renegotiate things in his contract, for the second year in a row he used a coaching job at another school to try and hold WVU for ransom, and he tried to ask for more stuff only a few months after signing a new contract and the AD and donors finally said enough. I understand him wanting better things for the program, but there's unfortunately only so much money to go around and these things take time. Now we'll probably never know the full truth and there is most definitely blame on both sides. It's just in the past couple of days Rod hasn't given me much reason to believe much of what he says. He didn't inform the university or his bosses that he was going to interview for the Michigan job, when confronted with reports that he did interview for the job he lied about it, while still employed as HC of WVU he actively recruited Terrelle Pryor for UM and told him he was going there before he even told his own players, etc. And he and the coaches that he took with him are still trying to get recruits to go back on their commitments to WVU and follow them to UM. This is not the same Rich Rod that WVU, it's fans and the state of WV knew and loved...but then again maybe it is.

It's not so much him going to Michigan, that I can get over...but it's the way he went about it.

[ledzepp8]

Well Terry Bowden is apparently very interested. What do you WVU fans think of him?

I don't know...he's been out of the game for a long time.

[mweb]

BTW, I do think what he has and is doing is screwed up.