Possible Replacements for Rich Rod

With the regular season at it’s end, I believe it is safe to say that the Michigan Wolverines and their head coach Rich Rodriguez had another disappointing season. Michigan went 7-5 this year with a guaranteed bowl game which is an improvement from the last two seasons; however, how much of an improvement was it? Going 7-5 Michigan beat UConn 30-10, Notre Dame 28-24, UMass 42-37, Bowling Green 65-21, IU 42-35, Illinois 67-65, and Purdue 27-16. Michigan lost to Michigan State 17-34, Iowa 28-38, Penn State 31-41, Wisconsin 38-48, and Ohio State 7-37.
In his first season with Michigan Rich Rodriguez went 3-9 overall and 2-6 in the conference which was good for 9th (tied)  in the Big Ten. His second season he went 5-7 overall and 1-7 in conference which he tied for 10th in the Big Ten. And this season he went 7-5 overall and 3-5 in the conference which tied the Wolverines for seventh in the Big Ten. Michigan’s record shows that they are obviously not a very good football team and for the most part feasted against mediocre to bad out of conference teams such as UConn, Bowling Green, and Notre Dame. Michigan also beat division 2 opponent UMass which was not an easy win by any means having only won the game by 5 points 42-37. Michigan also won 3 Big Ten games, IU, Illinois, and Purdue which also were not easy wins (IU 42-35, Illinois 67-65 OT, and Purdue 27-16). The bottom line is Michigan beat the bottom feeder teams of the Big Ten, teams they should have  beaten.
The games Michigan lost, they lost in terrible fashion, Iowa 28-38, Penn State 31-41 and Wisconsin 38-48. Michigan also lost against both bitter rivals for the third straight year, Michigan State 34-17 and Ohio State 37-7.
Michigan also prided itself on it’s high power offense which was looking bright at the start of the season. However, when Michigan started to play good teams, the lack depth and skill on the defense started to show, not to mention the offense often times stalled and only really scored late in games where it didn’t even matter.
This year Michigan is going to a bowl game for the first time in 3 years after previously going 35 straight years. Unfortunately for Michigan they are most likely going to a sub par bowl like the pizza-pizza bowl or the insight bowl, playing an opponent from the MAC, ACC or some other mid major conference.
Rich Rod supporters, how will you feel if they lose the bowl game? Do you still give Rich Rod one more year?
Like I mentioned before there has been some improvement with Rich Rod but with that said there has been regression in other areas of the team. The defense seems to get worse and worse every year and you can basically say the same thing about the special teams.
Now there is still the possibility that Rich Rod will remain the head coach at Michigan. Athletic Director David Brandon said that he will wait till the end of the season to evaluate the football team. David Brandon played under Bo,  so he knows the tradition at Michigan and he knows what it’s like to win.
So, is Rich Rod the right guy for the University of Michigan? Do they need a Michigan-man or do they just need a head coach who will focus on all aspects of the team?
Here are the possible replacements if Michigan and Rich Rod decide to part ways.
Jim Harbaugh- Jim Harbaugh is the hottest name on the market for coaches and is currently the head coach at Stanford. Right now Stanford is 11-1, 4th in the BCS and will be playing in a BCS bowl game. When Harbaugh took over the Stanford football program three years ago (the same time Rich Rod took over the Michigan program)  he did a complete 180 with the team that previously went 1-11.  He is also having his players meeting the academic standards which are very high at Stanford.
Harbaugh, who was the quarterback for Michigan in 1985, seems like the number one replacement for Rich Rod. Despite his close Michigan ties he will be heavily targeted by many other college programs as well as the NFL.
Les Miles- Another coach who will be heavily targeted by Michigan, Les Miles is currently the head coach at LSU. Miles also has in the past proven he can go all the way and win the National Championship.
For some reason or another fans at LSU are not happy with Miles which could play in Michigan’s favor if they decide to pursue him. Les is getting at least 10 wins every year in the best conference in collage football and has played at Michigan under Bo and was an assistant coach for UM in 1980.
Les was the target to replace Lloyd Carr 3 years ago, but he decided to stay at LSU.
Will he change his mind a second time around?
Pat Fitzgerald- Pat is the head coach at Northwestern and seems to have started to make Northwestern a legitimate football team. He is a young coach and runs an offense that would fit the players currently at Michigan. However, he played linebacker at Northwestern which leads me to believe he wouldn’t leave his alma mater for Michigan.
Paul Johnson- Paul is the head coach at Georgia Tech and runs the out dated triple option. Now the triple option may be a good fit for the Michigan players right now but against the big, fast and physical defenses of the Big Ten we may end up seeing some of the same problems at offense.
Chris Peterson- Peterson is currently the head coach at Boise State. Now for me it is hard to judge weather Boise State is a good team or a team that plays in a bad conference against bad teams. Peterson’s success at Boise State has gained them national recognition and had them as a contender for the National Championship until they fell apart and lost to Nevada. Peterson’s offense is based on pass first to open the run which would be an alright fit at Michigan. However I believe the success he has gotten at Boise State will keep him with the Broncos.
Brady Hoke- Hoke is the head coach at San Diego State and was an assistant coach at Michigan. Hoke is a defensive minded coach which has obviously been missing for Michigan over the past few years. Hoke would be a long shot due to the fact he has no big time school experience as a head coach.
Ron English- English is the head coach at Eastern Michigan and has not had a good run there so far. Ron was a former defensive coordinator at Michigan under Lloyd Carr and for the most part has a very good defensive mind. Ron  English is highly praised by Lloyd Carr and I believe  English could be a good fit at Michigan.