Today, West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez told his team he is accepting the head coaching job at Michigan. This is a strange development.
The Mountaineers finished 10-2 this season, and lost a sure-fire chance at the BCS national championship game with a season-ending loss to heavy underdog Pittsburgh. Rodriguez is a West Virginia native and played for the Mountaineers. West Virginia has the strongest, most consistent program in the Big East Conference, placing themselves in contention for BCS bowls every year. The Mountaineers have played for a national championship in the past, and have the potential to play for and win another one. In fact, a case can be made that it is easier to win one at West Virginia coming out of the Big East than to win one at Michigan coming out of the Big Ten.
Michigan has won more games than any school in college football. The Wolverines have one of the blue-blood programs in college football. I am surprised that they went outside of the Michigan circle to find a coach. I am doubly surprised that they got away from the power football philosophy that has defined Michigan. Rodriguez made his mark using the spread offense. It will be interesting to see how the Michigan football culture adapts to the new way of doing things.
If you’re West Virginia, you have to feel betrayed. Rodriguez accepted the Alabama job last year before accepting an enhanced package from West Virginia to stay home. It is hard to figure out what would cause him to listen to other offers just a year later. He may feel that he has done as much with WVU as he can. However, Rodriguez doesn’t seem to be the type that always dreamed of taking Michigan to the Rose Bowl.
Another footnote: This is the second time in less than a year that Michigan has poached West Virginia for a coach. Last spring, the Wolverines hired John Beilein away from Morgantown as men’s basketball coach.
More coaching changes and comments later…
6 comments:
Maybe he thought after the Razorback Rebellion, his stuff wouldn't look so bad. lol
On one hand, when these coaches can get fired after one flukey bad season, you can't blame them for chasing dollars and job security wherever they can find it.
But, on the other hand, Rodriguez is a native of WV. His extended family and in-laws live near Morgantown. I'll never know the difference between $2 million/yr and $4 million/yr, but I think I'd rather coach close to home in a winnable conference for $2 million than at Michigan at $4 million. Of course, I believe Michigan is the state school version of Notre Dame: overrated, overexposed, and arrogant.
Tonight, the state of West Virginia shares Ohio's opinion of Michigan:
Ohio's opinion of Michigan
Yeah, it does seem like he's turning his back on his home, but I mean come on .... he's leaving WV ... who wouldn't?
Most of us would leave WV in a heartbeat. Natives feel differently. That's why the people in WV are so upset today. They feel betrayed by one of their own.
The only person I know from WV left as soon as he could. He lives in Phoenix now and never complains about the heat after the horrible cold and snow they would have in his parts of WV.
I am descended from the family that founded Morgantown, then in Virginia but now in West Virginia. My ancestor was the rebel that left the family and went west, eventually winding up in Texas, from where his descendants left to go to Oklahoma. I've never been there, though.
West Virginians are a proud people. They don't have much in the way of an economy, so most people that get an education leave the state. They do have integrity and work ethic.
I've only been in a couple of corners of the state, and it looks beautiful, but there's no reason to move there from out of state unless you own a coal mine. They're good people, though.
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