2011 Schedule: Potential Win-Loss Record & Impact on Coach

So when I was talking to one of the coaches at Notre Dame - Ohio, he mentioned the gripe that OSU fans have about Tressel. From their perspective, Tressel basically won with players who were already there when he came. Now, success begets success in recruiting, and Ohio State continue to cruise with one or two losses a year. The problem is, many OSU fans don't really think Tressel is ever going to win a national championship. But you don't cut loose a coach who is only losing a game a year. I think many of us would be thrilled to have Ohio State's problems. Whatever.

But our conversation got me to thinking about next year's Michigan schedule. As has been mentioned already, almost regardless of who coaches, Michigan could win its first 10 games next year. I wonder if some of the RR haters really are campaigning to get rid of Rodriguez now, knowing that it will be a lot harder with to fire him with a 10 - 2 record. It would be cruel and unfair not to let the coaches and team the chance to prove themselves next year.

Personally, I desperately hope that RR stays at Michigan. Yes, our defense needs serious work. But I truly believe that with the added experience, and the return of Woolfolk, and the incoming class, our defense will see massive improvement. While the defense won't be awesome, they will be more than good enough for us to compete in all our games. This would happen even if Gerg were to stay and wasn't the fall guy.

I badly want RR to be given the chance to run the table next year. Why? Not just because I think it would be fair. But I also think his players love  him, and that with just a little luck, and getting through one more year, we will be competing at the highest level for years to come.

in contrast to Tressel, I believe that RR will truly be competitive in big bowl games. We just have to be patient. Now isn't the time to panic. RR came into a crummy situation, and should not be a sacrifice to the blood lust of the mindless hoards.

There are two analogies that come to mind. I'm thinking first, of Return of the Jedi, where Lando Calrissian says, "Don't worry, my friend's down there. He'll have that shield down in time." That's exactly what happens. If we're patient with RR, I fully believe we'll topple the empire in Columbus, and bring jubilation to Michigan fans for many years.

The bad analogy is to Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, when Robert Brewster activates Skynet, plunging the world into a nuclear wasteland. Pulling the plug on RR would do the same thing to Michigan. It has taken years to get to where we are now. To change course would cause havoc that could last for many, many years. I am trusting in DB to stay the course.