Dare I ponder the impossible...winning out?

Submitted by readyourguard on

To celebrate Coach Hoke's birthday, I'd like to ponder the most homerish, positive outlook for the remainder of the season.

What if we won out, including a bowl game?  I realize it's pie in the sky and I'm punch drunk from watching a Michigan running back actually, you know....RUN.  But what if we found the missing piece with Drake, other players got healthy, and we built on Saturday's game to take a 3 game win streak into the Shoe?

What if the unthinkable happened and we beat Oiho St, won our bowl game, and finished 8-5?

Does Hoke & staff come back in 2015?

EDIT: Because there seems to be some confusion, the question is IF we win out.  Consider it a hypothetical, if you will.

turd ferguson

November 3rd, 2014 at 10:04 AM ^

I think Michigan winning out provides the greatest flexibility possible for this search.  Few would seriously object if Hoke were fired after an ugly 7-5 season with a soft schedule.  At the same time, it wouldn't be out-of-this-world ridiculous to bring him back.  That would enable the new AD, if he wants, to conduct a coaching search while still employing Hoke, fire Hoke if/when he finds a better alternative, all while maintaining the ability to keep Hoke if it looks like the alternative is a questionable hire who could set us back even further.  

As far as process goes, I think that's probably roughly what happened with Borges/Nussmeier.  It seemed that they didn't let Borges go until they knew they had a better option, which strikes me as the ideal way to do these things.

More generally, winning out would be great because winning is great and beating OSU is especially great.

I Like Burgers

November 3rd, 2014 at 11:04 AM ^

C'mon if Hoke and Michigan won out there would be a ton of people calling for him to return.  At that point the storyline would be that after another crushing loss to MSU, Hoke and Michigan dug deep, addressed the issues with the team, and FINALLY figure out how to turn Michigan into a winner.

It would be the worst case scenario in my opinion because there would be a lot of people calling for him to return, and people that still wanted him to go.  And regardless of what happened you'd once again have a fractured fan base.

Then you complicate all of that by the fact that unless they extended him, it would be impossible to recruit due to the fact 2015 is the last year of Hoke's deal.  There's no way he can recruit as a lame duck head coach.

If Hoke is coming back next season, he's back for the forseeable future because he's getting a contract extension.  You can't bring back a lame duck head coach.

turd ferguson

November 3rd, 2014 at 2:18 PM ^

But that's the point.  With some people thinking that he should return and some people thinking he should go, the AD has flexibility.  If a good coach is available, fire Hoke, hire the new guy, watch most of the people who leaned toward keeping Hoke get excited about the new guy, and write off the rest with a "you'll never please everyone."  If no one good is available, hang onto Hoke, since a bad new hire does more damage than a contract extension that you can always buy out of if need be.  (DB's $3 million didn't prove to be much of an obstacle.)

Trust me, if Michigan goes 7-5, fires Hoke, and hires Harbaugh, you won't hear many people shouting "How dare you!"  There might be a few, but if I'm the AD in that situation that's totally fine with me.

BloomingtonBlue

November 3rd, 2014 at 9:50 AM ^

To see your opinion has changed on this one UnWavering. Beating, App State, Miami of Ohio, A terrible Penn State, Indiana, Northwestern, and Maryland does not show improvement. Please, people beating Indiana does not fucking change anything! We just got wooped by MSU and OSU will be looking to double that score.

alum96

November 3rd, 2014 at 11:16 AM ^

Depending on the bowl opponent (who knows who it is) all winning out would show is UM beat 1 quality opponent all year.  When faced with good opponents - Utah, ND, MSU, OSU, it won once.   If the bowl team is a likewise good opponent then that it would be 2 out of 5 instead of 1 out of 4.  In year 4. 

All it would mean is UM beat up on a lot of bad teams in the worst major conference in football.  Which puts it at Iowa's level.  All the "red letter" games would be mostly losses.  Again.  In year 4.

Your wins would read:  App State, Miami OH, Maryland, Northwestern, Indiana, a broken version of PSU, and OSU.  (and mystery bowl game opponent)

If I am an AD I have 1 question for the football program - is this coach one who will beat Dantonio 60%+ of the time and Meyer 50% of the time? The answer is no.

OSU is younger than us on offense this year and look at them - they are going to be peeved with a single Big 10 loss.  And we are going to extend a guy who rolls out 7-5?  And a bowl win vs Virginia?

Celebrations would go off in Columbus and EL if this happened. 

gustave ferbert

November 3rd, 2014 at 9:53 AM ^

people were predicting before the season what his record should be depending on how the season went.  I think that vast majority of people would think 7-5 and losing all 3 rivalry games would be a failure and he would have to be fired.  

 

But everyone is getting way ahead of themselves.  We beat an injury laden Indiana team that lost to Bowling Green. 

We still haven't won a road game this year and probably won't the entire season.   

Where did you see his dad said he was willing to come coach?  I would love to read an article about that if possible!!!!

DavidP814

November 3rd, 2014 at 10:34 AM ^

Well, the circumstances are a BIT different.  Harbaugh is coaching in the NFL, in probably the toughest division in football.  And the games he's lost have, for the most part, been very competitive.  Hoke is coaching in a weak Big Ten and losing to every decent team he's played, and looked overmatched in the process.

Additionally, Harbaugh has been to 3 straight conference championships and, if a bit of luck went the 49ers way in the 2 NFC Champ losses, been to 3 straight Super Bowls.

So yes, Harbaugh is preferred to Hoke, even if Hoke wins out and Harbaugh goes 7-9 or worse.

charblue.

November 3rd, 2014 at 11:02 AM ^

hasn't beaten a ranked team, has scored 11 points agianst two rivals and hasn't won a road game this year. Cosmetically, the season would look a lot better if Michigan could become bowl eligible and finish 6-6 or better.

It would take a collossal effort for this team to beat OSU in Columbus. And if that happened, and the team showed the kind of will and determination to finish with 5 or 6 straight wins, then Hoke gets a better review before exiting.

This team just hasn't done enough to merit an extension to Hoke's contract or keep him on for the remaining two years.

Normally, I would oppose another transition because it would only set back the program in terms of stability and a retrun to a level of success that we are all accustomed. But with the opportunity to hire Jim Harbaugh, I think you make the move. Because it seems to be now or never.

Yost Ghost

November 3rd, 2014 at 10:40 AM ^

He's made the NFCCG 3 years in a row and been to the Superbowl! Not to mention making the Stanford football program relevant again. How can you even compare that to Hoke getting a Sugar Bowl win year 1 with Rich Rod's recruits and mediocrity ever since? Maybe you should actually read about what Harbaugh is doing before you post.

ESNY

November 3rd, 2014 at 2:16 PM ^

So in this magical scenario, getting blown out by ND and MSU and Minnesota (not to mention bad losses to Utah and Rutgers) is turning the corner if we can somehow beat OSU?  Beating a terrible PSU team, a terrible Indiana team, a terrible NW team, an average Maryland team and then OSU is showing progress?

Three straight years of decline don't get erased by one win.  Even the sun shines on a dogs ass some days.

Muttley

November 3rd, 2014 at 10:54 AM ^

when the Tigers were able to sign Sparky Anderson to a deal.

The Tigers--who had not made the playoffs since 1972--were 27-26 under Moss, but then--Sparky Anderson!

According to Wikipedia, "...(Moss) actually was not fired for cause or because he was ineffective, but rather because Sparky Anderson had unexpectedly become available."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Moss

Dave Brandon built an athletic department machine that relies on $125 tickets.  Which of Brady Hoke or Jim Harbaugh do you think is better suited to supporting that price with a commensurate product?

The athletic department needs to be as aggressive in fielding an elite team as they have been in raising ticket prices.