Biggest impact of 2012 Alabama Game - RR is here through 2012

Medieval.  And Denard.  And agree.

While you might be right, I don't think that the connection is quite that strong.

Simply put, Brandon was offered a boat load of $$ for Michigan to play in this game.  It allows us to play in Texas - one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country - on what will certainly be a nationally televised prime time game.  Those reasons, alone, would lead Brandon to accept the invite.

And yes, I am sure that Brandon wants to win the game.  To that end, he will have whatever coach he believes will give us the best odds of winning not just that game, but the 2011 and 2012 seasons.  If Brandon believes that RR is doing a good job and leading our program in the right direction, then yes, he will leave RR in place.

If, however, Brandon is of the view that RR is not taking the program in the right direction, and that continuing on with RR will make us less competitive, then he would not keep RR.

Also, do not assume that if RR goes, the next coach will result in such a dramatic shift in style or focus.  It is entirely possible that if RR is replaced, it is with another spread style coach, or, alternatively, with a defensive-minded coach who has a spread OC that runs the majority of the offense.  Not saying that any of these things will happen, but I just don't necessarily believe that a coaching change has to represent a "start over and rebuild" like it has for us.

Also also, while winning is obvious a huge factor in the RR decision, there is another relevant factor that Brandon, a businessman, will be forced to consider, and that is alumni donations.  Quite simply, if the alumni who give the big $$ start to tell Brandon that they will not be ponying up if RR stays (and much of the older, richer, alum are not supporters), this could factor in.  Again, not saying that this will or will not happen - just that realistically, it is a factor.

Please note that I am not arguing for or against keeping RR - that is entirely not the point of this comment.  I will not give my opinion on that during the season, as I think that it is way too premature for us to make that decision with 5 (6?) games remaining and a 5-2 record.  I am just pointing out that your analysis seems too simple.

There's a flip side to that coin too.

Let me play devil's advocate:

Brandon schedules that game because A) it's a win-win for the program (exposure, marketing, and money) regardless who our coach is.  And B)  if DB walked away from negotiations for that game, it raises even MORE questions about RR's future.

DB is a smart guy.  That game is a big deal.  I'm sure it doesn't matter to him if RR is the coach or someone else is, he was gonna make that deal to play Bama in Dallas.  He's the quintessentail Bo protege and he'll be GD'ed if he's gonna back down from anyone (or any challenge).

(As a side note, I applaud him for that and am damn glad he's our AD).

Then why doesn't he have a national press conference and actually, you know, say that?

Playing another high-profile game in a couple of years has little to do with keeping RR around.  As others have noted, this is a big-time game that will undoubtedly draw eyeballs and raise the exposure of the University, and that is why Brandon made the move.  Also, we are talking about millions of dollars, dollars he does not need to share with the rest of the B10.  Those reasons alone are enough to schedule the matchup, irrespective of who the coach is.

That said, it certainly would behoove the team to have some continuity when that game arrives, though a new coach would be in year 2 by that point and certainly would inherit a decent lineup.  Given all that, I definitely want RR as the coach come 2012.  Maybe a different DC, but RR has shown that his offense can dominate good teams if given some maturation.

I've got no idea where Brandon is headed but I think he is looking at a lot more than just wins and losses.  He already has 2.5 seasons of RR's performance to look at.  It's not just coming down to these final five games.  I would not be suprised if Brandon is already 90% sure on his decision.

Regarding Alabama on the schedule.  Bo came in and turned an average program into champions almost immediately.  With the tradition and facilities at UofM, maybe Brandon thinks he can find a coach to do the same.  Either RR or a new coach would have a veteran team at that point.  Good coaches generally find a way to put respectable teams on the field, even with subpar talent.  IMO, the 2012 schedule has nothing to do RR's fate.

I think that if RR makes it through this year, he'll be here in 2012. Due to recruiting, you have to make a decision this year whether to give him 5 years or part ways(barring a 3-9 next year or something). I agree with the above posters that RR's job security wasn't really a factor in getting a lot of money to play a prime time game in a fertile recruiting ground.

I'd love it if it were so, and all signs are Brandon does believe RichRod can succeed. But if the wheels fall off Brandon will play the cutthroat business man--Rich will be gone.

There clearly are scenarios that get Rich Rodriguez fired before 2012. It’s not what I want, and I am sure it’s not what Brandon wants. But when he said before the season, “Rich Rodriguez is our coach in 2010,” he obviously meant that there was at least a chance that Rodriguez wouldn’t be in 2011 or 2012.

It is a monumental exaggeration to say that it would be “program suicide” to play Alabama with a new regime in place. All you can say is that Michigan would be the underdog in that game. Brandon agreed to the Alabama game because it made sense financially, and because it will be great exposure for the school, regardless of who is coaching at that time.

for the following reasons:

1.  We've shown major offensive improvement from year 1 till now despite having FR QB's for 2 of 3 years - with year 3 being a SO QB.  What's the potential for this offense with Denard as a Junior or Senior and do you really want to mess with that potential by changing HC's in the middle of his development?

2.  Defense will improve with time as experience and new recruiting classes replenish the D.  This takes time and I think our D will move from atrocious to simply awful next year with a big improvement in 2012 as we have more experience and depth.  Just going from atrocious to awful will be worth 2-3 wins, IMO.  Changing HC's now will not improve the timeline here so why make a change that would not improve your D but would definitely make your O regress?

3.  If recruiting continues to improve, there is no reason to switch and throw that into turmoil.  Especially considering we can't afford to have another bad class and that is what you risk when you change HC's - a big immediate hit in recruiting as the new guy gets up and running.

Barring major sanctions or other issues that would hurt short term recruiting, RRod will be here until Denard graduates is my guess.

There is zero connection between that game and RichRod's job security and it's certainly not a "sign" that Brandon is sticking with RR.  Michigan football (kinda legendary) existed before and will exist after RichRod...whether RR is here 30 years or just 3.  

We have 5 games left to play before worrying about 2011, and then we have another 12 (plus a couple of bowls hopefully) before worrying about 2012.

You are assuming far too many things.  I want Rich Rod to be here for that game and well beyond as much as anyone, but as the poster above me said, there is simply no connection between his job status and this game.

i think there is something there...why would he consult with Rich Rod if he wasn't at least considering him for being there.  In talking with a few players, I get the feeling that Rich Rod is staying and the debate is more between blogs and media than internal.