Will RR win enough to be brought back after 2010?

yes

There are even comparisons being drawn between RR and John L. Smith

Who in the world is doing this? And better yet, even if someone is comparing the two.....why are you listening?!

I dont think beating UConn really constitutes as an upset. Granted they will finish with a better record (most likely 6-6). Also, how is Notre Dame predicted as a loss considering Clausen is most likely not coming back. Tate and Floyd are better off going to the league, and they will have a new coach next year, and we beat them this year? Honestly I believe we will see a much improved Michigan team next year with anything less than 8 being disappointing. Which IMO says Rod will be back and competing for the NC in 2011.

Everything is more complicated than you think. You only see a tenth of what is true. There are a million little strings attached to every choice you make; you can destroy your life every time you choose. But maybe you won't know for twenty years. And you may never ever trace it to its source. And you only get one chance to play it out. Just try and figure out your own divorce. And they say there is no fate, but there is: it's what you create. And even though the world goes on for eons and eons, you are only here for a fraction of a fraction of a second. Most of your time is spent being dead or not yet born. But while alive, you wait in vain, wasting years, for a phone call or a letter or a look from someone or something to make it all right. And it never comes or it seems to but it doesn't really. And so you spend your time in vague regret or vaguer hope that something good will come along. Something to make you feel connected, something to make you feel whole, something to make you feel loved. And the truth is I feel so angry, and the truth is I feel so fucking sad, and the truth is I've felt so fucking hurt for so fucking long and for just as long I've been pretending I'm OK, just to get along, just for, I don't know why, maybe because no one wants to hear about my misery, because they have their own. Well, fuck everybody. Amen.

Yes. Now go away.

It's too early to presume anything about next season (especially when you consider what may or may not happen at Notre Dame) but I'll play. My gut tells me Rich Rodriguez has one more free pass (believe it or not) for a bad season. Not to say the fan base won't be on edge and calling for his firing; but, I think a new AD would wait another year. That being said, I think Michigan starts off just as hot as it did last year and go 4-4 in the big ten. I think we finish 8-4 in the regular season. We may lose to an Indiana but we beat a Penn State or Ohio State.

I'm not convinced he's gone with a mediocre season next year. I hate to make this comparison, but I think he'll get the Weis treatment. It's easy (responsible?) to fire the coach of a talented, senior-laden, yet underperforming team. Michigan's 2011 is ND's 2009. At 5 to 7 wins next year, NOT firing RR next year will be hard, but I think it's the right choice. If he can't contend in 2011, can him.

they will fire him

Yes.

Ok, recognizing that any possible attempt to predict wins and losses for a season that is 9 months away is impossible, I will bite. Why do you have ND as a loss? We beat them this year (admittedly at home) and they most likely lose Golden and Jimmah to the NFL. So they will be playing their second game under a new coach with a new starting QB. We, on the other hand, will be returning well, everyone but B. Graham (huge loss, obviously). I would put this one in the W column. Also, I would keep in mind one or two other points when evaluating this team's potential to win certain of these games: 1. The offense this year was pretty good. We had a frosh QB, a committee of injured and young RBs and a line that was not only largely young, but also that lost its best played in Molk. Just another year of experience, size and development for Tate and the line alone and the return of Molk should mean that the offense will, at a minimum, be marginally better than it was this year, and there is a real possibility that our offense will be downright potent. I also think that Denard's development will surprise many. RR was pretty candid early on that Denard wasn't ready to be a full time QB - in any other situation (i.e. not having Sheridan as your only other QB), he would have red-shirted. If he progresses into a viable obtion, I think that our offense will match up with just about any of the teams that we will face, including Ohio State. 2. The defense cannot really be worse than this year. Now, I am not saying that it will be better, but how much worse can it be? Is it possible to give up more than 7 points just about every time they are on the field (or 8 in the case of 2 pt conversions)? And, while it is impossible for us to fill Graham's enormous shoes, we should see significant improvement from Roh, RVB and Martin. Just a second year under the same DC alone should equate to some improvement. As for the secondary, assuming that Donovan stays, I think that we see some improvement here. We have some serious talent that did not play this year, and while there will be a learning curve, I cannot imagine that Turner will not be an improvement. 3. The RR "second year" leap. I know that many have written this off, since we did not improve all that much from last year in terms of overall and B10 record, but I think that we need to re-think this. The leap comes from the team playing a second year under the same system and from RR's players having a second year to develop as a cohesive unit. Unfortunately, largely b/c we didn't field an actual QB in 2008, the system and the play calling was entirely different from 2008 to 2009. Hence, no leap. It is not out of the question that the leap that all of RR's prior teams had in their second season will come in 2010, as it will be the second real season in which RR is running something resembling his offense. 2008 was just an unfortunate dead year. While I am not predicting 10 wins, I don't think that 8 is out of the question in a weak B10. Other than PSU and tOSU, I don't see any games on here that are overwhelmingly likely losses.

All I can say is every UM fan had better pray that, whatever this magic number is, RR attains it. If he doesn't and ends up getting fired, look forward to another 3-5 years of rebuilding and lots of losses. It doesn't matter if you like RR or not. The worst thing that could happen after next year is for him to be fired and we go through this transition again. Like him or hate him, every UM fan should be pulling for his success.

You wrote: All indications are that the defense will be troubling again next year, but, if they can get through 2010, the future will be bright. I write: If you look at it that way, you're simply looking at the wrong indicators. Had Cissoko, Turner and Witty been available this whole year, the team would not have finished 5-7. That's simply the truth. Turner, Witty and Christian are available to add to (if Warren returns) the whole returning secondary. That alone is worth 2 more wins.