CFB: Why Did Michigan Football Fall?
Fall is such a beautiful word. It is the name of the season that contains the brisk, cool air, and crackling autumn leaves that have fallen as you walk. It also means to simply drop off and become irrelevant. Both definitions are connected to Michigan football since the beginning of 2008. When devoted fans found joy in seeing the Maize and Blue during the beautiful seasonal change that we are privileged to have in this great state, they also found a great deal of sadness and discomfort due to their team falling apart before their very eyes. Here the fall of the Wolverines will be analytically looked at.
First to know why the Wolverines fell off into despair, you have to know the culture. This culture was started by legendary coach Bo Schembechler and has since been carried on today. It consists of being tough and gritty, while keeping the excellence and grace that is the University of Michigan. It’s getting the job done when it might come off as boring and unappealing. It is winning consistently and shining when it matters most, especially against your rivals. This culture began in 1969 when Bo stepped on Michigan’s campus and ended for the moment in 2008 when Rich Rodriguez walked the same paths, as Bo years prior.
The next reason that Michigan has fallen off would be due to the desire to be overly creative and flashy. Lloyd Carr was an exceptional head coach for Michigan and was urged to retire after the 2007 season, despite still being good at his job. Many fans asked why at the time and that is because Michigan was tired of playing simple ball, and they wanted to be fast, fun, and exciting. So they brought in a spread offense coach from the bumpy state of West Virginia named Rich Rodriguez. Nicknamed Rich-Rod, he was a decent coach for the Mountaineers and got his chance to coach a Big Ten team because they liked his fast and up-tempo style of play. And boy did that back fire. The Wolverines went on the have an absolutely horrible and horrendous season that would ultimately finish with a 3-9 record. This was followed up with a 5-7 season and 6-7 season, leading to Rodriguez’s firing.
Lastly, what lead to Michigan’s demise was simply getting it wrong. They admitted their wrongs in attempting to shift the culture with the firing of Rodriguez. So how do you restore that culture? You bring a guy who lived it, Brady Hoke. Brady was a part of the coaching staff of Michigan back in the 90’s when they won a national championship under Lloyd Carr. He was seen as the savior of Michigan football with being the guy who understood the stigma of the university. He was ultimately very successful in his first season, winning the Sugar Bowl, but slowly declined which lead to his firing in 2014. Michigan got their culture back but needed a coach to execute it, which had an absent role for a good seven-year period.
In conclusion, Michigan is typically held at a higher standard than the other teams in college football. So much so that they are forced to find ways that live up to the fans demand which can be very difficult and nearly impossible at times. In 2015, they hired a former quarterback of Schembechler named Jim Harbaugh. Jim has since coached exceptionally well at Michigan while keeping the same values that fans have held onto for nearly half a decade. Harbaugh is what Michigan strives to be and has seemed to put the Wolverines back on the track to national prominence.
Photo Credit: Grantland.
