Disaster has hit Michigan in year one of the Kyle Whittingham era and it wasn’t supposed to be this way.
Former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore caused off-field issues, and yet the Wolverines won nine game last season. This year, Michigan brought in Whittingham and his crew from Utah, who have created a different sort of chaos in Ann Arbor.
The Wolverines need one more win to gain bowl eligibility and that doesn’t look promising with three teams in the AP Top 25 on the schedule. Who knows if they can squeak out a win. Michigan will head to Oregon this week to take on a Ducks team that beat both the Wildcats of Northwestern and the Buckeyes in back-to-back weeks.
Michigan is ranked near the bottom in offense, coming in at 132nd after nine games. It took the Wolverines nine weeks to say goodbye to Offensive Coordinator Jason Beck. Beck is gone, but with only three games left in the season, is Whittingham right behind him?
Folks in Ann Arbor think so. Some compare the offensive blunder to the Rich Rodriguez years and that’s something you don’t want to be compared to.
Whittingham signed a five-year, $41 million contract. If Michigan were to fire him, he will get around $25 million in buyout cash. Some in Ann Arbor think it’s worth it. Keep in mind, Michigan is still searching for an athletic director and that has been going on for quite some time with nothing new to report on.
Early on, Whittingham said he was full of life and energy in his first press conference. Since then, his lack of emotion and fire is nowhere to be found. Over the past several years, Michigan has been faced with scandals dating back to the Harbaugh era. The Wolverines don’t need anymore setbacks.
We are in the new era of college football, a mini version of the NFL. With players coming and going, it’s must win now in college. The transfer portal has its pros and cons and any setbacks will result in the cons category. Just the other day, reports were circulating that Whittingham hasn’t even moved here with reports of him renting a place. Now keep in mind he has the resources to fly back and forth If need be. He’s been in the Utah community for 30 years, so that’s probably why he has not picked up and moved.
Once again changes are in the near future at Michigan. There is no time to sit back and look for a solid coach. Maybe Michigan has someone in mind already and will start to poach after seasons end. Without an AD in place who can help with the decision-making there is no time for that either. Michigan needs to take a deep breath before making another bad decision.
Some analysts think Whittingham won’t be returning. Michigan will not settle for mediocre football. Did Whittingham bite off more than he can chew, after all you are not in Salt Lake you’re in Big Ten country where they play big boy football?
