Coaching Approval Ratings: Rich Rodriguez

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With Football season right around the corner, we here at Dejuiced! have decided to take a look at the coaches in the NFL and college football to see how well the fans approve of them. Let’s kick off the college ranks with a look at Rich Rodriguez.

Rich Rodriguez is the new head coach of the University of Michigan Wolverines. He was hired after Lloyd Carr announced his retirement at the end of the 2007 season.

The former West Virginia University head coach has gone through a messy divorce with his former employer, one that was ultimately resolved by Rodriguez returning $4 million to the Mountaineers (a tab that will mostly be picked up by his new employer). Rodriguez will be introducing a new offense to the Maize and Blue fan base this season, one that will look more like Appalachian State’s than Michigan’s from the 2007 season. We all know which team came out on the better end of that game. Anyway – the question is will Rodriguez be successful at Michigan by instituting an offense that needs players (that he doesn’t have, yet) to make it work?

Michigan will pay Rodriguez $2.5 mil for the next six years. I’m sure fans will expect Rodriguez and the Big Blue to win 10 games year-in-and-year-out, just like he did in his final three seasons at West Virginia. But, without his players in place to run his offense, it could be a tough road ahead for the Wolverines. Another site has predicted that Michigan will win only four games this season – and lose their home opener to Utah. So – the question remains, will Rodriguez take Michigan to the next level? Will the Wolverines once again become the elite of the Big Ten? Or will he become a huge headache for the fan base that is aching for a national title? You decide.