What if?

With Michigan knee deep in water from Bill Martin's sailboat over flowing last December, we felt pretty bad about getting a good quality coach. To Bill's credit he pulled a rabbit out of the hat and got one of the top flight coaches in Division 1.

We all know, how the last few weeks have gone and for all of you that thought Michigan was going to the Rose Bowl this year, take some smelling salts and call me in the morning.

With that said, it's always fun to look back and see how some of the known candidates are doing this year with their current teams.

1. Les Miles: We all know what happened with this mess. But Les continues to impress with his "damn good football team" and his "large stones" when it comes to decision making. He continues to win games with his "risky but rewarding" coaching style and has his team ranked #4 in the country 4-0 and heading into a showdown with Florida this weekend. Coaching Stock: Way UP!

2. Greg Schiano: Greg was offered the Michigan job and for some reason turned it down to stay at Rutgers. Many believe he wants to replace JoPa at Penn State. Like that would be a good reason to turn down the Michigan job? Rutgers this year has been one of the biggest disappointments in D1 and is currently 1-4 (with a win over Morgan State) and things don't look good with Cincinnati this week and other good teams still left on the schedule. His QB punched a WR on the sideline and things seem to be going down hill quickly. Coaching Stock: is Way Down

3. Kirk Ferentz: Kirk was believed to be Lloyd's first choice to replace him at Michigan. He makes a ton of money at Iowa and had a ton of off field issues with his current players. Kirk's team this year has played hard but they missed a big opportunity to upset Michigan State last week with a very weak 4th down call. Coaching Stock: Down

4. Brady Hoke: Brady was always a plan B or C for the Michigan job, but as things look this year should have been near the top of the list. Brady has his Ball State team ranked for the first time in history with a 6-0 record and sights on running the table. Look for Brady to get a big D1 job next year. My guess is Syracuse with Lloyd having some sort of involvement. Coaching Stock: Way UP!

5. Jim Grobe: Jim has has a good year at Wake Forest and just beat Clemson last night. His team is ranked #21 with 4 wins to 1 loss (a bad loss to Navy). Jim continues to impress and is considered one of the best coaches in the ACC. Wake is considered one of the best teams in a down the ACC this year. Coaching Stock: UP


So with everything all said and done, Michigan should still feel pretty good about the coach they hired. Les would have been a good choice, but not sure Michigan could have solved the "rock and the hard place" he was in. The one person Bill publicly offered the job to, turns out is having he worst year. Brady who was every ones last pick, might have been a pretty good choice after all and will end up at a major program soon!