Now what? The best analogy I saw on Twitter yesterday was that maybe Jim would hold a press conference and have a 49ers, Broncos, Carolina, Stanford and Michigan hats all on a table. He would then pick one and say he is committing to that organization.
Reports are all over the board from, "if Michigan offered he would take it" to "Michigan is off the table and he wants to stay at Stanford or go the NFL".
Here is my take on his decision process:
49ers: Pro's: Close to home and comes with the largest paycheck. Con's: In the NFL coaches are hired to be fired. Could be there just for a few years.
Stanford: Pro's: Build a very nice top 10 program there. Con's: Will he ever make the money he wants at a private University?
Broncos: Pro's and Con's = John Elway. A Hall of Famer who has never been an NFL executive. Could be a good or bad thing, jury is still out.
Carolina: Pro's: Could draft his QB Andrew Luck. Con's: How far is that franchise away from being relevant again in the NFL?
Michigan: Pro's: He is an Alum and former QB, his coaching mentor is Bo Schembechler and Michigan has been rumored to be his dream job. Could be his 1 and only job for the next 10-20 years if he is successful. Con's: Did you watch the Gator Bowl?
I think all this insider stuff is BS. We will know things when they happen officially. I wouldn't expect Michigan to let RR go if they didn't already have at least a hand shake agreement with a new head coach. Brady Hoke would take this job in a New York minute, I don't think Les Miles is a candidate. Wild card could be someone like Pat Fitzgerald for example.
My gut is telling me that its Harbaugh or Michigan keeps Rodriguez with a new defensive staff. We should know something soon. We need to because Michigan's 2011 recruiting class is hanging in the wind with official visits set up for this weekend and 2 big all star games coming up.