Hail To The... Cheaters??

Which way are the winds blowing in Ann Arbor for you Rich??

It doesn't take a meteorologist to tell you that the winds are swirling against Rich Rodriguez in Maize and Blue country. Michigan football prides itself on a lot of things: the tradition, the Big House, Bo, national championships, Heisman winners... and having a clean program. When have you ever heard of any sort of controversy, rules violation, or unrest up north before the vaunted arrival of RichRod. You haven't because Michigan football has never had major NCAA rules violations.

My, how times have changed.

The latest saga from Ann Arbor is that players have anonymously gone to the Detroit Free Press complaining about possible NCAA rules violations. The allegations center around players having to spend ungodly amounts of time relating to football activities, shattering NCAA limits for hours allowed during a given day (4 in season) and week (20 in season, 8 out). Of course, every team in the nation violates these rules, let's not kid ourselves to think that kids at D-I powerhouses are there to get an education. But, making kids spend 12 hours a day in the program, and breaking the rules to the extent of two to three times the limit is extreme.

But, the Michigan Workin' Overtimegate (can anyone out there think of a better ___gate name? please?) controversy is stunning because current players in the program are exposing their head coach to the public anonymously. Grasp your mind around this.

Players for a major D-I program... are exposing their own head coach... for major NCAA rules violations.

Major. NCAA. Rules. Violations.

We're talking losses of scholarships, probation... this isn't a $5 lunch at Arby's violation, or a discounted pair of sneakers, this is serious stuff. And the players outing their head coach know it. Have we ever seen anything like the mutiny happening at Michigan? These players aren't just throwing their head coach under the bus, but the entire program and heck, the whole state! The consensus is that these players might be Lloyd Carr recruits unhappy with RichRod, but to absolutely betray the new HC is astounding, head-scratching if you will.

Nothing about the RichRod Era at Michigan has seemed right from the beginning. Let's look at the facts:

-Ugly departure from West Virginia involving paying back $1.5 Million dollars to the school in a court settlement.

-A record of 3-9 in his first season. The worst record in Michigan football history. The first year not in a bowl game in 33 years.

-Lost out on star QB recruit Terrelle Pryor... to archrival Ohio State

-Starting OL Justin Boren transfered... to Ohio State. Willingly. Boren's father played for Bo Schembechler. Nice endorsement for you Rich!

-Oh, and RichRod is not a "Michigan Man", whatever that means.

Compare this scenario to Jim Tressel's tenure at Ohio State. In a sense, Tressel is the anti-RichRod. He has an impeccable off-field reputation, always brings in the big recruits, keeps the program clean, always has the full support of the players and the program, wins games and titles, and beats Michigan. Tressel's 7-1 against the Wolverines.

Tressel didn't exactly inherit a juggernaut from John Cooper in 2001 either. The Buckeyes went 7-5 in Tressel's first season and lost to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl. But, in his 2nd season, he won a National Championship. 5 BCS appearences, including 2 losses in the national title game later, and Tressel's Ohio State program is regarded as one of the elites in the country. Sure, Ohio St and the Big 10 gets a bad rap from the SEC/USC-mad media, but nobody can question Tressel's credentials.

And to an extent, RichRod was in that category. He led West Virginia to national prominence, a Sugar Bowl win, and a should've been national title game appearance in 2007 before a choke job versus Pitt. But, his Michigan tenure has been nothing short of a train wreck. Does anyone think his team can win the National Title this year, let alone approach .500? Shoot, they might even lose to Notre Dame, how pathetic would that be!

He remains defiant that his program hasn't committed any violations. He was quoted this morning saying, "we comply by the rules" and also appeared choked up at his press conference... PUH-LEASE Rich! I've seen better acting from the cast of The Hills and Heidi and Spencer than that performance. If you've seen any of the press conference, this is a man who appears to be in trouble. Now a former player, Tony Clemons, is talking about approaching the NCAA about the violations and allegations to confirm them.

The only bright light for Michigan is that he has another Top 10 recruiting class coming to Ann Arbor. Oh, and he always performs much better in his second year at a school with his spread offense, at least that's what we're told.

But make no mistake, the walls are closing in on RichRod at Michigan. He was an outsider to begin with, and he's now soiled their pristine program's reputation and brought controversy to Ann Arbor. A Big 10 and school investigation is underway. He's already lost games, recruits, and shockingly transfers to eternal rivals Ohio State. Seconds ago, Detroit Free Press columnist Drew Sharp called him a "defeated man" on SportsCenter.

He coached Michigan to their worst season in history. That wasn't expected from the man that was supposed to bring Michigan back to their prominent place as the winningest team in college football history. RichRod was supposed to bring Michigan football into the 21st Century with a spread offense, reclaim the Big 10, and beat Ohio State. He was hailed as a savior of a program, riding into town as a hero.

Instead, something very different is transpiring at Michigan.

The winds are shifting in Ann Arbor, and they might just blow Rich Rodriguez out of town, sooner rather than later.

Check back this week at RSS for our College Football Preview featuring the YCS and our Heisman Watch. And, also look for our Top 5 Soundbytes of the Decade coming this week!