Let Bo Go

Death, taxes, Ohio State football beating Michigan. It's starting to become a routine for the Buckeyes as they waltzed into Ann Arbor and wrecked the Wolverines, 56-27. Once again, Jim Harbaugh can't find a way to beat Ohio State and ends another regular season without a Big Ten championship. Something has to give with Harbaugh, right? Or maybe Michigan's problems run deeper than Harbaugh.

Michigan is a program that LOVES tradition. Whether it'd be from the Fab Five or from the days of Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines can't get enough of that peer pressure from dead people. That is the problem. When a program is so entrenched in its ways that it refuses to change, it gets left behind. Case in point, the Michigan Wolverines.

The Wolverines and their fans adore Schembechler more than anything in their athletics department. They live and die by the "Michigan Man" mantra, believing that a "Michigan Man" should run things in their respective sports. But perhaps Schembechler's views are a bit... outdated. See, ol' Bo's never won a national championship. Lloyd Carr has won more national titles than ol' Bo. Schembechler chalked success up to "winning the Big Ten, making it to Pasadena, and playing in the Rose Bowl". Believe it or not, Schembechler's bowl record in his 21 years was a paltry 5-12. See, Schembechler is not Nick Saban.

As much as the Wolverines worship Schembechler, they need to let him and the "Michigan Man" idea go. Yes, the one time you tried to hire out of your program was a disaster (Rich Rodriguez). However, football teams in Michigan aren't the most adept and are out of the loop regarding current football trends (see the Detroit Lions). Still, it's time to let go of the "A MiChIgAn MaN iS gOiNg To CoAcH MiChiGaN" shtick and go for someone like Saban or Dabo Swinney. Unless you want the Buckeyes, who have surpassed you in recruiting and culture, to beat you every year, dump Bo's philosophies.

Schembechler is what my generation would coin as "a curmudgeon". A "Boomer". Someone whose philosophies and ideas are out of touch with the modern world. Striving for just the Rose Bowl and just making it to Pasadena isn't enough, especially when Ohio State is beating you year in and year out. Schembechler's attitude about not winning titles doesn't ring well in today's college football landscape, especially when coaches like Saban, Swinney, and Urban Meyer (a Buckeyes head coach) make it their number one objective. Don't just recruit at the IMG Academy in Florida or go fishing for five-star recruits in New Jersey. Get some dogs in the fight and go down to places like Georgia and Texas.

Braylon Edwards talked about Jim Harbaugh in early October and how Harbaugh wouldn't even be coaching the Wolverines. Harbaugh and the Wolverines seemed fixated on getting guys from "white picket fences". Getting some players with a chip on their shoulder will help the Wolverines and help them return to prominence. Also, letting Bo go will go a long way. Otherwise, the Wolverines will never win another national title again.