Written by Matt | 14 November 2007

If you hadn't heard, the internet is ablaze full of "Lloyd Carr Retiring" rumors. The great Michigan blog, MGoBlog, is even reporting it, which is like the popular girl in high school telling you you're ugly; you know it's true.

Lloyd Carr has sucked for a few years. He's gotten his ass handed to him over the past few years, and the Appalachian State game Thelma and Louise'd him over the cliff. Unless Michigan kills football (you have a better chance bagging Lisa Dergan) they'll need a new coach.

Right away, Gary Pinkel jumps onto a short list. Unlike many of you, Pinkel had a life before Missouri football. His was tearing through the MAC at Toledo, Bowling Green, and Kent State, plus he is from Ohio. The Wolverines typically nab a coach with some ties to the school or at least the area. Pinkel doesn't have any ties to the school, but he knows how to recruit in Michigan and Ohio and knows how to coach, which is all the Maize and Blue are asking. Oh, and Pinkel knows how to win.

Pinkel has also turned around a bad program. Before he got there, the only decent season in recent memory was the 1998 squad that played West Virginia in the Insight.com Bowl. Pinkel has taken the Tigers to three bowls (Independence Bowl '03, '05 and Sun Bowl '06), which puts Pinkel in pretty good company of coaches to take the Tigers to three or more bowls (Powers, Onofrio, Faurot). Pinkel has also lead the Tigers to eight wins a few times, and a 9-1 record this year with at least three games left, not including a possible B12 title game.

If Pinkel is going to leave Missouri for another job, it would either be for Michigan or Ohio State. Due to their good deals on sweater vests, it looks like Jim Tressel is firmly entrenched in Columbus. If the reports of Carr being gonzo, LSU's Les Miles has to top the list (Michigan player/grad/coach), but he just took the LSU gig. He will demand a Brinks truck of money. With the job open, does Pinkel go for it? He will at least entertain the idea of coaching in the Big House, but the question would then be, does he actually take the position? It's a coin-flip at this point. He has a hell of a recruiting class coming in at Missouri, just signed a new contract through 2011, and has the Tigers staring at a BCS bowl while Michigan floats like a day old turd in the toilet known as the Big 10.

But then again, it's effing Michigan. Is he going?

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