The End Zone: UM 09-02

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Wherever I went this summer, it seemed folks wanted to talk Michigan football. The chats were mostly predictable — you made a point, I disagreed with it. Rinse and repeat.

You said you're sorry I have to cover such a mess. I responded that drama makes for an exciting work day.

You said Rich Rodriguez must win a set number of games to keep his job. Seven, eight, heck, I even heard 10 — though to be fair, that was at 1 a.m. at a bar.

To you, I argued that any company head with even a smidgen of rationality — and from what I gather, athletic director Dave Brandon is no clown — would never place some arbitrary performance figure on an employee he pays millions of dollars each year. Folks, not all 6-6 or 7-5 seasons are equal.

Lately, Saturday's game with Connecticut has been the hot topic. Many of you view it as close to a must win for Michigan as you're ever going to get in a season opener.

I'm not buying it. Look, this might sting, but the Wolverines won't be great this year. Some serious warts exist defensively.

What's important isn't what happens this Saturday against Connecticut, but to what level Michigan improves over the next 11 weeks.

If by November, this is a good team, Top 25 caliber, then all might be well with the program.