After Minnesota beat Michigan 30-14, coach Brady Hoke should be updating his resume

Saturday’s game against Minnesota was supposed to be a feel-good game for Brady Hoke; a chance to turn down the heat on his incredibly hot seat and have a week where he didn’t have to hear the rampant speculation about his job status.

So much for that plan.

Michigan’s embattled coach watched his team stumble to a 30-14 loss to the Gophers. It marked the first time in Michigan’s 135-year history that the program had amassed three losses by the end of September. And as boos rained from the hallowed stands of the Big House, Hoke had to feel like he was an unemployed man walking.

The question now goes from whether to when as Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon will be inundated with suggestions from fans and boosters and anyone else with an opinion about college football. One thing is for certain: this team isn’t playing for Brady Hoke. It’s not fighting for its coach. And no matter what quarterback or scheme or gameplan the Michigan coaching staff puts out there, this team shows no signs of being able to comprehend it or execute it.

So what do you do?

Do you allow Hoke to finish out the season knowing that the dismal efforts Michigan has put on the field in the past few weeks will only get worse with a lame duck coach? Or do you hand the reins to someone else? And who is that someone else? It certainly can’t be offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, who is not only getting criticism in Ann Arbor, he’s still getting criticism from his former employer at Alabama. What about defensive coordinator Greg Mattison? Is he the answer?

Not sure firing Hoke in the middle of the season will do anything more than make his haters happy. It doesn’t put the program in a better position and really there’s no financial difference in firing Hoke now or at the end of the season. And there’s always the hope — the incredibly slim hope — the team will rally and make a bowl game.

Regardless of how it plays out, if Michigan makes up its mind that it’s going to move on without Hoke — whether Brandon says so publicly or not — it can still reach out to potential coaching candidates and get an early jump on its future.

But this done. The only decision left is whether to change the locks or allow Hoke to try and finish on a high note on the field.

For more Michigan news, visit TheWolverine.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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