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     I can't believe all of the attention going around about the football programs at Michigan and Notre Dame this fall.  So many story lines about two former powerhouses, both of whom are struggling bigtime in the early part of this decade and there's no end seemingly in sight.  My kids tell me, as students there, that Notre Dame is getting rid of Charlie Weis, barring some kind of amazing performance at Stanford next week.  They're all wondering if Notre Dame can lure Bob Stoops from Oklahoma.

     But at Michigan the rumors get hotter about Rich Rodriguez' fate if the Wolverines stink out the big house this Saturday in the finale against Ohio State.  I can't picture Rodriguez getting the boot after two years but these NCAA issues won't go away and let's face it, his popularity isn't exactly at an all time high these days.  Michigan could finish last in the Big Ten for the first time since 1962.  I think the Wolverines will play the Buckeyes hard but it's tough to imagine Ohio State ending its current five game winning streak in this series.  Rodriguez' future sure seems like a struggle-- he just has not been able to fit in and it's been a rocky road from the day he agreed to leave West Virginia without considering the remnants of the contract there he was dumping.

     A win would sure help Rodriguez-- he's have a victory over the arch rival headed to the Rose Bowl and he'd finish 6-6 with a bowl bid for the Wolverines-- but what an obstacle.  It will be interesting to see how the Michigan fans react Saturday if Michigan gets blown out, similar to what happened against Penn State.  Who's the next coach and when does he report-- Les Miles or Jim Harbaugh?  Stay tuned.