Nope no relation and as I said I really hate Michigan and everything about them, but at the same time facts are facts..
He jumped ship for one of the most desired jobs in college football. It made complete sense that once he made that move that he didn't coach the bowl game...
Michigan's offensive lineman didn't leave for the reasons he stated....Like most things if you read between the lines you would remember that he was soft and didn't want to work. Even his own teammates admitted that and he didn't like being pushed..I.E. what you get when you sign a native Ohio kid...(ok that isn't true but it sounds good)
Your right he was successful at WVU b/c of Pat White and Slaton..You just made my point. He got those two studs to play in the backwoods instead of Florida Texas USC. Now imagine what he does with the Michigan name behind him.
You also said you know enough about character to write this guy off, but you tell me what you would have done in his shoes while at WVU. Michigan comes calling a top 5 coaching job in the US and throws a great deal of money at you....Do you realize your opportunity or say no, b/c I coach my almater...Come on you know you would have done the exact same thing, so don't Chastise him for it....
You are right that the conference probably did give him about 2 more free wins per year that most other conferences don't have....
Muggs you actually more educated than most on college football and I enjoy the debate....
The one x-factor I see here that we will never know about that relationship with the athletic department. I was fortunate enough to play ball at Indiana State and what I saw happen down there between the athletic department and my program was horrible. I watched my AD(a dyke) stand up like she supported our team in front of us even ride our bus to a away game, but then when it came to giving us a dime she didn't do it. She never was on our side or our coaches and let me tell you that puts a strain that you can't imagine on a team and program.
That would be something that I would like to understand better b/c in WVU's eyes really they should have had their dream coach...Native/alum/winning/etc...so why would those two have a bad relationship....