The Wolverines are in trouble

The Michigan Wolverines looked like a force to be reckoned with at the start of this college football season.

They had all the tools to win every game they played.

Their starting quarterback, John Navarre, was back again for his senior season and it looked as though the defense would be fast enough to handle other teams offenses.

The team started out 3-0 looking great in beating one of their biggest rivals, Notre Dame. Little did we realize at that time how bad the Irish really are.

Then, the road games had to start.

The first one was at Oregon where the Ducks were ready to upset the Wolverines. It was a very sloppy game, but very close and entertaining. Navarre played well but couldn't finish when it counted.

So, now it is a 3-1 record, but still OK for the national championship hunt.

Indiana at home was pretty easy, but certainly not a dominating performance for the Wolverines.

At 4-1, it was vital that Michigan win at Iowa and continue winning for a BCS bowl bid, but it didn't happen.

Iowa beat Michigan when Navarre again played well, but just could not finish the comeback.

At 4-2, the season seems like a bust. With all of their talent, this team should not have lost more than one game going into the bowl season.

Now, playing an undefeated Gopher team in Minnesota looks like a difficult game to win. Could the Wolverines be 4-3 after Friday?

Yes, it would not be that much of a surprise.

As I look at the schedule, three more games jump out at me -- Purdue on October 25 could be a tough game, the Michigan State game in East Lansing is always difficult, and, of course, the Ohio State game in Ann Arbor will be a fight to the finish.

The next question is "Why?"

One big reason is Navarre. He is one guy who really is a great example of how statistics can lie. His yardage numbers and completions are usually pretty good.

However, the adage -- "Just win, baby" -- is not the mantra he lives by.

Navarre can't seem to finish games. In other words, he chokes when the pressure is on, and he has to score to win.

He throws behind players, overthrows players, and just does not make good decisions on the final drive of the game.

In fact, he has been like this for three years, but, Lloyd Carr is loyal to him, so we will have to live with it for the rest of the year.

That brings up the second reason why the Wolverines are in the position they are, Carr.

From the first week, he criticized his wide receiver, Braylon Edwards, which is ridiculous coming from a college coach going to the media with his complaints about his players. Yet, he always backs up Navarre, and I don't know why.

Also, Carr never seems to unleash his offense until they get behind.

When they do get a large lead, he plays prevent defense and runs the ball almost every down and lets the other team back in the game.

Finally, he has trouble recruiting decent kickers. I believe he has had three guys kicking field goals this year, and they all are inconsistent.

Again, if you look at his record, Carr seems like a great coach. But, you have to realize he gets all the talent he can from around the country just by showing them the Michigan helmet.

John Cooper, at Ohio State, got all the talent there also, and he had trouble beating Michigan.

Same OSU team with Tressel, and they have won a national title and beat Michigan the last two years.

Coaches need to win with the huge amount of talent they get, and Carr doesn't.

Having said all that, I believe Carr is a decent, first class guy. He has not been in any trouble with the NCAA and runs a clean program and he has won a national championship which proves he can coach.

Still, sometimes Michigan fans wonder, what would a great coach at Michigan have done with these teams that Carr has had?

I am not asking for his dismissal, but he should have done better preparing this team for the road games at Oregon and Iowa so Navarre wouldn't have had to score on those final drives of the game to win.

As if you haven't noticed, I am a frustrated, spoiled Michigan fan. I think that I am representative of many of the Wolverine fans that really think this team had a chance.

Even if Michigan wins the next six games, they still will have no chance for a national championship. So, it is a wait until next attitude right now.

Maybe the top teams will falter and lose a couple of games late this season, but I doubt it.

Carr will be with Michigan as long as he wants because he is Bo's (Schembechler) guy.

Hang in there Michigan fans, I'm sure the national championship hype will start again next year.