Michigan fans don't have a very high opinion of Rich Rodriguez but they're not ready to fire him quite yet.
Only 20% of Michigan voters describing themselves as fans of the Wolverines say they have a favorable opinion of Rodriguez while 26% see him unfavorably. What is perhaps most remarkable is that 53% have no opinion one way or the other.
That suggests a lot of fans are withholding judgment while they wait to see what happens this season and despite Rodriguez's lack of popularity the poll also found 51% of Michigan fans want him to continue coaching the team this year. 20% want him gone immediately and 29% aren't sure what to think on that front.
A 20% favorability rating for a coach with his fan base is exceptionally bad. Most of our previous polling related to coaches has focused on Duke and North Carolina. 46% of UNC fans have a favorable opinion of Mike Krzyzewski. 27% of Duke fans have a favorable opinion of Roy Williams. So those coaches are more well respected by partisans of their biggest rivals than Rodriguez is by his own school's fans.
Winning heals all wounds and if Michigan is back in contention for a Big Ten title this year and goes to a good bowl game Rodriguez's numbers will probably shoot up. But it's clear he goes into his third season without a very solid base of support and another disappointing season on the field combined with what's gone on off it will doubtless have fans more broadly clamoring for a change.
Full results here
If you're polling NCAA football, it would be interesting to see what Notre Dame fans think of Coach Kelly in his first year... and where they stand on joining the Big Ten.
ReplyDeleteMy family and I still believe in Coach Rod-PERIOD!
ReplyDeleteAs a WVU fan - Rich Rod gets what he deserves.
ReplyDeleteCL, I think Mr. Jensen might be better off asking ND fans how they feel about the Irish joining the Big 11. IMO the sooner they do it their chances of gettting a shot at the "national championship" will dramatically improve
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