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- Michigan Hired Kyle Whittingham To Stop The Bleeding. Not To Beat Ohio State.
Michigan Hired Kyle Whittingham To Stop The Bleeding. Not To Beat Ohio State.
After the Sherrone Moore disaster, Warde Manuel needed a coach with a spotless reputation. He got one - along with a .385 record against ranked opponents and a five-year deal that looks like a three-year bridge.
Mark Haines
December 26, 2025
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IN THIS ISSUE
Good evening.
Michigan finally made a hire. Kyle Whittingham - 21 years at Utah, 177 wins, spotless reputation - steps into the wreckage left by Sherrone Moore. On paper, it's a stabilizing move. In practice, it's a bet that character can outrun math. We dig into the number that should concern every Michigan fan: Whittingham's .385 record against ranked opponents. In the Big Ten, ranked opponents aren't a scheduling quirk. They're the schedule.
Meanwhile, bowl season's top executive said the quiet part out loud. Nick Carparelli thinks 16 teams is inevitable, the bowl system will "adjust just fine," and success means different things to different programs. Translation: the two-tier system is here, and everyone's making peace with it.
And if you're wondering what it costs to compete in this new era, On3 published what amounts to a transfer portal price sheet. Quarterbacks can run $5 million. Offensive tackles command seven figures. This isn't recruiting anymore—it's roster construction with a salary cap that doesn't exist.
Three stories. One theme: college football is transitioning faster than anyone wants to admit, and the programs that understand the new math will survive. The ones that don't? They'll hire 66-year-old bridge coaches and hope for the best.
Let's get into it.
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BEST LINKS
Bowl Season's executive director says the quiet part out loud.
Nick Carparelli believes 16 teams is inevitable, and he's fine with it. His reasoning: even the NFL doesn't make teams win more than four postseason games. The bowl system will adjust because there are still plenty of programs who've "earned the right to celebrate a successful season." Translation: the playoff is for contenders, bowls are for everyone else, and that's okay. [More.]
The transfer portal now has a price sheet.
On3's Pete Nakos breaks down what it costs to buy talent in 2025. Quarterbacks run $750K to $5M, with at least five starters making $3M or more last season. Elite offensive tackles command seven figures. Running backs can crack $1M. Defensive linemen top out at $1.5M. This isn't recruiting anymore—it's free agency with tuition. [More.]
DEEP DIVE
Kyle Whittingham Has a .385 Record Against Ranked Teams. He Just Took A Job Where Ranked Teams Are The Schedule.
Michigan announced Kyle Whittingham as their 22nd head coach on Friday.
On paper, this looks like a home run. A 177-88 career record. Two Pac-12 titles. An undefeated 2008 season that ended with a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama. Twenty-one years of stability at Utah. Three Coach of the Year awards.
But there's one number that matters more than any of those.
25-40.
That's Whittingham's career record against ranked opponents, a .385 winning percentage. At Utah, you could hide from that. In the Pac-12 and Big 12, he faced two or three ranked teams a year. Maybe four in a brutal season.
The Big Ten doesn't let you hide.
Ohio State. Oregon. Penn State. USC rising. The schedule is a gauntlet of ranked opponents, and Whittingham's track record says he loses six out of ten of those games.
Michigan didn't hire a coach to beat Ohio State.
They hired a coach to stop the bleeding. To stabilize a program drowning in scandal. To provide credibility after Sherrone Moore's spectacular implosion. Warde Manuel needed a leader of "exceptional character"—and that's exactly what Whittingham is.
But character doesn't win the Big Ten.
The pressure timeline writes itself: Year 1 is a honeymoon. Year 2, the questions start. Year 3, Michigan is having "the conversation" again.
This isn't a prediction that Whittingham will fail. It's an acknowledgment that the math doesn't favor him; and the clock starts now.
THAT’S A WRAP
That's it for this issue.
Michigan made their move. Whittingham brings the one thing they desperately needed—credibility. Whether he can win in the Big Ten is a different question, and the .385 number will follow him until he proves otherwise.
On Tuesday, we're digging into the rest of the coaching carousel. Who's feeling heat. Who bought themselves another year. And which new hires are walking into situations that look a lot worse than the press conference made them sound.
Until then, enjoy the bowl games. Take notes. The pressure rankings reset in January.
See you Tuesday.
— Mark
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