Analyst says 'don't be surprised' if Michigan moves on from Sherrone Moore if team spirals downward

Michigan football dropped out of the AP top 25 poll after its 31-13 defeat at USC this past Saturday and now sit with a 4-2 record at the halfway point of the season.

While the Wolverines have looked impressive at times six games in, in their two losses to USC and Oklahoma on the road, head coach Sherrone Moore's team have not been competitive in games that were expected to be close.

That has led to some frustration from the fanbase and have left the Wolverine faithful wondering what direction this team is going and whether this version of Michigan football is even close to contending for a College Football Playoff spot.

On Sunday, Penn State's program hit a breaking point with James Franklin after the Nittany Lions suffered three straight losses, two of which came to UCLA and Northwestern. That led Penn State Athletic Director Patrick Kraft to make a leadership change as he made the decision to fire Franklin after 11 seasons with the program.

While Moore hasn't had much time at the helm of Michigan's program just two years in and the Wolverines' season hasn't gone completely off the tracks yet, it's fair to wonder what decisions, if any, Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel would make if the Wolverines see a repeat of last year's 8-5 season, or something similar to that.

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore talks to Michigan wide receiver Fred Moore (3) during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Renowned college football analyst Josh Pate, who did not agree with the firing of Franklin and stated he generally sees coaching changes as a "last resort," suggested on his show that if Michigan's second half of the season goes south, or even if the Wolverines finish at 8-4 or 9-3, that wouldn't be good enough for some people connected with Michigan who may have influence on decisions.

"Michigan is sort of in a weird spot, are they not? Michigan is 4-2—they could go 9-3, they could go 8-4," Pate said. "I'm going to say this—that's not going to be good enough for some people at Michigan. If it's a 9-3 or 8-4—I'm not telling you how I feel about it, because you know that coaching changes are always a last resort for me. In this day and age, more than ever. I don't think that's where Michigan's head's at. I think there are some people around the Michigan program that would look at 9-3 and certainly would look at 8-4 and say 'we're making a change.' And I'm telling you that if that happens not to be too surprised by it."

Pate added that Moore and the Wolverines can control the situation by winning, but the fact he is putting the information out there at this point is certainly something to take note of if things don't go well for Michigan down the stretch.

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