After a 15-6 loss to Michigan State on Saturday, it's almost guaranteed that Michigan football will have a new head coach next season.
Kyle Whittingham seemed like a good hire. The Wolverines were desperate after Sherrone Moore was fired for off-field issues. However, the 66-year-old former Utah head coach has been a disaster.
The Wolverines are 5-4 after their first loss to Michigan State since 2021, a Spartans team that was 0-5 in the Big Ten and 2-6 overall.
You don't come back from that. Here are the five biggest losers from Michigan's brutal loss to Michigan State.
Kyle Whittingham
I don't think even a win over Ohio State could save him now. This isn't a rebuild. He was the "win-now" coach, who is 2-4 in the Big Ten.
The Wolverines don't have time for the 66-year old to try and learn new tricks,. Whittingham was supposed to take a College Football Playoff caliber roster and contend for the 12-team tournament.
Instead, the Wolverines lost to Michigan State and might not even reach a bowl game. Keeping Whittingham any longer will only do more harm than good, regardless of the buyout.
Tommy Carr
Carr probably should have been pulled at some point. He was 14 of 26 for 138 yards and two interceptions. Some of that was after the Spartans went up 15-0, too. They were playing softer coverage.
Carr's arm isn't strong enough. He can get bigger and strong. The freshman wasn't supposed to play this season. Regardless, a strong showing in a win over Michigan State, plus three good games down the stretch might have locked him in as the starter.
Now, it feels like the starting quarterback will come from the portal, along with the next head coach.
The entire offensive line
Injuries don't explain how poorly this unit has played. Michigan football only rushed for 54 yards. Rutgers and Michigan State have two of the worst run defenses in the Big Ten.
Still, the Wolverines couldn't establish a thing. You could see this loss as double-digit favorite coming. Michigan didn't have the same fire as Michigan State and in the trenches, it was a noticeable difference.
Jim Harding deserves plenty of blame, however, the offensive line was disgustingly bad.
Jason Beck
The Michigan offensive coordinator did something with the Wolverines offense that hasn't happened since 1932. Michigan has been held scoreless in the first half three times this season, and that's the first time in 94 years that has happened.
Whittingham said he's not going to fire Beck in the post-game press conference. The only way that makes sense is if the buyout is too much, and Whittingham doesn't have the authority to make the move.
All in all, it's hard to imagine how Jason Beck could have performed worse in this game, or this season.
Michigan football fans
Being subjected to this team for nine weeks has been painful. It felt like Brady Hoke 2.0 from the first game, and it has only gotten worse, not better.
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