Michigan has an ideal replacement for Sherrone Moore should Wolverines keep slipping

The title defense for Michigan has been anything but that this season. Fresh off a 15-0 national championship-winning season, the Wolverines now have virtually no shot at making the expanded College Football Playoff at 5-3 on the year. They have not played an easy schedule by any stretch of the imagination, but they are only favored in one game the rest of the way — and that's Northwestern at home.

Michigan's latest challenge will be hosting the No. 1 team in the nation in the Oregon Ducks on Saturday afternoon. The Wolverines also draw undefeated Indiana later in the season, as well as arch rival Ohio State to end the campaign. We are looking at a team being nine wins worse from the season prior should Michigan fail to win a bowl game. Is there any issue regarding Sherrone Moore?

It may be too early to tell, but there is a halfway decent chance that he was promoted from within a bit too prematurely. Moore may be a fine college football head coach one day, but this entire season has felt like he has been trying to win Jim Harbaugh's way and not his own. He has had no feel whatsoever for the quarterback position, and Moore is supposed to favor that side of the ball as a former lineman.

So when I say that there is a better head-coaching solution out there over Moore, I am not kidding. Let me explain why the better option to lead Michigan is not only out there, but also readily available.

There is a better option to lead Michigan beyond Sherrone Moore

What makes Harbaugh such a successful head coach is his relentless enthusiasm for living life. Given that he has never had an awkward moment in his life, Harbaugh just powers through those moments on his never-ending quest of being himself at all opportunities. In short, what made Harbaugh special in Michigan is (and never will be) replicable. It is why promoting someone from within was an awful idea.

So if I had to pick the best potential head coach to lead Michigan long-term, it would have to be Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell. He is the type of head coach whose lunchpail mentality and blue-collar ethos would thrive in Ann Arbor. Campbell has already worked at a well-run operation previously in Toledo, which is arguably the best and most storied college football program in the MAC.

When Campbell took over at Iowa State, the Cyclones were down bad. In the old Big 12, they were routinely duking it out for last place with equally pitiful Kansas. While both programs ascended under their current head coaches, only Campbell has been able to show any real staying power, as Lance Leipold's Jayhawks have fallen on hard times in the wake of Andy Kotelnicki leaving for Penn State.

Campbell is a defensive-minded head coach, but one who appreciates the finer nuances of offensive play. In fact, many of his best players while at Iowa State starred on that side of the ball. From Brock Purdy to Breece Hall to Charlie Kolar of yesteryear, to Rocco Becht and Carson Hansen of today. You can easily see the style in which Iowa State wins prolifically would translate marvelously to Michigan.

Of course, there are two big questions to answer regarding Campbell potentially replacing Moore. One, is Michigan ready to punt on its head coach? And two, would Campbell leave Ames for Ann Arbor? The first is much harder to answer. It felt like Warde Manuel was stuck between a rock and a hard place in having to name Moore Harbaugh's successor. Santa Ono bought it hook, line and sinker.

The second is yes, Campbell would leave Iowa State for Michigan, but probably under one condition... Jamie Pollard has to come with him. Iowa State has as fantastic athletic director. I would venture to guess they might be a package deal. If that is the case, Ono could get back to winning at a tremendously high level with the two notable men from Iowa State taking over Michigan atheltics.

Just think about how much better Tennessee is with Josh Heupel and Danny White calling the shots.