R.I.P. to the Urban Meyer-Michigan Thing, Which Was So Much Fun While It Lasted

The Urban Meyer-to-Michigan rumor era was a short-lived one, but it burned so bright before exploding into nothingness early this afternoon. A wise man named Neil Young pointed out that this is a better way to go than fading away slowly.

Meyer, the former Ohio State coach and current Fox Sports analyst, was asked about the idea that he, a person who has refused to even say "Michigan" and has distanced himself from the color blue, could be persuaded to return to the sidelines in Ann Arbor in an all-time heel turn.

From Eleven Warriors:

Meyer firmly and bluntly shot down any chance that he'd accept a coaching job at Michigan during a Wednesday appearance on 97.1 The Fan's Carpenter & Rothman.

“No, that’s not going to happen,” Meyer said after a long pause. “That’s... That’s not going to happen.”

The whole notion that Meyer would be the savior to replace fallen savior Jim Harbaugh was a bit preposterous to begin with. Yet it made for an incredible topic of conversation on radio stations across my fine state. More than that, it was one of those brainworms that burrowed into the average fan's mind and cropped up at pickup hoops games and PTO meetings when small talk was required.

But alas, it will remain just a fun little thing we all considered as the leaves began to fall in the autumn of Harbaugh discontent. There are several reasons why it wouldn't work and Meyer's apparent disinterest is the most important one.

One step along the hypothetical path, though, was to consider what would happen should a Meyer-led Michigan team lose the first or even second matchup with Ohio State. What then?

So, yeah, we should all probably stop discussing this remote possibility. Whether everyone is going to have the self-control required to do so is another matter.