Michigan Opens New, Bigger House With Win Over UConn, 30-10

Tate Forcier got to watch all of Michigan's 30-10 win over UConn from the sideline. He was not happy at game's end, sitting on the end of Michigan's bench with a towel over his head. But what he told an AnnArbor.com reporter makes it sound like he might not watch many more games in the Big House.

"All you need to know is I’m out." - Tate Forcier

Less than a minute had passed since the Michigan football team beat Connecticut, 30-10, in the season opener and sophomore quarterback Tate Forcier appeared to make his decision.

Through his words and his body language, he had no interest in remaining at Michigan. When asked if he had a minute, he responded with those eight words.

Those eight words said a lot.

The account goes on to mention that Forcier blew off autograph seekers and looked for his father when a reporter asked to speak with him. All that certainly would seem to indicate Tate Forcier is dissatisfied with how his football career at Michigan is unspooling.

But his dad is still insisting that Forcier is committed to Big Blue. He told MGoBlog's Tom VanHaaren that this is all smoke, no fire.

Talking to Mike Forcier right now, MGoBlog is down, so I don't have anywhere to write this right now, but again says "No transfer."

"Tate is a competitive, emotional kid that was having mixed emotions. Happy they won, but upset he couldn't be in the game." - Mike Forcier

"Tate wasn't pouting on the sideline, he was trying to hide himself from the cameras. He knew they were trying to get emotional reaction."

"I think Rich Rod is trying to make him a true leader on and off the field. No one sees everything that goes on inside." - Mike Forcier

"As I talked to him (Tate), I think we're ok. All I want to do is think positive of this. Tomorrow is a new day for him." - Mike Forcier

"He was feeling like a caged animal. You poke and prod at a cornered animal it's going to get upset. He wasn't pouting." -Mike Forcier

"As Tate's father, and someone who would advise him, a transfer isn't something I want to be a part of." - Mike Forcier

On one side, there is Tate Forcier's bluntly-delivered snap judgment, probably in a moment of anguish. On the other, there is Mike Forcier's far more diplomatic explanation of his son's state of mind. The truth likely lies in the middle.

But one of the storylines after one of Michigan's best days in the last few years is whether a third-string quarterback is thinking about transferring. This seems to be no more than a nuisance right now, but at what point would it become a distraction? And will Rich Rodriguez, often assumed to be on the hot seat, tolerate that distraction for want of a third-string quarterback?

HT: CBS College Football Blog.