Lloyd Carr addressed the media today and officially announced his retirement after coaching Michigan football for 13 years.

“In this week of Thanksgiving,” Carr said, “nobody has more to be thankful for than I do. The last 28 years I have had the greatest of jobs: Michigan football."

"It was the right time for Michigan. It was the right time for me. I read that I'm tired and all that. I'm not tired. I may look tired.” Then he laughed and said he still had the love of competition. “There are some things that I don't have anymore, so it's time.”

It's definitely the time for Lloyd, you could argue it should have happened last year but he wanted to go with this current group of seniors. I'm certain the 0-2 start had a fair amount to due with Carr making up his mind this offseason.

Carr was a good coach. I'm not willing to venture into great territory because of the immense talent he had to work with. It's not exactly the most difficult job to recruit at the University of Michigan. I believe most Michigan fans would agree with me in saying they expected a little more in the last 6-7 years. That said, Lloyd has five Big Ten titles and a national championship to his credit and that's a lot more than most.

As a rival fan I see this as a major, major turning point for Michigan football. On one hand it's a scary thought -- a younger, more energized coach could come in wipe up the Big Ten. But I truly believe it's equally likely the Wolverines could see a Nebraska like dip if a wrong decision is made. 10 years ago, the Michigan Football could be put at cruise control and still win 10 games a year. That's not college football anymore. Tradition is great and all, but as we've seen with Kansas and numerous others, coaching trumps all.

Les Miles would appear the front runner, numerous members of the media don't think that will actually happen. LSU will likely throw more money Miles way regardless of a national championship or not and Michigan isn't known for getting in a bidding war. Numerous other capable coaches are out there including an increasingly hotter coach in Cincinnati, Brian Kelly.

One name that would instantly be a success that I'd want to see if I was a Michigan fan is Glen Mason. No risk whatsoever there. Mason recruits the Midwest very well, particularly Ohio, and believes in running the football.

As the speculation begins -- time to predict who you think will replace Lloyd Carr: