Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez

Brandon, who was announced as Bill Martin’s replacement in a conference call Tuesday morning, inherits a fiscally sound athletic department but one with major questions surrounding its powerhouse football program, not the least of which is what to do with head coach Rich Rodriguez.

The signature hire of Martin’s 10-year career, Rodriguez is 8-16 in 2 years as Michigan coach. The Wolverines are coming off their first back-to-back losing seasons since 1962-63, and patience is wearing thin around a program used to competing for Big Ten championships.

“I am as concerned as everybody is knowing that we’re a program that likes and needs to win,” Brandon said. “We sing about being the champion, the leaders and the best. And that’s what we want to be. And nobody wants to be that more than Rich Rodriguez.”

Brandon, who played at Michigan in the 1970s, said he doesn’t know Rodriguez well, but the 2 have had dinner a few times and Brandon visited a Michigan practice once in Rodriguez’s first season.

Asked about Rodriguez’s job security Tuesday, Brandon said, “Rich Rodriguez is the football coach at the University of Michigan.”

But there are things that could complicate matters.

Michigan is under NCAA investigation for alleged rules violations regarding excessive practice time. The NCAA was expected to conclude its investigation by Dec. 31, and an announcement of the findings should be made before Brandon assumes his post March 8.

Brandon said he hasn’t been briefed on what the investigation has uncovered so far.

“If we’ve made some mistakes we’ll correct them,” he said. “But let’s just wait and see how the investigation pans out, and I don’t live in fear of that. We’ll deal with it as we need to.” Regardless of the outcome, Rodriguez will enter 2010 with one of the hottest coaching seats in the country.

Michigan started last season 4-0 and appeared poised to make a bowl game, but the Wolverines lost 7 of their final 8 games and tied for last place in the Big Ten.

Recently, ex-Wolverines Tom Brady, Braylon Edwards and Dhani Jones have voiced their dissatisfaction over the program’s recent losing ways, and Rodriguez’s transition to a spread offense has taken longer than many expected.

Brandon pointed to his work uniting franchisees as CEO of Domino’s Pizza as reason to believe he can end any in-fighting going on at Michigan.

“I’m a team-sport guy,” Brandon said. “I was brought up that way and that’s what I believe in. And factions and divisiveness are enemies of success, and I feel strongly that to the extent there has been any fracturing that’s occurred as a result of whatever, it’s something that needs immediate attention and needs be fixed and truthfully won’t tolerated.”

Rodriguez issued a brief statement Tuesday on Brandon's hiring.

“We are very excited that Dave will be leading our athletic department," the statement said. "He has been a successful leader in business, and I’m sure all of our teams will benefit.”

Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.