At first it seems like merely an issue of semantics. When Rich Rodriguez says — as he has about 1,000 times this year — that he’s building a program at Michigan, he means he’s building HIS program at Michigan, right?

Because, UM’s national championships and 42 Big Ten titles constitute a program to me.

Rodriguez undoubtedly is referring to getting the Wolverines to run his plays, his sprints, and his practice drills, but there’s more. Mainly, six freshmen are getting serious playing time and some redshirt freshmen and sophomores also hold prominent roles.

Rodriguez said this week he didn’t envision relying on so many youngsters when he took this job. In other words, the players who were here, the ones recruited by Lloyd Carr, weren’t ready to play.

Carr apologists can point to the wildly talented senior class that graduated after last season and mention the transfers (Ryan Mallett and Justin Boren) and early NFL entrants (Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington) who jetted after Rodriguez arrived.

But Rodriguez coming to such a winning school and insisting the team’s best players are freshmen and sophomores is a serious indictment of the program he inherited.