Observations from Saturday's Games (Nov. 22)

This was a great day for 'Eer. West Virginia won, Michigan, Notre Dame and Marshall all lost. Now if Pitt and Oklahoma could win tonight it would be a near perfect day (damn Penn State). Here are some observations from Saturday:

1. Charlie Weis is a genius. This was his week. He was taking over the offensive play calling and he was going to show us his coaching brilliance. Wait. No one told Syracuse. Yeah, that Syracuse. The Big East dwelling Orange mounted a great comeback and won in South Bend 24-23. With this loss Notre Dame is 0-2 in Big East play (0-3 if you count old Big East member Boston College). Can we just revoke Notre Dame's bowl eligibility? May be time to rethink that lifetime contract with Weis.

2. Rich Rodriguez is a bigger genius. If Rich-Rod could have just kept his ego in check a little he'd still be in Morgantown and considered a coaching guru who drew coaches from around the nation to see if his magic rubs off. Instead, he's now the worst coach in Michigan football history following a 42-7 loss at Ohio State and finishing 3-9. Great move Rich.

3. Showing some respect. It's obvious Urban Meyer wants Tim Tebow to win the Heisman again this year. He keeps him in games late when the outcome is decided. But even the arrogant Meyer showed a little class in Saturday's 70-19 victory over The Citadel. He pulled Tebow for the second half, instead of padding his stats for a run at another Heisman.

4. Poor State of football. Washington and Ty Willingham are probably going to go winless this year. The best shot came Saturday against what many thought was the worst BCS team in the country -- Washington State. However, the Cougars upset the rival Huskies (if you can upset a winless team) thanks to a last-second FG and another kick on double OT. Willingham would have liked the one win before leaving Seattle. Wazzu's Paul Wulff needed this win in his first season.

5. SEC bashing. During this past week's podcast I defended the SEC as still being the best conference in college football. After watching LSU get pushed around by Ole Miss and bowl-bound Vanderbilt's collapse against Tennessee. The SEC is two-deep this year. No Georgia, you aren't in the mix either. It's just Florida and Alabama (arguably the two best teams in the nation). But the SEC usually stakes claim to best conference because of depth. There's more depth in the Big East and Big 10 this year.

6. Sigh of relief. So how nervous must the folks have been at Camp Randall with Cal Poly almost pulling off the huge upset over Wisconsin? If not for three missed PATs, the Badgers would have lost. I would have loved to have been in those stands to hear what was being said about Bret Bielema.

7. Fighting words. It seems teams didn't want to get along today. There were at least three reported pre-game scuffles with Ohio State-Michigan, West Virginia-Louisville and BYU-Utah. Can't we all just get along.

8. BCS shakeup. It's still the second quarter (as I write this), but it looks like Oklahoma is going to cruise past No. 2 Texas Tech. So who's the best in the Big 12 now?

9. One smart Nutt. Ole Miss' Houston Nutt can coach football. His two stops in the SEC (Arkansas and Ole Miss) are not juggernaut programs. But Nutt always seems to put good teams on the field and they are always well prepared. His Rebels proved it again today by whipping LSU 31-13 at Tiger Stadium. According to ESPN, Ole Miss may get a Cotton Bowl invite.

10. Tip of the cap. To Florida State safety Myron Rolle for arriving in College Park, Md., as a Rhodes Scholar. What an impressive accomplishment for someone who faces many obstacles as a Division I athlete.

Rolle putting scholar in Scholar-Athlete

In the very near future, Florida State's Myron Rolle could face this dilemma:

a) Choose a career in the NFL as a high draft pick;
b) Become a Rhodes Scholar, go on to medical school and pass up the glamor and riches of professional football.

What choice would you make?

Rolle, a standout safety with the Seminoles, hasn't completely made up his mind. But what he's doing Nov. 22 may give you a hint. Instead of traveling with FSU to College Park, Md., to face ACC rival Maryland, Rolle will be in Birmingham, Ala., to interview before the Rhodes selection committee. Later that day the Rhodes winners will be announced, when Rolle may be on a plane (if the NCAA permits and ESPN schedules the game at 7 p.m.) to hopefully play in the second half.

"The more I do mock interviews here at school and think about what I want to say [to the committee], I have grown to really want to be a Rhodes Scholar," said Rolle in an article in USA Today. "If it takes missing a game, that's what it takes."

It appears everyone involved supports Rolle, including legendary coach Bobby Bowden. "We couldn't be more proud of this happening for one of our players. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance and you wouldn't dare deny him that. I just hope he wins it," the coach said in the same article.

The Rhodes Scholarship is one of the most prestigious academic honors an American undergraduate can receive. Each year, the Rhodes Trust affords 32 students from across the country the opportunity to study at England's Oxford University.

When Rolle was one of the most highly recruited defensive players in the country no one was talking to him about being a Rhodes Scholar. But Rolle became so intrigued by the idea that he has put as much effort into building the right resume as he has put into the weight room.

I don't know if he's one of the 32 most deserving undergraduate scholars, but the committee's decision can't be tougher than the one Rolle potentially faces.