Burning questions about BCS, Tennessee candidates and more (cont.)

Due to his bloated contract, Iowa's Kirk Ferentz faced a lot of heat entering this season. Stephen Mally/Icon SMI Stewart Mandel's Mailbag Submit a question or an opinion to Stewart. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND Follow Stewart Mandel on Twitter

Kirk Ferentz's Iowa team has underachieved for the past couple seasons. After the upset of Penn State, has Ferentz's seat officially cooled off? And do you see Iowa being competitive in the Big Ten in the coming seasons?
-- Aaron, Omaha, Neb.

It was a huge, huge win for Ferentz and his program. If the Hawkeyes can ride that momentum and win their final two games against Purdue and Minnesota, they'll finish 8-4 which, in this downtrodden year for the Big Ten, will probably be enough to send them to a New Year's bowl. That ought to restore a whole bunch of peoples' confidence in their coach. (On a related note, it was an important win for the Big Ten as well. The conference desperately needs programs like Iowa and Wisconsin to return to their level of a few years ago so the league will be seen as having depth beyond Ohio State, Penn State and, under normal circumstances, Michigan. Its teams also need to stop losing to MAC schools, but that's another story.)

Of course, the unfortunate side note to this possible Iowa resurgence is that the more the Hawkeyes win, the more their considerable off-the-field problems of the past few years quietly disappear into the ether. Over the summer, Ferentz was taking far more heat for his and other officials' alleged mishandling of a sexual-assault allegation against two of his players. Now he'll probably get another contract extension.

As I've always said, winning cures everything. Notice how all the ruckus about Joe Paterno's program being "out of control" due to its inordinate number of player arrests magically vanished when the Nittany Lions won their first nine games? Everybody loves to talk tough about discipline -- until their team goes to the Rose Bowl.

Why am I not hearing Boise State's coach, Chris Petersen, for any of these coaching vacancies? Especially Tennessee? As a Gator fan, Peterson scares me the most. What he has done within a short time at Boise State is incredible.
-- No. 1 Gator Fan, Jacksonville, Fla.

First of all, let it be known that I don't normally pick questions from people who don't use their real name -- but I really liked this one. I'm in total agreement Petersen would make a great hire for a school like Tennessee.

Someone asked me recently if any current mid-major coach fit the profile of "the next Urban Meyer," and I immediately said Petersen. He's a player's coach, his offensive creativity is undeniable at this point (am I the only one starting to think he was the real brains behind Dan Hawkins' success at Boise?), and I'm particularly impressed by the way he's adapted to his personnel this season. He's basically reinvented the offense, compensating for the loss of four starting offensive linemen (including All-America tackle Ryan Clady) by turning the Broncos from a run-first team into a spread passing team (and doing it with a true freshman quarterback, no less.) The Broncos also play extremely physical defense and rank 10th in the country.

Personally, I still think the school's first call should be to Mike Leach, who, like Petersen, is working largely with other schools' castoffs, yet has elevated his team to the top of an extremely competitive conference. (I don't buy the Butch Davis rumors, either. It sounds like somebody's agent is angling for a raise.) But the Vols wouldn't go wrong with Petersen, either. The question is whether he's interested. Last year, Petersen strongly rebuffed interest from UCLA. Maybe he's happy where he is, or maybe he figured he'd hold out for a better opportunity. Tennessee would certainly fit that bill.

First Tim Tebow. Then Knowshon Moreno. Now John Parker Wilson. How do the LSU students keep getting opposing players' cell-phone numbers?!?
-- Rusi Patel, Dunwoody, Ga.

I don't know -- but you would think they'd give it up by now. It's not working. Tebow scored three touchdowns in that game (although his team lost). Moreno ran for 163 yards on the Tigers. And Wilson threw the dagger to Julio Jones in overtime.

Time to come up with a new gig. Like maybe helping their quarterback recognize the colors of his own receivers.

GREAT story on Myron Rolle. Too often the media focuses on only the negative about athletes. Academically, the Rhodes Scholarship is the BCS or Super Bowl, if you will, of academia. It's rarified air and there is NO WAY he should pass this up.
-- Lerone Smith, Madison, Wis.

I graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law and hold no great affection for Florida State. But I will tell you that every fan in attendance at Byrd Stadium on Nov. 22nd should have the opportunity to stand and applaud Myron Rolle for his performance and achievements. Football is a local game; medicine can be world-changing. Go, Myron!
-- Rob Loskot, Laurel, Md.

I have to say that I've been blown away by the response that story has generated. It's refreshing and uplifting to see that so many of you appreciated the opportunity to take a break from the usual coverage this time of year about BCS fretting and coaching changes to read about a player who is literally putting academics before football.

As a quick follow-up, it looks like Maryland fans may in fact get that opportunity to stand and applaud Rolle, should they choose. ESPN has set the game time for 7:45 p.m., and it looks like the NCAA will grant FSU permission to fly him to the game from Birmingham. The school is looking into possible charter flights. The announcement of the Rhodes winners does not take place until 6 p.m., so realistically, he won't make it to College Park before halftime, but Bobby Bowden has said he hopes to get Rolle on the field.

And now ... back to the BCS fretting.