I sort of love Iowa State and Coach Rhoads. Even when they beat us, I couldn't help but admire what he's done and what those players do for him. He may be the heart of amateur athletics.
I didn't even realize OSU and Iowa State played last night until the game had just finished, but did see the post-game interview with Coach Rhoads and Samantha Steele. Coach Rhoads was touchingly gracious in victory, giving credit to his team for a big win while acknowledging Mike Gundy as a great coach and OSU as a great team that was probably impacted by extraneous factors (women's BB coach fatality and having to play OU soon). The genuineness in which he gave credit to his players and ISU while still extending credit to the Cowboys was a level above what even Mack can do, which is saying a lot. I have to say that with coaches like Rhoads, Gundy, Snyder, and even Stoops, the Big 12 has some truly great coaches. Ironically, the departure of Nebraska's Pelini and A&M's Sherman boost (IMO) the average caliber of Big 12 football coaches. Mack is certainly in the upper half of that group, but without burnt orange glasses I would not place Mack in the top 3.