Meandering: Pondering what might have been for Rich Rodriguez, Les Miles

Rich Rodriguez, on the day he was introduced as Michigan's coach.

Ann Arbor News file photo

Had West Virginia won, Rodriguez would have played for the national championship a month later. A Mountaineers victory might have also kept the Les Miles-coached LSU squad out of the championship game.

Instead, West Virginia lost a game it should have won, triggering a chain reaction of events that left Miles with a lucrative contract extension in Baton Rouge, and Rodriguez on the sidelines in Ann Arbor.

Now, both coaches are exposed to the harsh and fickle realities of college football, Mandel writes.

That's where we'll kick off today's meandering. Here's a look at the rest of today's cant-miss reads:

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

• Dave Birkett, AnnArbor.com: Rich Rodriguez has one more year to get it right.
• Big Ten Network: Video highlights from the Michigan-Ohio State game.
• Jason Gay, Wall Street Journal: Let's merge Notre Dame and Michigan.
• Gregg Doyel, CBSsports.com: Rich Rodriguez should stop calling out Lloyd Carr.
• Greg Dooley, MVictors.com: That was a home game for Ohio State.
• Brian Cook, mgoblog.com: An interview with recruit Tony Grimes.
• The Associated Press: No changes in the BCS top seven.