Rodriguez Got Snubbed and the Question Begs Will There Be Other Snubs

STILLWATER – Ask anyone around Stillwater, Okla. and Oklahoma State University this morning how they felt about the finalists released for the 2021 Butkus Award and your response was likely to be.

“Bull &%$” or “that award committee is F#@$*&” and the reason for the foul mouth responses was that Cowboys linebacker and Big 12 leading tackler Malcolm Rodriguez was left off. Rodriguez has been a dynamo and very popular Oklahoma State player. He stands for the right things.

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Rodriguez celebrates a touchdown recovery against Kansas State.

"I don't think there's any question if you would look at how much he's produced and what he's done and look at his numbers and just watching him on video, that he would have been there,” Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy answered when asked his thoughts on Rodriguez being slighted. “He should be there. I don't know who votes on that. He's a pretty productive player."

Rodriguez has made an average of 9.3 tackles a game and has 9.5 tackles for loss, nine quarterback hurries, two fumbles forced, and two recovered with one for a touchdown.

Nothing you can do now, but Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is a candidate for the Frank Broyles Award for the top assistant coach in college football. That award may be the best award that could be bestowed on this defense because Knowles would treat it like a group award.

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Knowles shares the spotlight with his players.

"I would think he would be a pretty good candidate,” Gundy agreed. “I don't know who else is out there. I don't pay attention, but I'd think he'd be up there pretty high. That’s a staff blueprint and then players out there working (product), that is where that award comes from."

Knowles is one of three candidates from the Big 12. A 43-member selection committee of distinguished former head coaches, broadcasters, and a committee representing the FWAA will select 15 semi-finalists and five finalists from the list of nominees and an overall winner.

Then Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman threw out this question, “Who is the All-Big 12 quarterback for this season?

"Oh gosh, I haven't even thought about that,” Gundy said before going into a filibuster. “You know, it's funny you mentioned that. I could give you some good stuff because you guys drive in cars and think about this stuff all the time like I do. So, who's really the fifth-best team in the country, and who's the 15th-best team? I mean, you could switch them, and nobody would really care. That's been that way pretty much all this year. It's been pretty cool in my opinion. We're all in agreement that it'd be interesting what they do, because you keep bringing this up. It's going to be interesting what they do with No. 2 this week, in my opinion, based on what happened Saturday score wise. (Gundy later revealed in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll that he voted Ohio State No. 2).

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Gundy has learned to filibuster.

“So, I don't know. Who's going to win the Heisman? Up until a week ago, I mean, nobody really knew, right? Usually when we get into Week 10, we all know who's won the Heisman because they start doing the advertisements on ESPN and that's the one they're showing all the time. They're not just showing him, they're showing him because he's going to win the Heisman and it's marketing. So, if you watch it, you haven't seen that yet. That's because nobody knows who's going to win it."

Now, the subject got to something more real for Oklahoma State and for Gundy. Back in 2011 with the BCS process, Gundy said he was not going to politic for his team. He did kind of make a late pitch, but Oklahoma State was left out for SEC heavyweights Alabama and LSU. The Cowboys went to the Fiesta Bowl and played Stanford. So, is Gundy going to politic this time.

"Not really. You know, it just goes against my nature,” said the Cowboys head football coach.

That is when I asked if he preferred a committee making the decision on the playoff and the final four participants or the computers like in the BCS days. 

"If I was up here running for governor, I'd hate to say anything to make the committee mad right now,” Gundy started as headed into another filibuster. “If somebody asked me about immigration or abortion or taxes, I start talking about how nice the state looks in the summer.

“The reason I will avoid it is because I don't know who they'll vote. Let's put it this way, I don't think anybody's just taking it over,” he continued. “But here's what I'd say… humans are partial, right? I mean, at some point when the people here get tired of me and run me off and bring a new coach in. I'll be watching the game somewhere and I'll be hoping OSU wins. You know what I mean? That's going to always be me. But one thing that I've said that I think is very important everybody understands is college football has a really, really, really good thing going on right now. Everybody's watching all the games. So, we got to be careful we don't alter that. 

"Before the season, we all agreed to sign up to the four-team playoff, and that playoff is chosen by the committee,” he said as he started to wrap it up. “So, in my opinion, I'm buying into the committee the way it is because we signed up for that. Until they change it, if we want to partake and be a part of it, then I think that we stay the course. What we're doing right now is pretty good. Is it perfect? No. Can they fix it? Sure, we go to an eight-team playoff. That fixes it. That's it. You will never hear any more issues. That would fix it."

Let’s just hope if the Cowboys take care of their business and that is beating Oklahoma and winning the Big 12 Championship Game that the next day in Stillwater, nobody feels like they did this Monday morning when Malcolm Rodriguez was left off the finalists for the Butkus Award.