Daily briefing: On Nick Rolovich, Iowa State and not being able to finish

Ivan Maisel’s “Daily Briefing” for On3:

What to make of Nick Rolovich’s dismissal

So at what stage of grief is Washington State athletic director Pat Chun? I’m guessing he’s past denial, anger and bargaining, and somewhere between depression and acceptance — although anger must be enticing. With the firing of coach Nick Rolovich and four assistants for their refusal to adhere to a state mandate for all state employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19, Chun and the Cougars (4-3, 3-2 in the Pac-12) say goodbye to a good coach who seemed to fit in a place that’s not for everyone. Rolovich has yet to explain why he won’t take the same vaccination that 189 million Americans, 4.76 million of them in Washington, have taken. His players and six vaccinated assistants are paying a high price for it.

Iowa State? It’s back

Hey, remember Iowa State? Preseason top 10? Got beat by Iowa? Lost a close one to Baylor? Yeah, that Iowa State. The Cyclones have regrouped. Running back Breece Hall averaged 4.0 yards a carry in the first three games. He’s gained nearly 7 yards a carry in the past three, rushing for 510 yards on 74 carries. And those opponents include Baylor and Kansas State. Oklahoma State and Iowa State are proof the Big 12 is returning to more balanced football after nearly a decade of defense being optional. That doesn’t mean they have enough to knock off an Oklahoma that seems to have found its offensive answer in true freshman quarterback Caleb Williams. The Sooners are playing good defense, too.

It’s a four-quarter game, unfortunately

I’m thinking there should be a postseason jamboree for Nebraska, Cal, Syracuse and Texas just so one or two of them will get over the fourth-quarter hill that has been too steep for them to climb this season. It takes a sturdy constitution to root for one of those teams this season. The Golden Bears finished their 24-17 loss at Oregon with a 19-play, 71-yard drive that came to a stop on the Ducks’ 2. For those of you who, unlike me, were asleep at 1:45 a.m. ET on Saturday, Cal ran eight plays inside Oregon’s 8 at the end of that drive. It feels as if the Bears, like the Huskers, the Orange and the Longhorns, will take out their frustrations on someone. Don’t know who.