Dorm Report: Rooting for the lesser of two evils

Oct 31, 2014 - 2:29 PM Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - I really do try my best not to hate anyone, seeing as how that word can be thrown around rather easily, which is why it was so tough watching the Florida State-Louisville game on Thursday night.

Granted, I try to remain impartial when I don't have a dog in a particular fight, and last night was no different. But it was still an emotional roller coaster due to the fact that both teams had someone on the sidelines, or in the game, that represents all that is wrong with college sports.

On one hand, I was thrilled to see the mighty Seminoles fall behind by three touchdowns in the second quarter as Jameis Winston tossed three interceptions, but at the same time I was somehow rooting for a man who has done just as much damage to the integrity of sports as anyone else in Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino.

With every mistake and lost opportunity, I was shown Winston getting in the face of teammates and pleading his case with his coaching staff. I couldn't be happier to see the reigning Heisman Trophy winner being knocked off his pedestal. Maybe, just maybe, with their first loss in two seasons the Seminoles would then take more seriously the behavior of their star quarterback and perhaps begin treating him in a manner that every other student-athlete should.

Was I cheering on behalf of Petrino so that Winston could get his comeuppance? I can't say that I was, because if the Cardinals were playing any other opponent I would be quietly pleading for the coach to get his head handed to him.

Here is a man who took a job in the NFL and then walked out on his team late in the season when he realized a 3-10 record wasn't cutting it, particularly for someone who signed a five-year, $24 million contract. The coach resigned and left laminated notes on the lockers of his players instead of facing them in person, reminiscent of how the Baltimore Colts loaded up trucks and escaped to Indianapolis under the cover of night.

Petrino bolted from the Atlanta Falcons to take over at Arkansas where he proceeded to bring about a scandal over an ill-fated motorcycle ride that involved a former Arkansas volleyball player-turned student-athlete development coordinator for the football program. I still can't get the image of him in a neck brace, with cuts and scrapes on his face out of my mind.

Petrino then latched on with Western Kentucky in late 2012, signing a four- year contract, but you better believe he didn't stick around to fulfill his responsibilities there. After just one year, with Louisville head coach Charlie Strong taking the job with the Texas Longhorns, Petrino returned to his old stomping grounds.

This guy has nine lives and been given more than his fair share of second chances, and yet I was somehow rooting for his team to knock off the second- ranked program in the country because Petrino seemed to be the lesser of two evils in my book.

Winston threw three picks in four possessions between the second and third quarters as the Seminoles dealt with a massive deficit. I was rooting more against the FSU signal caller than I was for the Cardinals, kind of like wanting Michael Jordan to have a game for the ages against my Philadelphia 76ers, but still having the team overcome the man in the end.

Trailing 21-0 in the second frame, I was already trying to figure out how the college playoffs would transform after this week, but I was clearly jumping the gun. Florida State was not going to go away quietly, and Winston was the reason the 'Noles still held out hope.

The quarterback engineered one scoring drive after another and what had been a three-touchdown deficit eventually turned into a double-digit advantage and yet another win for a despised FSU program. That despised thing probably has as much to do with my disdain for Winston and all of his antics, as it does for wanting to see a favorite bite the dust, but you have to give the 'Noles credit for coming up big yet again.

"I can't say enough about our players, and assistant coaches," FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher said after the game. "They did a great job of making adjustments at halftime, and along the game. I thought the defense made some outstanding plays and some amazing adjustments. The turnovers put the defense in a bad situation but I'm very proud of the way they played."

If nothing else, while Florida State might be destined for another national title, I can cheer a little bit for the fact that, unless something drastic happens to the other contenders and he is able to rally in these last few regular season games, Winston will not be bringing home another Heisman Trophy this year.

I look at Winston's stat line, the one that shows 401 passing yards and three touchdowns, but still my focus is on his two sacks and three interceptions and I enjoy a bit of a diabolical laugh under my breath. Yet it still pains me to know that he is one of the top players in the country, along with being one of the most immature. I begrudgingly give him credit for turning the game around and understanding that he hurt the team as much as he helped.

"Obviously I have to lay low on the turnovers that's what really killed us," Winston noted. "Overall our offense had an amazing game. Running game was great and so was the passing game. Turnovers hurt us and I can't turn the ball over."

I just wish the game could have played to a tie, then I wouldn't feel so disappointed this Friday morning.