McElroy Rhodes Scholar:

College football pundits say the title game’s McQuarterback matchup clearly favors Texas. Yes, the Longhorns’ Colt McCoy has won an NCAA-record 45 games, but McElroy, a junior, hasn’t lost as a starter since the eighth grade.

Fittingly, the Rose Bowl represents center stage for freckle-faced, 21-year-old McElroy, the longtime understudy.

At Carroll he played behind Chase Daniel and didn’t start until his senior season, when he led the Dragons to a Class 5A state title.

At Alabama, McElroy redshirted his first season, then backed up John Parker Wilson in 2007 and 2008.

I’m actually applying next year,” McElroy said. “I didn’t want to apply and miss a year of football if I was picked. But we’ll see what happens. I wanted to obviously approach it and look into it because it is such a great honor.”