My thinking is it’s the best he could do now… who else is available? Admittedly, maybe there are other names out there currently available that I am not aware of, but on the surface, this appears to be a good next step.
I agree it’s a CYA, but you’ve got to start somewhere. Rhule knows how important a 6th win is and that we weren’t gonna get there with Satt. Not only that, but I wonder if he was losing the team somewhat… this kind of move could backfire, or it could strengthen the resolve of the team, knowing that they will do whatever it takes to get to a bowl.
We are way better than just making a bowl game. We should be 7-2 minimum right now, with our 2 losses to current top 5 teams. 5-4 is on Rhule, and he knows it, which is why we have a change now and not at the end of the season.