QB’s dilemma: Harvard game or Rhodes interview

>>> finally tonight an old school rivalry coming just two weeks away now. one of the biggest in sports. the harvard / yale game. yale 's quarterback is a contender for the nfl draft with a stellar academic record but is getting the most attention for a big game day decision he's got to make. the story tonight from nbc's anne thompson .

>> reporter: at 6'4", patrick whit is every inch the football hero. the senior quarterback, the most accurate passer in yale history.

>> the big play --

>> reporter: the decision-maker.

>> what a pass by patrick whit! and yale is back in this ball game .

>> this could very well be the last time i step on the field.

>> reporter: on saturday, november 19th , he faces the most difficult decision of his 22 years -- to be in new haven, connecticut, to lead yale against harvard at noon or in atlanta, georgia, to interview for the prestigious rhodes scholarship .

>> i hear it's a good problem to have but it doesn't make it easier to decide.

>> reporter: he's a history major with a 3.91 gpa who left big time football for the academic rigor of yale .

>> she's the only male or female i have known here who was a great scholar and a great athlete.

>> reporter: but it's not just any game. it's the game. can you imagine missing it?

>> no. to leave your teammates and leave them to fend for themselves, so to speak, wouldn't feel right.

>> reporter: this would be the 128th meeting in one of the oldest rivalries in college football . tom williams is yale 's coach.

>> he's carved out a great opportunity for him in his life. i said, don't stress about it.

>> reporter: there are two teams in patrick 's life -- the one on the field and the one in the classroom. to each he feels an obligation. and each is giving surprising advice.

>> people in academics telling me, you've got to play the game . people on the team saying, you've got to go to the interview.

>> reporter: patrick 's rock is his family. brother jeff played quarterback at harvard . parents kathy and gene, both commercial airline pilots.

>> whether he's in atlanta or at the yale bowl will you rest easy?

>> i will be wherever he is.

>> reporter: the answer to patrick 's choice may lie in the life he leads. anne thompson , nbc news, new haven.

>> by the way, thousands of you have already weighed in on our website on what patrick should do. we'll let you know what he does decide when he makes his