Ivan Maisel

  (1:59 PM)

Hi, everyone. Midseason means midterms. I hope you studied. Open your blue books.

Nate (DC)

Ivan, I told you last week that you should attend the PSU-MSU game on the 22nd of November. It's beginning to get that special feeling. If PSU gets past OSU with a win, what better way to end a career than by winning another national championship?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:00 PM)

Nate, I just don't think that Mark Dantonio will retire after winning the national championship. But that's just me.

David (Athens, GA)

Ivan, what's the worst position - President of the United States or starting left tackle for Georgia?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:01 PM)

Starting left tackle for Georgia. Clearly, Sturdivant and Vance needed Secret Service protection and didn't get it.

Donald D (Eugene, OR)

Should the PAC10 enact a 7 TD mercy rule in anticipation of the USC/WSU game?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:02 PM)

I have a theory that you should always take the underdog when offered 40 points or more in a college football game. I had to admit that when I saw Washington State is a 42-point underdog to USC, I abandoned my theory.

elvis( Atlanta, Ga)

Funny how reactionary some college football media is...I guess UF is 100% back now that they finally had their first good game. I think their offense has looked good exactly once! What do you think

Ivan Maisel

  (2:04 PM)

Well, I don't think it would be fair to Florida to penalize them because their offense just now is getting right. I think everyone skews their analysis toward what-have-you-done-for-me-lately. And if you're a playoff guy, you have to think that way, don't you?

elvis (ATL)

The reason LSU's OL has underacheived is the same reason UGA is still able to field a respectable OL with all the injuries- Stacy Searels? Agree ?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:06 PM)

That would be the former Tiger, current Bulldog O-line coach, for those of you not in the know. That's a good theory. But Searles wasn't at LSU last season, and things turned out pretty well for the Tigers, as I recall.

Anthony (Harrisburg, PA)

Michigan fan here. Yes, we are having a terrible year. How long do you think until RR gets us back to the top tier of the Big Ten?? What is your prediction for the PSU game this weekend?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:07 PM)

I think Michigan comes back next year. Eight freshman are enrolling in January, including two talented quarterbacks. That's what the Wolverines are pinning their hopes on.

Kirk (Irvine)

Can Marc Sanchez still be considered a Heisman candidate after the stinker of a game that he played against ASU? I would say that he is done for this year... What do you think?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:08 PM)

He has definitely fallen back. But absolutes are dangerous in college football. Sanchez's problem is that the Trojans don't have a marquee opponent for him to go wild against. If he plays well, people will cast a skeptical eye at the USC's schedule.

Nelson (DE)

If Clemson is seriously considering Bobby Johnson or Jim Grobe as their next coach, then shouldn't they understand that Tommy Bowden came there after taking a school with higher academic standards (Tulane) to a higher level just like the other two have done?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:09 PM)

In a vacuum, yes, but Bowden and Clemson needed to part. It's reminiscent of a marriage gone south.

Taylor (Hattiesburg, MS)

FSU fan. Ivan if the Seminoles go 11-1 or 10-2 without going to the ACC Championship could they possible get a BCS Bowl?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:11 PM)

Possible, sure. But it will be a tight fit. Figure that the Big 12 and SEC runnersup will get two at-large bids, the BYU-Utah winner will get a third. That leaves one for the Big Ten runner-up, the ACC runner-up, Notre Dame (slim chance) and an undefeated Boise State/Tulsa.

Will, Tulsa

what does Tulsa have to do to get in the top 25? I just don't see why Ball State is ranked and TU isn't considering Tulsa has the nations best offense statistically and was the last team to beat BYU

Ivan Maisel

  (2:12 PM)

I don't get it either. Tulsa had a game scheduled against Texas Tech and bailed out of it. Bet both schools wished they had played now. Their strength of schedule has diminished both of them.

Brent (Atlanta)

Please explain this to me- Georgia loses (badly, of course) to current #2 Alabama, and has a few good wins. OU loses (by a similar margin) to current #1 Texas, and has a few good wins. USC loses to an unranked team and has one very good win. How are OU and USC ranked so far ahead of Georgia, when all three were considered about even before any of these games were played?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:14 PM)

You may compare Oklahoma's loss to Texas to Georgia's loss to Alabama because of similar margins. But anyone who watched those games would come away with the idea that Oklahoma should be higher ranked. The Sooners didn't fall behind 31-0 in the first half.

Brent (Atlanta)

In a potential BCS nightmare, who would you want to see in a national championship game- a 1 loss Alabama team that beat Georgia but then failed to win the SEC, or a 1-loss Georgia who won the SEC?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:15 PM)

There is precedent. In 1982, Alabama beat Penn State, 42-21, and the Nittany Lions ended up national champs.

Paul (Albany, OR)

Travel to fantasy land for just a moment Ivan. If Oregon State AND USC win out then the Beavers win the conference and the Rose Bowl bid - does USC then get a BCS bid thereby modifying your prior BCS bid theory? Thanks.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:16 PM)

Absolutely. That's the beauty of the BCS. There are a lot of possibilities, and we all spend the last half of the season mulling over them.

Cosmo (Anytown, USA)

Wouldn't it be a good idea for Paterno to announce his retirement with about 3 weeks left in the season just to get the sentimental vote (a la Tom Osborne)? Then after the NCG, he can say that he was just kidding.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:16 PM)

Paterno as Brett Favre. I like it.

Jay, Dearborn, MI

We all know the Heisman goes to the best player on the best team unles someone has a special season. Realistically, what do Michigan State and Javon Ringer have to do in these last five games for Ringer to win the Heisman?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:17 PM)

Ringer needs to average more than three-and-a-half yards per carry, which is what he has gotten in the last two games.

Jon (Venice Beach)

Ivan- humor me for a moment- If Kansas pulls off a historic upset in Norman on saturday, would be a serious contender for a spot in the NC game?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:17 PM)

I am not that humorous.

Mike (LA)

In 2007 Arkansas beat LSU, and LSU ended up national champs.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:18 PM)

My point was by a large margin. The questioner wanted to know if Georgia could make the national championship game despite getting humiliated on national television.

John (Clinton Township, MI)

I'm expecting 8 wins for my Fighting Irish, maybe 9. How many do you think they'll finish with and what bowl will they go to?? I don't want them to get put into another impossible bowl just because they bring in so much money and attention. Will the memory of last season keep selection committees from putting the Irish in a bowl they don't deserve or will they get put in another lopsided matchup just because of the money that the Irish Nation will bring in?????

Ivan Maisel

  (2:20 PM)

To reach a BCS bowl, the Irish would have to win at least nine games and be ranked in the top 14. The former is a larger possibility than the latter. I think the Irish will end up in the Gator Bowl. But I haven't gone back and looked at their Gator Bowl deal.

Pete Conrad (Birmingham, AL)

Ivan, are the Tide for real or are they a bit overrated? Will they be able to handle Ole Miss this weekend, who already pulled off a big upset this season?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:21 PM)

I think Alabama is a few spots overrated but I think the Tide will beat Ole Miss. Nothing like a week off for a young team.

Brian (MIlwaukee)

What the heck is going on in Madison? Is Brett Bielema on the hot seat?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:22 PM)

Bielema isn't and shouldn't be on the hot seat. But after a 17-1 start, he is 7-7 in his last 14 games, and I think 3-6 in conference games over that period. So he's got some work to do.

Darril (Dover, NH)

Admit it Maisel, BYU will play for the National Championship.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:23 PM)

I wouldn't have a problem with that. If BYU is undefeated, they would have a 22-game winning streak.

Michael (Stillwater, Ok)

Do you think that Oklahoma State can lose to Texas and then run the table the rest of the season? And do you think Texas Tech is overrated?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:24 PM)

I don't think OSU runs the table but I do think Texas Tech is overrated.

Mike (NY)

Ivan - how do you rate the progression at Miami so far? Doesn't seem as though Shannon is as far along as many thought - its a bad team right now.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:24 PM)

Injuries have really hurt. And the ones who aren't injured are inexperienced. That's a tough combination.

Tom (NC)

Butch Davis - many said he could not compete in Chapel Hill. Does he stay the course or does he look for a bigger job (i.e., Tennessee, Clemson, etc.).

Ivan Maisel

  (2:25 PM)

I would be stunned if Davis left for another school. He has everything he needs in Chapel Hill, with less pressure to win.

Jonathan (Westerville, Ohio)

What would it take for coach Tressel to allow someone else to call offensive plays? Retirement or an order from the board?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:26 PM)

He's got a freshman quarterback and his best offensive player is just getting healthy. Those problems don't have anything to do with playcalling.

Brandon(Ohio)

Who do you like in the VT-BC game this weekend?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:27 PM)

Leaning toward the Hokies. I think they are a better team and they have the home field.

Chris, Washington DC

Many project USC to be #4 when the BCS standings come out on Sunday. Assuming there are other one loss teams at the end of the season can USC possibly move up give its weak strength of schedule?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:28 PM)

The Trojans need Ohio State to keep winning. If the Buckeyes lose, I think it will hurt the Trojans with the computers and in the eyes of the voters.

Carter (Tucson)

Your pick, first to a top 5 spot. Nebraska, Tennessee, Michigan, Miami, or Clemson

Ivan Maisel

  (2:29 PM)

Michigan. Rodriguez has done this before. Pelini and Shannon haven't. He's a year ahead of rebuilding at Clemson and Tennessee.

Clay (Oakland, CA)

OK State's last INT should have been ruled incomplete...is it not worth discussing that Mizzou's potential game winning drive was cut short by the officials?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:30 PM)

Not outside of Missouri chat rooms. No one else wants to hear it. Moaning about bad calls are fingernails on a chalkboard to me. Sorry.

Rich B (Lancaster, OH)

R-Rod got the dreaded "vote of confidence" this week, AND his agent Mike Brown came out to dismiss rumors of R-Rod's interest in the Clemson job. Isn't it suspect that Mike Brown would even know Clemson's level of interest if he didn't already inquire? Besides, how can anyone trust a person with the name "Mike Brown?" U-M message boards are dropping offline today over one of those aircraft tracker Web site showing a single engine flight leaving Ann Arbor Muni and landing in South Carolina this morning!

Ivan Maisel

  (2:32 PM)

Mike Brown played at Clemson and has done consulting work through the years for athletic director Terry Don Phillips. His interest in Clemson is natural.

Jim (VA)

Do you think the ACC is on the rise? How long will it take for the ACC to be a powerhouse conference along with the SEC and others?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:32 PM)

The ACC is on the rise. Given where it's been, though, it pretty much had only one direction to go.

Mitch (Gainesville, FL)

Please answer this, it's been bugging me for weeks. Redshirt seniors are allowed to get medical redshirts and return for a sixth year, right? I read in a newspaper article that they could not.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:33 PM)

I know that they have been able to get a sixth year in the past. But I feel like the rule has changed. I'll have to look it up.

Randy (St. Paul)

Shouldn't Michigan fans be a little worried about the type of players Rich Rod brings in. I mean it did take the NFL bad boys of Pac Man Jones, Chris Henry, and Brandon Marshall to come through WV before he started winning there.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:34 PM)

I have a feeling that the admission standards at the two schools are different.

Larry (Las Vegas, NV)

Why is everyone hating on USC when they've destroyed two top 25 teams by more than 30 (#5 Ohio State/#22 Oregon)? No one else has beaten two ranked teams like that, even the SEC?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:35 PM)

It's been so long since anyone has defended the Trojans in one of these chats, I just had to throw that up there.

Chris (Austin, TX)

How long do you predict Will Muschamp staying at Texas?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:36 PM)

Another two months. I think he'll take a head coaching job. I haven't asked him, but he had one foot out the door for Arkansas last year until Petrino swooped in.

Jameson Austin, TX

Jordan Shipley was just recently approved for a sixth year because of medical issues.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:36 PM)

Well, there you go. I must be wrong. I wish I could pause the chat and go look it up. Sorry.

Mitch (Austin, Texas)

How about my Longhorns? Will they be able to run the table in the toughest schedule in the country, and if they lose a game, can they still play in the National Championship?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:38 PM)

I don't know if it's the toughest in the country, but it's tough. Of course if they lose a game, they're still in it. Don't forget that LSU lost on T'giving weekend last year.

Jim (Grand Junction, CO)

Ivan: I agree that complaining about bad calls by officials is fruitless and so on. But there are bad calls. I suggested to Rece Davis that officials be eligible for the Pontiac Game Changing Performance. There's got to be a solution somewhere. Where is it?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:38 PM)

I don't know, but that's a funny line, so I'm posting it.

Andre (Provo, UT)

If BYU can win at TCU tomorrow night how much significance will that weigh on voters come Sunday for the new polls?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:39 PM)

I think it will help, but not enough people understand how good TCU is.

Rick (Hoover, AL)

South Carolina or LSU???????????? RTR!

Ivan Maisel

  (2:40 PM)

I think LSU bounces back. But I haven't looked closely at the game yet. Thanks, everyone. Have a good week. Talk to you next Wednesday.