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Bruce Feldman

  (3:59 PM)

Hi...I'm excited about this week's games and happy to talk some college football this afternoon. It's a great time of year.

Emmett (Philly)

Ohio at Temple. Who wins?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:00 PM)

I'm going with Temple. The Owls D isn't bad.

Tommy (St. Paul, MN)

How likely is it that the Minnesota Golden Gophers play in a New Year's day game?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:01 PM)

Very possible. They could go 10-2.. Northwestern might be the best team they have left on their schedule. Their D has really improved with all of the solid JC guys they've brought in.

rich roehl (grasse, france)

great spread picks last saturday (12 wins - 6 losses i think)!!! a couple with almost the exact score!!!all the best and thanks,rich

Bruce Feldman

  (4:02 PM)

Thanks, but I had a very big misses there too especially on the Mizzou-UT game.

Justin (OKC)

Bruce, nice article on undersized players, but how in the world did you leave off Kendall "Spud" Hunter?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:03 PM)

Thanks.. I explained this in the comments section. I don't think backs listed at 5-8 and 190 pounds are that undersized. That's about the same size as Emmitt Smith and Ringer.. If he was a 170 pounds I'd say he fits.

okie, OK

what are your thoughts on oklahoma state?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:04 PM)

Great running team..smart accurate QB..phyiscal Oline with tthree very athletic receivers and the D has gotten a lot better in the last 3 weeks. They're legit.

Mike (Clearwater, FL)

Hey Bruce. Auburn fan here. My gut is that if AU doesn't finish 3-2, Tubberville will be out. Granted his history is strong especially against Bama, but his risky decisions may cause long-term damage. Your thoughts? Btw Go Rays!

Bruce Feldman

  (4:06 PM)

I don't know. I can't believe how a coach who beats his archrival so many times in a row and knocks off a bunch of other top 10 teams could be on the hot seat but from what I heard his relationship with the Auburn brass hasn't been very good for years. It's a weird situation. They could lose thursday night and it'll realy get hairy then.

Eli (Portland, OR)

Bruce, how in the world do you think that Oregon St. won't make a bowl game? Clearly, you just made a mistake filling out your bowl projections. You do realize that they only have to win 2 more games to be bow eligible.

Bruce Feldman

  (4:08 PM)

I did make a mistake there and by not flip-flopping Tulsa and UTEP. Those projections can be a bear especially when youre scrambling to catch a flight.

Cosmo (Anytown, USA)

Did the entire Syracuse football program quit at halftime on Saturday? That was a pathetic performance by a pathetic team.

Bruce Feldman

  (4:09 PM)

It was, although it's gotta be a tough situation given all the uncertainty around that program. Brinkley did have a nice first half against a good D though.

Tyler (St. Louis, Mo.)

If Terrell Pryor had gone to Michigan, would they have a winning record?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:11 PM)

Not sure. I think they'd be better though. They moved the ball fine against ND. They lost because they turned it over so much. They've been sloppy and inconsistent. The D also has been a disappointment.

John (NYC)

Hi Bruce. Is there anything Penn State can do to convince you to rank them in the top two without UT or Alabama losing?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:14 PM)

Good question. Maybe if JP Wilson is lost for the season and Bama only wins by 1 at Tenn and Penn State dominates at OSU...The challenge for Penn State is if they win this weekend a lot of pollsters will dismiss it as OSU not being all that good anyhow. It's the spectre of the Big Ten that is holding those teams down and they must win their BCS games this year to begin to fix those perceptions.

Darion (Tallahassee)

Can FSU win 10 games this year

Bruce Feldman

  (4:15 PM)

If the O-line keeps improving and Ponder limits his mistakes, sure. They have two playmaking huge receivers and a fast defense.

Russell (Everett, WA)

So who ya got winning this year's Apple Cup? Personally I can't wait to see that one - break out the Tivo

Bruce Feldman

  (4:17 PM)

Ha.. as bad as Washington is, I think they're a little better than Wazzu. But those are the two worst BCS conference schools and are probably looking a long way up at even Syracuse

Mike (Camarillo, CA)

Neutral field, name two teams that beat USC? If you can't and there are not two undefeated teams, why should USC be left out of the NC game just because of their "resume"? I thought voters were voting for the best two teams not the best two "resumes".

Bruce Feldman

  (4:20 PM)

I don't know. Your question is interesting in that different voters use different criteria. I think you have to vote resume or else you'll end up touting old recruiting rankings or letting pro scouts pick your top 5. You can't just ignore USC lost, and not in a fluky way to a team that Penn State hammered. I think USC would be a 10-point favorite over Penn State on a neutral field, but right now, today, there's no way you could rank USC in front of them.

Mike (Anaheim)

Bruce, who are the better tacklers? The SEC linebackers, or the SEC refs?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:20 PM)

Nice.

CF Fan (Wash DC)

Mike in Camarillo, isn't a "resume" an indication of how good a team really is? By your logic, Tulsa vs. Utah should be the NCG.

Ryan (San Diego)

Do you think Tennessee can pull the upset this week at home?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:21 PM)

Nah, I'm not picking Tennessee to upset anybody this year.

Mike (Iowa City, IA)

Where does Shonn Greene fit into the national picture of running backs and maybe even Heisman?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:23 PM)

Good back but he's not in the Heisman picture at all.. There's a bunch of good backs in the Big Ten (Ringer, Beanie, Royster and Green).. I doubt any of them have a decent shot to win it and I only think Ringer and Beanie have outside shots to get invited to NYC.

PAT (Erie PA)

hey bruce do u think rich rodriguez will have michigan being a rose bowl contender in the next two years

Bruce Feldman

  (4:25 PM)

Yes, two years from now, by 2010, they will be in the thick of the Rose Bowl race.

Jacob (MI )

Doesn't the resume reflect the quality of the candidate?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:25 PM)

I think so.

Joshua(Miami,FL.)

Bruce,Whos's the starter Harris or Marve? Where does Miami's receiver core rank?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:29 PM)

I suspect Marve starts but Harris gets more and more time. Theyre both very impressive. Harris, for only being 17, has been very sharp. The young receivers have been outstanding, especially Aldarius Johnson, Laron Byrd and Travis Benjamin. It's odd when almost all your best players are almost all freshmen.

Steve (LA, CA)

Bruce what is so great about any of the SEC teams resumes this year?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:30 PM)

Alabama has beaten two top 10 teams and neither of those games were in Tuscaloosa. That's why they are in the top two,

Tom (Chicago)

Wow you must really think the Big 10 sucks if Michigan is going to be in Rose Bowl contention in 2 years. Have you watched them this year? They are herrendous.

Bruce Feldman

  (4:32 PM)

They are, but Rodriguez' team at WVU wasn't good in his first year either. He is a really good coach. Let's not go overboard on year 1 of 1 new regime. Pete Carroll was 6-6.

Trey, Atlanta

Bruce, PLEASE pick against the Longhorns again this week, ok? It's been working for us so far!

Bruce Feldman

  (4:32 PM)

Ha...No.

mike(pocatello)

Bruce, with the mountain west doing so well this year, if they can keep it up for a couple more seasons, will that conference ever have a chance at being plugged into the bcs.

Bruce Feldman

  (4:33 PM)

The process takes five years to kick in.

Brian (Tallahassee, FL)

Tom in Chicago's spelling is "HERRENDOUS"

Bruce Feldman

  (4:33 PM)

It's a chat.. typos r welcome.

Larry (Glendale, CA)

Do you think Neuheisel can do for UCLA what Spurrier did for Florida?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:34 PM)

No, Spurrier really shook up that league. I think UCLA will get a lot better but Spurrier had so much impact I don't see Neuheisel doing the same.

Big East Guy in Indy

With the Big East seemingly being a jumbled mess, who do you think provides the best chance to carry the flag for the conference against a foe in the BCS bowl?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:35 PM)

Pitt. LeSean McCoy has really come on and if Jonathan Baldwin keeps emerging their offense could be dangerous.

Matt Orlando

where was jeff demps on the little guy list? Although it has been only two games he must at least be a guy to watch.

Bruce Feldman

  (4:36 PM)

He's not all that little and who would you have bumped off? Trindon Holliday? Brandon James?

Cody (New York City)

If Alabama, Penn State and Texas all stay undefeated who should play for the mythical National Championship?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:36 PM)

Based on schedule strength, I think it'd be very hard to put Penn State over either because PSU won't have anywhere near as many Ws over top 20 teams.

David (San Antonio, TX)

What are the chances the combined score of the Kansas-Texas Tech game is over 100?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:38 PM)

50-50.. in the last six meetings the LOWEST combined score was 66 and this is the best offense Tech has had in terms of O-line talent and experience.

Matthew(Florida)

what about golden tate as a little guy. and he plays BIG!

Bruce Feldman

  (4:39 PM)

He's 5-11, 185...that's about four inches too tall for that list.

Mike (Camarillo, CA)

AL beat two top 10 teams? REALLY, that is a joke! Clemson was Top 10 in the first poll based upon what, certainly not their "RESUME". So, resume only matters when? Common Sense please.

Bruce Feldman

  (4:41 PM)

OK, but then you have at Georgia and an upcoming game at LSU and then an SEC title game against another possible top 5 team.

Chris, NYC

What are the odds Ty Willingham gets another coaching job?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:42 PM)

Not a head coaching job. I suspect he'll be an NFL assistant somewhere in the future.

Tyler (Colorado)

Following up on Cody's question...If Alabama, Penn State and Texas all run the table in the regular season, and then Alabama and Texas lose in their conference championships, who should play for the mythical National Championship? It's just not right that some teams play conference titles and some do not.

Bruce Feldman

  (4:44 PM)

That's a good question. I do agree about the no title game mess. If there's ever a four-team playoff, I'd like to see something to solve that, whether that means the Big Ten, MWC, Pac-10 and Big East have to have their title teams play each other so be it.

Danielle(Orlando,Fl.)

Is Joe Burnett of UCF among elite DB's in college?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:44 PM)

Yeah, he's really good and a good return guy too. He and Cincy's Mike Mickens are two very underrated corners.

Steve (SLC)

Bruce - Please explain to me why you went against your word and didn't include Utah in your BCS projections this week. You told me last week that if byu lost to tcu you would put the Utes in.

Bruce Feldman

  (4:46 PM)

It came down to having two Big Ten teams in BCS bowls. I spoke to someone with the bowl system who made the case about why they'd be likely to take two from major conferences. Now if Penn State beats OSU 31-7 then maybe they won't take two, but if you have two one-loss big ten teams, they both probably go.

Mary, Chicago

Bruce, you really believe an NFL team thinks Willingham is a good football coach based on his coaching resume?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:47 PM)

He got Stanford to the Rose Bowl and that's impressive. Aside from the academies, no other 1-A school has the academic restrictions that Stanford has.

Troy (La Plata, MD)

What are your thoughts on the Terps? Darrius Heyward Bey looks very impressive!

Bruce Feldman

  (4:48 PM)

So inconsistent.. DaRel Scott is very exciting and Heyward Bey can be great but they need to get him involved like they did last week.

Mike (Norman, OK)

Is it possible to see an OU/TX rematch for the national title game?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:49 PM)

It's a long shot but I doubt it.

Andrew (Vandyland)

Are you really saying that Stanford has greater hurdles than we do?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:50 PM)

For football players, I am.

Zaid (Austin, TX)

Bruce,How does Oklahoma State's offensive line match up the Texas' D line, mainly Brian OSACKpo (Orakpo. Can the D line get pressure on Robinson by rushing 3 or 4?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:51 PM)

That's the big issue. Texas D-line is very underrated. Roy Miller is playing like an all-american and so is Orakpo who ate up some experienced linemen from OU.

ken

the rose bowl took a 2 loss Illinois team over many more worthy competitors last year, I don't see why they would change that this year for the sake of a good quality game!

Bruce Feldman

  (4:52 PM)

well said.

Jay(Orlando,FL)

Which coordinators do you see as being hot commodities for next year's head coaching vacancies?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:54 PM)

Will Muschamp, DeWayne Walker (SD State?).. maybe Brent Venables and Bud Foster from Va. Tech. I'll start there. And I could see Ted Gilmore a WR coach from Neb, get in on the Wyoming opening should Joe Glenn get fired,

Craig, South Bend

Bruce, Why hasn't Tenuta had a bigger impact on ND's defense this year?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:54 PM)

Not sure. I'm a little surprised but who knows how much imput he has since Corwin Brown is the DC.

Glen, Pensacola Florida

Bruce, how classy is Tim Tebow for acknowledging how good Colt McCoy has played thus far? And tell all the haters to grow up where this kid is concerned! He is a true ambassador of college football! Thanks and GO Gators!

Bruce Feldman

  (4:55 PM)

Yeah, Tim Tebow is GREAT for college football. He is a class act.

Brian (Tallahassee, FL)

Not that we want to lose either...what about the Gators' Dan Mullen (offense) and Charlie Strong (defense)?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:56 PM)

good point.

John Atlanta

Do you think Georgia Tech has a shot at winning the ACC?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:57 PM)

I do. Great D-line. Great ground game led by Jon Dwyer and they are tough to defend.

Sylvain (calgary)

Does the Rose bowl take Ohio St and USC if both win out and don't play for the NC?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:57 PM)

I think so.

Jon (Venice Beach, CA)

Okay, If Texas and OU win out, and PSU loses to Ohio State and Bama loses one game, to anybody, how do OU and Texas NOT wind up being #2,1 in the BCS poll respectively?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:58 PM)

I think if Florida wins out and beats bama in the SEC title game, my hunch is the Gators would play UT.. pollsters don't like rematches.

Mike (Anaheim)

Bruce, whats up with Virginia? They are on a roll. Will this keep going through conference play?

Bruce Feldman

  (4:59 PM)

Ced Peerman is such a difference maker for them. He'll get them into a bowl game.

Brian (Tallahassee, FL)

Thanks for helping me kill the last hour of the work day! I'll be sure to tune in every week!

Bruce Feldman

  (4:59 PM)

any time. I'm all about killing time.

mike(pocatello)

Bruce is the mountain west a stronger conference that any of the bcs conferences?

Bruce Feldman

  (5:00 PM)

yes, it's stronger than the Big east this year and maybe the Pac-10 too, especially given the head to head matchups. Can't ignore that.

Bruce Feldman

  (5:00 PM)

three more questions..

Greg (Holmdel)

Who is Clemson's frontrunner coach?

Bruce Feldman

  (5:01 PM)

Lane Kiffin will get a long look and I could see them chasing Brian Kelly since Grobe isn't interested.

Eddie (Hoboken, NJ)

Just dawned on me, why was Daryl Clark EVER sitting behind Morelli?

Bruce Feldman

  (5:02 PM)

Nice...I wonder if that dawned on a lot of folks in Happy Valley this fall.

Rob (New York)

With the recent high profile choke-jobs by Wisconsin teams dating back to arguably '04, is it finally time to change coaches?

Bruce Feldman

  (5:03 PM)

Nah, it's too soon to pull the plug on Bielema. He did well till this month and now they look really sloppy.. too many penalties.. bad tackling. Give him more time though.

Bruce Feldman

  (5:03 PM)

Thanks for all the questions. Enjoy the Ohio-Temple game tonight..