Ivan Maisel

  (2:04 PM)

Hi, everyone. I Red Bulled it today because I stayed up too late watching the election, so if I suddenly disappear, it's a caffeine crash.

Ben (Charlotte)

If the Rose Bowl doesn't take Ohio State, who do they take instead, and where does OSU end up?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:06 PM)

Interesting question. The best opponent would be the Bama-Fla loser, if the winner gets the BCS bid and if neither loses between now and then. But the Sugar Bowl would have to release that team. Otherwise, I guess it would be the Big 12 runner-up.

Nick (FL)

Ivan, you are so wrong about Urban Meyer's two 4th quarter timeouts against Georgia. Meyer called the timeouts to show he was in control - as in "this game is over when I say its over." He was sending a message to Richt that he shouldn't be messed with.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:07 PM)

49-10 on the scoreboard was message enough. The timeouts were immature.

Nick (Boise, Mid Major U)

IM, how's your outlook for the "Mid-Majors?" Boy don't the likes of the Pac 10, especially the Washington schools, hate not giving a harder toward the TRUTH, Kellen Moore!!!!

Ivan Maisel

  (2:08 PM)

Yeah, he's the best example of their struggles. I think the TCU-Utah winner will finish ahead of Boise State and Ball State and get the BCS bid.

Melissa (Washington DC)

But last year's endzone dance was a brilliant coaching move to motivate a team??? That's ridiculous.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:10 PM)

So just because Richt did it, it's OK that Urban did it, too? I get better excuses from my 11-year-old. Urban put the lid on saying anything about it last week. He should have kept the lid on for the last minute.

Jason, MI

In regards to OSU not getting selected to a BCS game assuming they win out. What conference would the last at large come from. We already assume that Big 12 and SEC will have 2 teams. then you have one from Big Ten, Pac 10, Big East, ACC, and mid major. where is the last coming from?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:11 PM)

Big 12, SEC, MWC winner, and probably a 10-2 Ohio State. I don't see the Rose Bowl ordering up a rematch against USC, and I don't see Ohio State going back to the Fiesta Bowl. That means the Sugar or Orange.

Michael (Evansville, IN)

With the near certainty that 8 of the 10 BCS spots are going to be taken up by the 6 conf. champs and 2 at-large teams from the Big 12 & SEC, that leaves 2 spots that are opened for BCS busters. Given that a) the ACC is still going to beat itself up and even the second best team will still have to lose one more game in the ACC conf. championship game b) the Big East can't possibly have 2 viable BCS teams and c) the Pac 10 & Big 10 are down, I see only 3 viable teams from those 4 conferences that can finish in the top 14 in the BCS standings and qualify for a BCS bid: 1) Ohio St. if it wins out 2) Michigan St. if it upsets Penn. St. & 3) Oregon St. if it wins out thereby winning the Pac 10 champ. & pushing USC into the at-large pool. Doesn't this mean that there's a decent shot at 2 BCS busters? P.S., I'm not sure that it would be an automatic that a two-loss Mich. St. team would be selected over an undefeated Boise St. team?????

Ivan Maisel

  (2:14 PM)

Good call on Oregon State winning out. That would knock Ohio State out. Re Michigan State vs. Boise State, I don't think any bowl would give up the midwestern TV market for Boise.

Adam, VA

If you had to choose one now, who would you rather have as your team's RB: LeSean "Shady" McCoy or Knowshown Moreno?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:14 PM)

I'll let you pick first and I'll be happy with the leftovers.

Lauren (NY)

Whether UM was a sending a message or not, how is calling a timeout against the rules??? A brawl could have broken out after the whole Georgia team danced in the endzone last year (which last I knew was against the rules).

Ivan Maisel

  (2:15 PM)

I didn't say it was against the rules. I said it made Urban look bad.

Zaid (Austin)

Ivan, If Alabama loses to Florida in the SEC championship, TT loses one of the next two games, and Texas wins the big 12 title, or a share... do they get the nod over florida based on strength of schedule?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:16 PM)

Texas would have a six-point loss on the road with :01 to play to the No. 7 team. Florida would have a one-point loss at home to an unranked team. Advantage Longhorns.

Will J (Portland, OR)

What are your thoughts on Pete Carroll's comments on the BCS? Are more high profile coaches going to begin to speak out against it as well?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:18 PM)

Those comments are significant because Carroll always has maintained that he doesn't understand it and he didn't care. Now he says he doesn't understand it and it stinks. Looks like he understands what it means to fall in the rankings. I understand his frustration, but he played the worst team in the FBS. What did he think would happen?

Arnie

If USC wins out is it possible for them to go to the Holiday bowl? Please give a scenerio..

Ivan Maisel

  (2:19 PM)

As I understand it, if Oregon State wins out, it gets the Rose Bowl bid. But if USC wins out, they almost certainly would get a BCS at-large bid.

Mike (Sulphur, LA)

Why isn't Mike Leach getting critized for throwing a last second touchdown pass instead of kicking the winning field goal like Les Myles was last year?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:22 PM)

I thought about LSU's touchdown. The difference is that Tech didn't throw into the end zone. I'm guessing any other receiver would have caught the ball and stepped out of bounds. Actually, any other receiver probably wouldn't have caught the ball and been able to pivot and run into the end zone the way that Crabtree did. He's a one-of-a-kind talent.

Bryan (Chicago, IL)

Should the NCAA have a rule stating FBS (IA) teams can't schedule FCS (IAA) teams during the regular season? It seems like every year there's one or more teams in the national championship discussion that have played easy OOC and everyone complains when the BCS computers rank them low because they haven't played quality competition.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:22 PM)

The NCAA would never make that rule. The small schools need the money and the big schools need the home games.

Michael (phx)

To Mike in Sulphur, LA.......because Leach has a kicker who was pulled out of the stands two weeks ago.

Aaron (Oklahoma City, OK)

Mike in Sulphur - Mike Leach had a time out left and if the pass was incomplete there would have been a few seconds left on the clock...

Ivan Maisel

  (2:23 PM)

What those guys said.

Jon (Tulsa, OK)

If one of the Oklahoma schools (OU or OSU) wins out (beating Texas Tech and the other Oklahoma school), thus leading to a 3-way tie in the Big 12 South with Texas and Texas Tech, how do you think the voters will rank the 3? Head-to-head records are out the window then. And the computer rankings would likely be close enough that the human polls could make the difference in the BCS ranking (which would determine the division champ under the Big 12's tiebreak rules).

Ivan Maisel

  (2:25 PM)

Texas would benefit because it would have beaten the other Oklahoma school. I think. That whole scenario makes my hair hurt.

Dave( Chattanooga,Tn)

who do you like bama or lsu to win the game this saturday?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:26 PM)

I llike Alabama, although I have to tell you, Beano has been hot picking games on our podcast, and he took the Bayou Bengals. I love calling them the Bayou Bengals. Those kind of nicknames are old-school.

Stinky Pete (Tampa)

If PSU remains undeated, how bad will their 2 week hibernation hurt their BCS status while other conferences continue to play out their championships.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:27 PM)

It will hurt them. But I think having JoePa on their side will keep them in the news.

Jon (venice, CA)

regarding Crabtree's catch, Texas Tech STILL HAD A TIMEOUT LEFT. If he had been tackled in bounds, they still get to kick a field goal. game over.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:28 PM)

If they get the timeout called. Big if.

Kristian (Dallas, TX)

What are you thoughts on the job Randy Shannon has done at Miami with his baby Canes?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:29 PM)

See my I-Formation column. I interviewed Shannon this week.

Danny (Dallas)

Ivan--TCU or Utah? thanks

Ivan Maisel

  (2:30 PM)

I like TCU. I think the Oklahoma game swayed me. The Sooner coaches I have spoken with all said that TCU is a very good team. It may be in OU's interest to say so, but I think the coaches were on the up-and-up.

Jamie (Fairfax VA)

In Jon from Tulsa's question...For the tie to happen between one-loss teams, TT would have to have beaten the other Oklahoma school as well...so wouldn't they get the edge over UT because of The Catch?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:32 PM)

The point is, and I think I have this right, if it's a three-way tie in which Tech has beaten Texas, which has beaten OU/OSU, which has beaten Tech, then the tiebreaker is the highest BCS standing. I think.

Steven, Denver

From different sources all of which seem to say lubbock was amazing. What was your take?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:34 PM)

I think it was the best game I've covered since USC-Texas. It had three great finishes -- a Texas Tech rout would have been a great story, the Texas comeback would have been a greater story, and for Tech to respond with a comeback of its own - man, that was fun.

Steven Braddockson

In I-Formation you implied that Columbia and Harvard would not be interested in a playoff system. I thought the reason that the ivy league doesn't accept bowl invitations is because the majority of bowls pick based on potential income. Wouldn't a playoff system resolve that?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:34 PM)

The Ivy League is eligible for the FCS (I-AA) playoff. It chooses not to participate.

Mike (Camarillo, CA)

You are the most knowledgeable College Football writer, so I am going straight to the top with this question. Does USC get the nod for the BCS championship game over a one-loss BIG 12 or SEC team that does NOT win their conference (say Florida loses again and then beats an undefeated Bama team in SEC Conference Championship game). In your opinion, USC gets the nod over Alabama who doesn't win its conference championship and loses it's last game?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:36 PM)

USC is behind two one-loss Big 12 teams now, I think, so it would be difficult for the Trojans to climb past them. USC would get the bid over a two-loss Gator team or over a Bama team that loses on Dec. 6.

Larry, Seattle

What are the chances of UW stealing Leach away from Texas Tech? I heard he was unhappy with the administration there.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:37 PM)

As I understand it, Leach wanted a contract raise/extension over the summer and Tech said it didn't have the money. This week, the Tech AD said he expected to handle it after the season. Now we watch and see if he's too late.

Bryan (Huntsville, AL)

Who would you list as serious candidates to replace Fulmer at Tennessee?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:38 PM)

No particular order and this is not an exclusive list: Grobe, Kelly, Brewster, Muschamp.

Nikki Duron (Valpo. IN)

Ivan----who's the best RB in the Big Ten, (when healthy)

Ivan Maisel

  (2:39 PM)

I haven't seen Greene. I hope to on Saturday. I really like Ringer.

Anthony (Columbia, MD)

Who do you like tomorrow night, Terps or Hokies, in a big ACC game?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:40 PM)

Can anyone figure out the Terps? I can't. I'll stick with the home team but I really don't have any idea.

Ryan Kelly (Sewickley, PA)

Ivan, a solid coach, who's been out for 2 years now---Glen Mason (former Gophers head man)...do you see him going somehwere...maybe Syracuse, Toledo?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:41 PM)

Mason would be a good choice for Syracuse but I don't know if Daryl Gross would hire him. Mason resurrected Kansas and Minnesota and made them both into winners.

Cosmo (Anytown, USA)

The best uniforms in college football are ___________________'s.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:42 PM)

I know I'll get hammered for this. But I'm like the high school recruits. I can't wait to see what Oregon wears every week.

J.B. (Dunmore, PA)

Mr. Maisel: Have you seen Evan Royster play? Great field presence and young. He's one to watch as an up and comer.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:42 PM)

Good point. He should be on any Big Ten short list.

Rob (Baltimore)

Ivan, that Royster kid is pretty good too. Now for my question: IF and when Joe Pa retires, do you think Tom Bradley should be his replacement?

Ivan Maisel

  (2:43 PM)

I thought that last year, five years ago, still think it.

Brett (New Orleans)

Ivan, I feel compelled to say this, because the media won't talk to rational fans, but the majority of LSU fans realize our program is where it is right now because of the great job Nick Saban did while he was here. We might want to beat his butt now, but that doesn't mean we don't know he did an incredible job in his five years in Baton Rouge.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:45 PM)

I am glad to hear you say that, Brett, and I hope you're right. I think the "Saban goes back" story is overblown. He's been gone five years, and LSU already has played Bama and beaten him. I think LSU fans ought to appreciate him, clap for him and then try to beat the hell out of him. He probably thinks the same thing.

Ken, CA

First 100 days in office, President Obama signed into law a college football playoff!

Ivan Maisel

  (2:46 PM)

I think he may have a few other things on his plate, Ken.

Ivan Maisel

  (2:46 PM)

Thanks, y'all. Talk to you next week.