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Pat Forde

  (2:01 PM)

Hello and welcome to the last football chat before the bowl games. What a season, huh? Let's get after it like Terrence Cody after a pizza.

Tyler - NYC

USC is getting no love. Their D has given up 22 points all season in the 2nd half. They only gave up 19 points at home this year. Florida gave up 19 to 1-AA Citadel. Show us some love Pat!

Pat Forde

  (2:03 PM)

Tyler: Here is some love: the D is indeed great. But the O is ... eh. And that loss against Oregon State stays on the Trojans' permanent record. This wasn't a good enough Pac-10 to afford a loss and still play for a national title.

Wes (MO)

I was at the MU-KU game this saturday and the Tigers play calling seemed a lot tamer than the past--and also not very good. Any chance they were holding back to pull out all the stops (trick plays and blitz packages) vs OU?

Pat Forde

  (2:04 PM)

Wes: If they were holding back, every Missouri alum would like to know why. Beating Kansas is an extremely important thing every year to Missouri fans. That aside, I'll take bigger issue with a defense that could not stop the Jayhawks when it needed to.

Greg (Champaign, IL)

Another great read this week, but which band do you think is the best?

Pat Forde

  (2:06 PM)

Greg: I see that this is your final physics lecture of the year -- glad we could give you something to do other than listen. But seriously, you better pass the class or I'll feel guilty. As for best band: hmmmm, of the ones I saw this year I guess I'd say USC's. But that might be because it was the last band I saw.

Joe (Nome, Alaska)

Any chance TX-OU rematch for NC if Florida scrapes by Bama?

Pat Forde

  (2:07 PM)

Joe: Brad Edwards, our BCS guru, was on a conference call with us yesterday and he said it's extremely doubtful. The computer boost Florida would gain from beating Alabama will be significant, and it's unlikely the voters would DROP the Gators for even a close victory over the #1 and undefeated Tide. So I'd say Texas' only chance of reaching the championship game is a Missouri upset of Oklahoma.

Justin (Dallas, TX)

Do you think the Big 10 will add a 12th team and go to a Championship game? They can bring in Iowa State. That would allow the Big 12 to bring in TCU. Big 10 could add a state rivalry to their conference and Big 12 could bring top level games to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Sorry UNT and SMU.

Pat Forde

  (2:09 PM)

Justin: I can't see anyone in the Big Ten being excited about adding Iowa State. The Cyclones don't bring much to the table in terms of football or basketball power, and they don't bring a new TV market (already got that with Iowa). Missouri would make more sense (Kansas City and St. Louis markets) but still doesn't seem like a perfect fit.

Will J (Portland, OR)

Pat, why are the MAC and WAC commissioners so worried about pleasing their bowl alliances, instead of matching up Ball St. v. Boise St.? I wish we could do away with them, they're killing college football.

Pat Forde

  (2:10 PM)

Will: From everything I've seen and heard, the WAC wanted to make it happen, but the MAC was less inclined and Ball State wanted no part of playing Boise in Boise on the blue turf. Which is disappointing. I can't feel sorry for Ball State if it winds up in a bad bowl playing a poor opponent now.

Larry (Glendale, CA)

Worst play-call...Urban Meyer's play-call on 4th and 1 at the MISSISSIPPI 32 with 01:22 to go in the 4th Quarter this season or Pete Carroll's play-call on 4th and 2 at the TEXAS 45 with 02:13 to go in 4th Quarter of the 2006 Rose Bowl?

Pat Forde

  (2:11 PM)

Larry: Well, Meyer is 60 minutes away from surviving his bad call. Carroll has to live with his the rest of his life. I'd go with Carroll's.

Otto The Orange (Carrier Dome, NY)

Who do you think would be a good choice to coach the Orange? Would Tuberville consider coaching the orange?

Pat Forde

  (2:12 PM)

Otto: Congratulations on your roundness. Tuberville is an excellent coach who would truly be a fish out of water in the Northeast. I don't see it. Turner Gill seems like the most logical choice; maybe that gets done after the MAC championship game.

Kasey, Nashville, TENN

Which school has the best football and basketball combo?

Pat Forde

  (2:13 PM)

Kassey: Hard to argue with Florida's trophy case in recent years.

Sylvain (Calgary)

Hey Pat..Do you find it funny that Nd's Lame Duck coach (WEIS) was retained about 3 hours after it was announced Brian Kelly was staying At Cincy!

Pat Forde

  (2:15 PM)

Sylvain: Actually, I think it probably went the other way around -- Kelly announced he was staying at Cincinnati after he found out that Notre Dame was going to keep Weis. That's just my guess. But I don't think there's any way Kelly stays at Cincy if Notre Dame would have come calling. He knew the Irish were keeping Weis -- which I find disgusting. As Crosby, Stills and Nash sang, If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with. That would be Kelly re-embracing Cincy.

Daniel (Dallas TX)

Pat I have heard that it is a done deal that Leach is going to Auburn is it true?!?!?!

Pat Forde

  (2:16 PM)

Daniel: There is a lot of buzz about Leach to Auburn today but nothing verfiable yet to my knowledge. Stay tuned.

Patrick (Mobile, AL)

4-D, was Tuberville fired or did he resign? There is a story on ESPN that says he resigned, but every other story I read says he was fired. If he was fired, he gets the buyout of $6 mill, if he resigned, he gets nothing. I doubt he resigned...your thoughts?

Pat Forde

  (2:17 PM)

Patrick: The official language is that he resigned, but clearly he was pushed. What that means contractually I do not know yet -- but it probably hints at a compromise between getting nothing and getting $6 million lickety split. I guarantee he isn't walking out with nothing.

Alan Arlington, VA

Youre the coach, would you risk further injury to a star player (Percy Harvin)and play him even as decoy or save for bowl game? Do decoys really work? Cant the defense tell quickly what condition hes in?

Pat Forde

  (2:19 PM)

Alan: If Harvin has any chance to go, he'll go. Regardless, he'll have several weeks to heal up for a bowl game. As for using him as a decoy: if he can be a credible decoy, I'd do it. Bama would have to honor him the first few snaps he's in, until it could ascertain what his level of effectiveness is and whether he's getting the ball. My guess is that Harvin at least tries to go.

Hunter (Tennessee)

4D: Lets hear your ALL-4D Team for this year!

Pat Forde

  (2:22 PM)

Hunter: Good question, impossible to do off the top of my head. But I'll tell you a few observations: best QB I've seen this year is Colt McCoy, who so far has my Heisman vote; best RB is either Shonn Greene or Donald Brown; best WRs are Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin; best TE is either Jermaine Gresham or Chase Coffman; best OLineman, without a doubt, is Andre Smith of Alabama; best DLineman is Terrance Cody when healthy; best LB is Rey Maualuga, by a smidge over James Laurinaitis; best DB is probably Taylor Mays over Malcolm Jenkins; and my kicker is Louie Sakoda of Utah, who can handle both. Apologies in advance for everyone I forgot.

Sylvain (Calgary)

Hey Pat Does the other missippi team take another SEC West Outcast?? COUGH Tubberville..ALA Houston Nutt to Ole Miss?

Pat Forde

  (2:23 PM)

Sylvain: Lot of rumor about Tuberville and Mississippi State yesterday. I am told that Miss State is "very early" in its search, which would indicate that even if Tuberville winds up in Starkville, it will not happen anywhere near as fast as Nutt wound up in Oxford. But keep an eye on it.

Pado

Will Philip Fulmer stay unemployed or will he try to get another head coaching job?

Pat Forde

  (2:24 PM)

Pado: I think he'll try to get another job, just my guess. I don't think he liked going out on that note, and not on his terms.

Jamie (Alexander City,AL)

I believe the SECCG will be won by Bama, but close. What say you?

Pat Forde

  (2:25 PM)

Jamie: I think Florida will win, and possibly easily. My guess is 31-20. I just don't see Alabama scoring enough points to hang with the Gators.

Gary Busey

Hey Pat! How about them Gators? Can I get a key to the game this Saturday? P.S. How about me in Predator 2?

Pat Forde

  (2:26 PM)

Gary: Missed that flick, sorry. I'm sure you were fabulous. Key to the game: turnovers and the first quarter. Both teams have been lights out early -- if one gets up on the other in the first 15 minutes the pressure will escalate significantly on the other. I think it's especially imperative for Alabama to keep it close and low-scoring early and to limit Florida's big plays.

Warren Wallace (Geico Insurance Commercial)

Pat, seems like everyone is picking BC to beat my Hokies this weekend. Who do you got?If you ask me, this is exactly where VT wants to be, under the radar like me...a million miles away, ready to strike.

Pat Forde

  (2:29 PM)

Warren: You are sneaky. I'm going with you and taking the Hokies, though not with a lot of conviction.

Moncrieff Johnson

How long will it take for the state of Washington to regain it's prominance?

Pat Forde

  (2:30 PM)

Moncrieff: From the look of things this season, about 200 years. Honestly, UW's future will depend largely on making a great hire. Wazzu looks like it needs about a four-year recruiting upgrade to regain competitiveness.

Kevin (ATL)

4-D: you must have had a brain lapse cause Eric Berry should be on everyones All-American team including the 4-D team.

Pat Forde

  (2:31 PM)

Kevin: See, there we go. Knew I'd forget some people. Berry is a must.

Allen (houston sooner fan)

if you were mike leach, WWPFD

Pat Forde

  (2:33 PM)

Allen: If the money is good I'd be strongly tempted by Washington. I'd rather be there than unhappy with my AD in Lubbock or working for the insane folks at Auburn who just fired a guy with an 85-40 record in an impossibly difficult conference. At Washington, it doesn't seem impossible to move from 10th in the league to 2nd within a few years. Anything higher than second is another matter entirely.

The ACCCG....

Will not have a big crowd... again. It's in Tampa, the winning teams are both hundreds of miles away. Fans travel well, but I think more want to travel to the bowl game, so they save their money (especially with this economic thing we have going on...) A lot of Hokies have suggested that until the ACCCG is fully established and football is back up- that the highest rank team should host the game. Does this make sense, in the ACC, at least for now?

Pat Forde

  (2:35 PM)

Good question. Problem is, at least half the conference is lukewarm toward football and cannot be counted on to travel -- even to a warm-weather spot like Tampa. BC fans probably wouldn't go to Charlotte or DC either. That's part of the problem when the ACC made this power play -- it's hard to find a central location for a title game, especially when BC is involved.

Reed (Louisville)

What's up Pat!! What are you hearing about Kragthorpe today? A lot of rumors flying about a resignation and Ron English getting the job. GO CARDS!!

Pat Forde

  (2:36 PM)

Reed: Don't you have cars to sell? I have heard none of those rumors, and they certainly would surprise me.

Jerry Hawkins

Is Jeff Tedford on the decline at Cal? The records just keep getting worse and same with the playcalling!!!!!

Pat Forde

  (2:37 PM)

Jerry: This Cal team was very different on the road than it was at home, but no, I don't think Tedford is on the decline. I'm sure he wishes he could get another Aaron Rodgers at QB, but he's done a great job building a bad program into a consistent winner.

Randy (St. Paul)

Hey Pat, isn't the coaching carousel in the SEC getting rediculous? When will SEC schools realize that they all can't win a conference championship every single year?

Pat Forde

  (2:38 PM)

Randy: Agreed. They don't seem to like math in the SEC, which suggests that only two teams win hardware out of 12.

George P. Burdell

Will Georgia Tech win a national championship under Paul Johnson? Or any team in the ACC?

Pat Forde

  (2:39 PM)

George: A national championship would be a stretch -- though it's been done before at GT, in 1990, albeit in the weirdest year I've ever seen. But GT should be a consistent national presence under Johnson. As for the rest of the league: until Miami/Florida State get it back together, no.

Mike (Il)

Do you think Charlie Weis is over matched as a HC, as some in the media are saying?

Pat Forde

  (2:40 PM)

Mike: I don't see a lot to suggest that he's capable of head-coaching greatness. I know this much: his record after four years is worse after Ty's fireable record after three. And yes, I'm going to keep repeating that until Weis is gone or proves to be a great coach.

Mike (Tulsa, OK)

Sooners dominate the Big XII All Conference First Team - doesn't that kind of hint that they're probably the best team in the conference?

Pat Forde

  (2:41 PM)

Mike: Nope. All-conference teams don't tell me much.

Reed (Last Try, TX)

Boise State vs. TCU - how intriguing... TCU had 18 all conference selections, doesn't this bowl match up provide tons of motivation for the frogs to dominate?

Pat Forde

  (2:42 PM)

Reed: I think it' a great bowl game. Both sides should be plenty motivated -- TCU gets to take on an unbeaten team, Boise gets a chance to prove it belonged in a BCS bowl.

Isaiah (Denver, CO)

Pat, who do you think will win the Heisman? Will Bradford and McCoy cancel each other out?

Pat Forde

  (2:44 PM)

Isaiah: I'm favoring McCoy -- and no, I don't see McCoy and Bradford canceling each other out because the vote should be more national than regional for both of them. I think it will be a very close vote, almost as close as OU-Texas for the Big 12 South turned out to be.

Turner Gill (Buffalo, NY)

A division title in year three (at BUFFALO) and the school's second bowl invite in history. Do these things get me a few more major interviews? How about an upset of Ball State?

Pat Forde

  (2:45 PM)

Turner: If I were Syracuse I'd hire you five minutes after you play Ball State, win or lose.

Steven

if florida makes the national championship wont it pretty much be a home game, and do you see it playing a big factor?

Pat Forde

  (2:46 PM)

Steven: Florida would figure to have the fan advantage, yes. And I can't say it won't help at least a little -- it sure didn't hurt LSU in the Superdome last year. But I don't think it will be a deciding factor.

Stan Portland, OR

What's your take on the Mike Belotti/Chip Kelly announcement by the Ducks? Good move?

Pat Forde

  (2:47 PM)

Stan: Yes, good move -- if it actually comes to pass. I think Kelly is a great coach -- but I'm not sure he'll stop being courted waiting for one of these indefinite succession deals.

Greg

Pat, if, as the saying goes, "Defense wins championships", why is it the great defensive players are rarely considered for Heisman? A Lawrence Taylor is at least as valuable as a Joe Montana. Thanks

Pat Forde

  (2:49 PM)

greg: Legit question -- the biggest thing is that it's often very hard to quantify what a defensive player does. Sacks can be counted -- but players can be double-teamed or accounted for in different ways that decrease a guy's stats. Tackles are always an iffy stat -- some school inflate their tackling statistics to a great degree. Offensive football is easier to quantify and appreciate. Just the way it is. And as good as LT was, I'd still take Montana first.

Paul (Norman)

Colt McCoy in texas loss to tech had a costly pick six that ultimatley was the difference in the game!Sam Bradford in Ou's loss to texas had five tds and over 300yrds passing! Did he need to play LB or Special teams to impress you?

Pat Forde

  (2:51 PM)

Paul: I never said I was unimpressed by Sam Bradford. But Colt McCoy does more for Texas than Bradford does for OU. He's Texas' leading rusher and has had a brilliant year throwing the ball as well. Bradford is blessed with an amazing set of skill players around him -- he's a great player, but he's got more help.

Kurt (KC)

4D, what are you weighing in at these days?

Pat Forde

  (2:52 PM)

Kurt: Two bills. Need to drop 10-15.

Austin: San Diego, CA.

If Leach doesn't take the UW job, do you see Pat Hill of Fresno State taking the job if offered? Hard-nosed coach with good West Coast recruiting could bring the Huskies back.

Pat Forde

  (2:53 PM)

Austin: I like Pat Hill, but I'm not sure he fits UW. He's enough of a rebel type that I actually think he's perfectly situated in Fresno.

paul (Norman)

Thats funny seeing as how OU's Top WR were 2star, 3 star, and 4star! All of texas were 5 stars!

Pat Forde

  (2:53 PM)

Paul: Recruiting star systems are for losers.

Bob Robby

Why is no one talking about how bad the SEC is this year? They have 2 good teams and thats it.

Pat Forde

  (2:54 PM)

Bob: No doubt, it's not a vintage year in the SEC. But I'd still argue it's a better conference than all but the Big 12 this season.

Common Sense (non-BCS World)

Pat, I think the problem with the BCS, voters, etc. is every year they change their "rules". Two years ago, the rule was no "rematch" (OSUvMI - benefit FL), last year it was "have to be a conference champ (LSU over Georgia - benefit LSU), and this year it appears to be "the hot team" (ala OU). This is very disturbing to me because you never know what is important. Thoughts?

Pat Forde

  (2:55 PM)

Common: I hear ya. The BCS is always having to retrofit its rules to cover a previous loophole or mistake. One more reason not to like it.

Joe (Augusta, GA)

How will Kiffin do in Knoxville?

Pat Forde

  (2:57 PM)

Joe: Jury's way out on that one. I think Kiffin has the potential to be a very good head coach, but we don't have much data on that yet and he's not hugely backgrounded on the strange animal that is the SEC. However, if he brings in Ed Orgeron to recruit and Monte Kiffin to draw up defenses, I like their chances.

Jake C (Honolulu, HI)

Forde, say Mizzou upsets OU? Who goes to the NC then?

Pat Forde

  (2:59 PM)

Jake: Texas goes if that happens. But don't hold your breath. I can't see Missouri holding Oklahoma under 50.

Craig (Gainesville)

If Tebow puts up 4 or 5 TDs against Alabama, would you put him at the top of your Heisman list regardless of what Bradford does?

Pat Forde

  (3:00 PM)

Craig: Nope. He's a great player but I've got at least two Big 12 QBs and maybe one MAC QB (Nate Davis) in front of him.

Ryan (LA, CA)

If the NCAA is willing to put the Final Four in a football stadium with the court at midfield does that mean that if we get a NCAA run playoff that the field would be in the middle of the infield at Daytona?

Pat Forde

  (3:01 PM)

Ryan: Don't say that out loud. The NCAA will hear you. If the weather were warmer in Indy, they'd have it there in the middle of the golf course in the Indianapolis Motoe Speedway infield.

Pat Forde

  (3:02 PM)

OK folks, thanks for a great season of questions. I'm sure I'll be back come bowl time. In the meantime, get your holiday shopping done. I wear an XL.