ESPN

Ted Miller

  (2:57 PM)

Good afternoon... Any questions or concerns?

Sean (Reno, NV)

Ted,77 of Washington State's 114 players are underclassmen. Where do you the Cougars at a year from now??

Ted Miller

  (2:58 PM)

Better, but certain a ways from bowl-bound... the Pac-10 is going to be as deep as it's ever been next year.

Jillian (Corvallis, OR)

How can people honestly rate Mark Ingram ahead of Jaquizz Rodgers for the Heisman? Ingram is far less of a threat in the passing game (on the season so far, Quizz has 49 catches for 371 yds while Ingram only has 19 for 186), and Quizz is not far behind him in total rushing yards (Ingram has 1004 to Quizz's 922). Total output for the RB's worth to their team means Quizz is a far better weapon. USC is a higher quality opponent than anyone Alabama has played so far, and Quizz had 113 yards on the ground; Arkansas held Ingram to 50 and Florida International held him to 56. No team has held Quizz to less than 73 (Cincinnati, who is pretty darn good too). Plus, that TD pass in the UCLA game was awesome! Please tell me this is not East Coast or SEC bias kicking in (meaning people just haven't seen Quizz play).

Ted Miller

  (2:59 PM)

A lot of that has to do where Alabama is ranked.... and Ingram has posted some marquee efforts in big games. But I do think Rodgers has been underrated... I voted him No. 2 in my Heisman list...

Rob L (Geneva, IL)

Hello Ted - As a Trojan fan I kind of expected them to come out of the Oregon game with an "L". Oregon is tough to beat at home. My question is do you think it's time for USC to start dialing down their non-conference schedule and start doing what the other top teams are doing and schedule 3 cupcakes at home. I think the scheduling in prior seasons has been a factor in their upset losses because no matter how great your players are, they can never be "up" for each game at the same level while being a "red letter" game for their opponents. Plus, the schools they've had the home and home schedules with are much more physical than the Non-BCS schools which I also think takes a toll. What do you think?

Ted Miller

  (3:01 PM)

Rob... USC already has sort of done that... The upcoming nonconference schedule isn't terribly difficult, at least not like it has been.

Mark (Cleveland, Oh)

Ted,How ironic is it that if Oregon gets by Stanford, they have Arizona St at home followed by a trip to Tucson against the Wildcats much like what happened in '07. Do you think there is a possibility for the Ducks to stumble there again??

Ted Miller

  (3:03 PM)

It's possible to stumble anywhere in a conference as deep as the Pac-10. But to be elite, you have to find ways to win every week. Stanford on Saturday won't be easy. The trip to AZ will be a tough one. And the Beavers at home will be far from a gimme. I think the Ducks are perfectly capable of winning-out. But they also could blow two games. That's just how college football is.

Eric (Richmond, VA)

Ted, spread offense appeared unstoppable (see Oregon-SC game). What's the key to defend spread? SC is athletic enough, but still got thrashed...

Ted Miller

  (3:05 PM)

Speed plus discipline... USC had one but not the other. Stanford will have the latter but not the former. Will be interesting to see how that looks.

David (Texas)

who are the teams in the PAC-10 that make it deep besides Oregon, and USC? I know Arizona is ranked but come on

Ted Miller

  (3:08 PM)

David... you're a funny guy. glad you show up every week. The Pac-10 presently has four teams ranked in the BCS standings and Oregon State would finish in the top-half of any other conference. The Pac-10's ninth-best team, UCLA, beat Tennessee and Kansas State. It's not really an argument that the Pac-10 is the deepest conference. It's a fact. Stating otherwise just makes someone wrong. But feel free.

Riley (charlotte)

how good is penn state?

Ted Miller

  (3:08 PM)

We don't know... that's part of the problem

Josh (Georgia)

Where do you have C.J. Spiller on your Heisman list?

Ted Miller

  (3:09 PM)

Probably not high enough... read a Tony Barnhart story on him that raised an eyebrow...

Craig G. (Fairfield, California)

Hey Ted, I'll be at the Stanford-OU game on Saturday. Do you give the Cardinal any chance of pulling an upset at home?

Ted Miller

  (3:10 PM)

Yep... go read the Jon Wilner story I linked today on the blog... he gives 10 reasons Stanford can win. I don't think it will happen, but Wilner could sell sand in Saudi Arabia.

brad (idaho)

Would Oregon be ranked higher had they lost to an unranked team (i.e. - Washington) at the beginning of the year as opposed to BSU? I think so - and that is not right - they are penalized for losing to a good team as opposed to a lesser opponent

Ted Miller

  (3:12 PM)

Brad, the funny thing is you may be right... The problem with losing to Boise means the Ducks can't pass Boise -- at least with some voters -- until the Broncos lose. Boise creates a ceiling for the Ducks. And that's too bad, because no team is playing better than Oregon right now... just imagine Oregon's O vs. Alabama's D for the title... it's like in 2007 when everyone wanted to see the Ducks O vs. LSU's D, but Dixon's knee didn't cooperate.

Jim (Boise)

Ted, your thoughts on why Hawk hasn't been successful at CU.

Ted Miller

  (3:13 PM)

I'm not close to the situation. What I will say is that I am surprised. I thought it was a great hire at the time. One bit of speculation: He left some pretty good football brains behind in Boise.

John (Albuquerque, NM)

After the huge amount of injuries from last weekend, which PAC-10 team is limping the worst and what key injuries will affect the rest of the season?

Ted Miller

  (3:15 PM)

That's a tough one... everyone is banged up, and it seemed to get worse this week. We don't know who will and won't play this weekend. In the short term, Washington needs a healthy Jake Locker. Period. Oregon probably can't afford to lose anyone else in the secondary. Arizona needs Grigsby back for the home stretch. And Cal will be down three starters on Saturday vs. Oregon State.

Phil (Tuscaloosa, Al)

If Alabama were to come out and show some life in offense and dominate LSU could they jump back ahead of Texas again?

Ted Miller

  (3:16 PM)

Without question. And I think Bama rolls vs. LSU.

Mike C. (Portland, Or.)

Oregon AD Mike Bellotti has said that it is one of his goals to expand the North side of Autzen Stadium like they did with the South side, along with another roof-type structure, bringing capacity to 65 or 70,000. Thoughts?

Ted Miller

  (3:18 PM)

Great... only there's something to be said for being the toughest ticket in town. If they do make changes, here's a guess that Bellotti will want to close things up a bit because the acoustics changed after the first remodel. As loud as Autzen was Saturday, it wasn't as loud as the Washington game in 2000, which was just ridiculous.

Dillon (Salt Lake City, Ut)

Hey Ted, does anyone really win in the TCU vs. Utah next week? Obviously it would all but cement a perfect season for the Frogs, but does it hurt the MWC?

Ted Miller

  (3:20 PM)

I know where you're going, but if TCU loses, then the MWC doesn't get a BCS berth and all that $$$. So, no, the MWC is rooting for the Frogs.

Mike (Richmond, VA)

How would Georgia Tech fare in the PAC-10?

Ted Miller

  (3:21 PM)

Probably not well because the travel would be killer. I know. I do that trip every Christmas...

Phil (Tuscaloosa, Al)

I know how most pac-10 fans feel about the SEC, but coming from a writer/reporter what is your view on the SEC?

Ted Miller

  (3:22 PM)

Great conference. Great fans. Great coaches. Great stadiums. Great tailgates. Lots of money. None of that means the SEC is always the best. But it often is.

Mike C. (Portland, Or.)

A lot of people are saying this 2009 Ducks team doesn't have the same talent as the 2007 team, especially on defense. I think it's more likely that the normal talent evaluators simply were off when judging these players, especially the front seven. Agree or disagree?

Ted Miller

  (3:24 PM)

Talent is great. But Oregon plays team defense. And it's very fast. Ducks fans might know what that feels like: Boise plays great team defense without great talent.

Quintar (Birmingham, AL)

What do you think are the chances of the Pac-10 adn SEC finally getting together to get a bowl game featuring the two of them in head to head play. As the two furthest spread conferences the games between them are few and far between. Traveling east to west for late games are especially brutal I hear.

Ted Miller

  (3:26 PM)

It would be fun, but it's a long shot. My guess is both conferences get a second BCS team, with the SEC's No. 2 going to the Sugar Bowl and the Pac-10's No. 2 going to the Fiesta Bowl.. USC vs. Alabama-Florida would be great fun, wherever it was played.

Craig G. (Fairfield, California)

ANy coaches in danger of being fired besides Paul Wulf?

Ted Miller

  (3:27 PM)

I think no Pac-10 coach gets fired this off-season, including Wulff.

Jackson (North Carolina)

Why don't you answer all questions you post? You're being a tease.

Ted Miller

  (3:27 PM)

My fingers only can go so fast..

Jackson (North Carolina)

Johnathan Dwyer or Jaquizz Rogers...who'd you take to run your offense?

Ted Miller

  (3:28 PM)

Both... I'm greedy.

Wang (Fuzhou, CHINA)

If Clemson beat florida state this saturday, and SPILLER have a good game could this put Spiller in top 5 in the heisman and put Clemson in a good chance of winning the ACC?

Ted Miller

  (3:30 PM)

China! If Spiller does some fancy things and Clemson wins, he probably breaks into the conversation... the race is still wide open. ANd I can't believe Clemson's resurrection. Still, that's a team that often lets you down when you think it's broken through.

Jake (Honolulu, HI)

Why do the computers love Iowa so much? Close wins over Norther Iowa and Arkansas St. should hurt them a lot more than it does.

Ted Miller

  (3:31 PM)

Ah! But margin of victory was taken out of the formula because it was inspiring powerful teams to pile it on vs. inferior teams. Life is full of unintended consequences. My thought is the computers should have a deal for recognizing double-digit victories and that's it... so win by 14 not 59.

ThomasD (Boise)

Why can't I get BSU questions answered?

Ted Miller

  (3:32 PM)

Because they are much too difficult!

Paul (Minnesota)

Iowa vs TCU on neutral field...who wins?

Ted Miller

  (3:32 PM)

TCU

Bradford (Boise, ID)

Ted, BSU has been turned down by 10 "elite programs" for a road game in 2011. Are "BCS" teams scared to play the Broncos now with the perception that there's nothing for them to gain?

Ted Miller

  (3:35 PM)

Yes, BCS teams are scared to play Boise. And, yes, there is nothing to gain. It's a double-edged sword for Boise fans: The head-to-head argument vs. Oregon means that a team that loses to Boise can't recover, whereas if the Ducks had lost at, say, Wisconsin, they could. So if Boise fans win that short-term argument, they lose their long-term scheduling interests.

Jim Kelly (Buffalo, NY)

Are Chip Kelly and Brian Kelly related?

Ted Miller

  (3:35 PM)

No... but the share very large coaching brains.

KJ (ARIZONA)

IF USC WINS OUT DO THEY GO TO THE FIESTA BOWL?

Ted Miller

  (3:36 PM)

YES.

Robert (Eugene, OR)

Ted, if oregon wins out and goes to the rose bowl, and play a team like iowa and roll over then by 20 something points, is it possible for them to share a national title like usc did with lsu?

Ted Miller

  (3:37 PM)

Probably not... they might get some votes if the national championship game winner has a loss... but then what to do with Boise State if it wins a BCS game?

Paul (Atlanta)

how important is a tough schedule in today's BCS? Tennessee plays one of the toughest schedules going - make a difference next year when the team is much improved, ranked and playing Oregon, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi in the same season!

Ted Miller

  (3:40 PM)

Paul.. that is a brutal schedule. When I rank teams, I try to take into account scheduling... both good and bad. I've always though every BCS conference team should play at least one A-List nonconference foe... If Tennessee were to beat Oregon, which I think will be very good next year, that would impress me.

Jake (Honolulu, HI)

How do you see Stanford doing in this difficult 4-game gauntlet? Any chance they go 0-4 and miss a bowl?

Ted Miller

  (3:40 PM)

A chance... but I think Stanford wins at least one more game.

Ryan (Medford, OR)

Ted I see on the Heisman watch there is Jeremiah Masoli and LaMichael James on the it. Was that your doing? Do you agree?

Ted Miller

  (3:41 PM)

That actually wasn't me, though I think both are easily defensible. Jacquizz Rodgers was my only Pac-10 guy in my top-five...

CRAIG (WISCONSIN)

WHAT HAPPENED TO UCLA AFTER THEIR GREAT START. I SAW THEM BEING PICKED TO FINISH 2ND IN THE PAC10 THIS YEAR.

Ted Miller

  (3:43 PM)

I DIDN'T PICK THEM 2ND... and I don't know who did. Most had them in the bottom half of the conference because of offensive issues. Think the preseason media poll had them seventh. The problem for the Bruins is the Pac-10 is a lot tougher than Tennessee and Kansas State.

Matt (Bham)

Man really? I thought you would answer an Auburn question. Once again, do you think Auburn is Top 25 material next year with the good recruits they are pulling?

Ted Miller

  (3:45 PM)

Matt... to be honest, I haven't followed Auburn recruiting that closely this fall. Seems like the Tigers are on an uptick, but can they pass Alabama and LSU?

merrick (sierra Vista)

How can people ignore what Case Kneum has done this year. People still rate colt and tebow higher in the rankings and when you look at his numbers he by far has played better againt the same teams Houston and Texas have played 3 of the same teams and Case has better numbers against those teams. Teabow has played MISS STATE so did Case and Houston once again he had better numbers. I know Houston did loose to a UTEP but that had nothing to do with case kenuman peformance he threw for over 500 yards and 5TDS in the loss. If case had the same defencse as UT and FL hell eveing the same WR or LINE as those schools the hiesman would be wraped up for him

Ted Miller

  (3:46 PM)

He's in my top-five. I'm not ignoring him. It's just hard for a non-BCS conference guy to get into the picture... and there's a little bit of feeling that he's a "system" QB, fair or unfair, like the guys at Texas Tech.

Chris (Oregon)

Ted, if all the current undefeated teams win out (minus the Florida/Alabama winner of course) could THAT finally be what really begins a hard core effort to institute a playoff system?

Ted Miller

  (3:48 PM)

Don't hold your breath. This year doesn't feel that different from past years to me.

Bradford (Boise, ID)

Ted, is Kellen Moore on your Heisman ballot? Thanks.

Ted Miller

  (3:49 PM)

yes.

Nicole (Portland, Or)

How do you see the Civil War shaping up this year? Usually anything that can happen, does happen.....is it going to be as crazy as past years?

Ted Miller

  (3:51 PM)

I'm still waiting to see a little more from the Beavers. If they win Saturday at Cal, which should push them into the national rankings, then we can start measuring that one up as a marquee game -- at least in "outside of the state" terms. While the Ducks look better to me right now, as you said, those rivalry games can be nuts.

Craig G. (Fairfield, California)

Do you think Oregon could beat Texas or Florida on a neutral field?

Ted Miller

  (3:52 PM)

Sure... and I think Texas and Florida could beat Oregon. I see those teams -- along with Alabama -- as elite teams.

Mike (Atlanta)

Hey slow typer, will Georgia Tech beat Georgia again this year?

Mike (San Francisco)

How bad do you think losing Anthony Miller will hurt Cal this week?

Ted Miller

  (3:53 PM)

It's not good, but Kevin Riley and his receivers are in better sync right now than they have been in two seasons. That's some consolation.

sweatervested1 (Mobile,AL)

Ted, just wanted to thank you for keeping Alabama #1 in your power rankings. Teams can't even take a week off without getting bumped in the rankings. That hurts Teddy!

Ted Miller

  (3:54 PM)

You know I've got your back sweater.. just like you have mine in the comments section, right?

Joe (Seattle)

Do the Ducks really practice in the morning every day? When do the kids go to school?

Ted Miller

  (3:54 PM)

In the afternoon.

Paul (Calif)

ORegon has better schedule competition than any SEC team..

Ted Miller

  (3:56 PM)

Yes, that's true, particularly this season. But Alabama will face V-Tech, LSU and Florida before all is said and done, which deserves note. We know the Tide is good because it has quality wins inside AND outside the SEC. Of course, I hear there's a game this weekend that they might want to watch out for...

Nicole (Portland, Or)

How surprised were you and your fellow writers at ESPN that Quizz threw a touchdown out the the Wild Beaver?

Ted Miller

  (3:57 PM)

Wild Beaver! That's the sort of play that should get him more attention...

Steve (DFW)

Will USC still have the top recruiting class in the PAC-10 after 2 losses and the general improvement within the rest of the conference?

Ted Miller

  (3:58 PM)

It looks like it...

Neil (Houston)

If you were Dennis Erickson what would you do with your QB situation? Keep Sullivan or toss in Szackasy or Osweiler?

Ted Miller

  (4:00 PM)

It looks like he's going to give both an opportunity to play...

Brandon (Notre Dame, IN)

Somebody please legitimize 5 of the 15 voters in the ESPN Heisman poll leaving Jimmy Clausen off their ballot.

Ted Miller

  (4:01 PM)

I disagree with that. He's No. 1 on mine. But the race this year is strange. A top-five now means little for a top-five in early-December.

Nicole (Portland, Or)

What games do you get to travel to for the rest of the season?

Ted Miller

  (4:02 PM)

I'm at Stanford this weekend... and we don't make a call for the following week until Sunday...

Ted Miller

  (4:02 PM)

Well gang... got to head on. As always, thanks for stopping by.