ESPN

Mark Schlabach

  (4:02 PM)

Hey, again, everybody. Hope you're all having a good week. Here we go

Tony (Richmond, CA)

Does Mack Brown keep his job if he wins the RRR, but not the Big XII, or vice versa?

Mark Schlabach

  (4:04 PM)

Tough to say at this point. A lot of football left to be played. I don't think it helps him that DeLoss Dodds is stepping down. Dodds has always been one of Mack's biggest supporters. Of course, Dodds will still be there to make a decision at the end of this season.

Mike (California)

Based on the games and opponents they played - why is Ohio State ranked above Stanford? Seems ridiculous to me.

Mark Schlabach

  (4:04 PM)

I had Stanford ahead of Ohio State in my power rankings. If Stanford keeps winning, it will move up. Pac-12 schedule is looking a lot more impressive now.

Jay (Michigan)

Am I crazy to think NW can beat the Buckeyes? Do they?

Mark Schlabach

  (4:05 PM)

Not crazy, but NW traditionally hasn't played very well in these really big games. I picked Wisconsin last week to upset the Buckeyes and it didn't happen. I think it's going to be a great game in Evanston

Robert B [via mobile]

I do not enjoy watching totally defenseless football games! I find it annoying to see one team obtain an advantage because the ball is snapped before the defense is ready or hv the proper personnel on the field. I fully expect the up tempo offense to lose its steam when the defenses catch up to this style of play. Do u agree?

Mark Schlabach

  (4:06 PM)

I'm not a big fan of the up-tempo offenses. I'm more of a fan of the traditional style. The up-tempo attacks really affects a defense's ability to get personnel into the games for certain blitz packages, etc. But it has certainly brought a lot of scoring and excitement to the games

Conor Fay (San Diego CA)

It's obvious that being from the South and an SEC hack that you'd be a biased Big-10 and Ohio State hater, but don't you think you put yourself out on a limb as to you qualifications of being a subjective analyst by picking Wisconsin upset winner in last Saturday's game?

Mark Schlabach

  (4:07 PM)

Yeah, I had no business picking Wisconsin. I forgot how easy Ohio State's schedule is this year. Look, Ohio State has a good team. Great team? Not yet. Defense is still really young. I thought Wisconsin would be able to run the ball. I didn't think Wisconsin would give up a Hail Mary touchdown at the end of the first half. The game was competitive, wasn't it?

Adam (The Zou)

Mizzou has played decent competition (loose interpretation of 'decent'), and has looked very efficient for the most part. With a healthy James Franklin, a WR unit as talented as any in the country, and a defense that - at the very least - fights for stops, this team looks tough. How does 9-2 with TAMU coming in and a spot in the SECCG sound? Good to me...

Mark Schlabach

  (4:09 PM)

Reserving judgement at this point. Missouri has looked good and better -- against Murray State, Toledo, Indiana and Arkansas State. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I still think Missouri needs a couple of years to recruit linemen that can compete in the SEC. Call me on Nov. 1, after the Tigers have played Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. We'll have a better idea of how good Mizzou really is

Vincent (OK)

Why is several one loss teams ranked ahead of Oklahoma considering OU's Defence is ranked in the top 5 and having a great seson with their offense making giant strides every week. What is the weakness people are using to justify their ranking?

Mark Schlabach

  (4:11 PM)

Again, I think OU might be one of the most improved teams in the country. But like Missouri, I'm not sure we know how good the Sooners really are. They've beaten Louisiana-Monroe, West Virginia, Tulsa and Notre Dame. The first three teams have been major disappointments, and the Fighting Irish aren't nearly as good as last year. Blake Bell has looked good and the defense is much-improved, but I think it's still to early to call OU a title contender.

Laura (Va)

With the current #1 DEFENSE in college football, is Va Tech capable of taking down Clemson or Florida St ??

Mark Schlabach

  (4:12 PM)

If the Hokies can score enough points. You knew Bud Foster's defense was going to be good -- it always is. But the offense has been mediocre at best. Can Logan Thomas get any better? Can they find a running game to support him? I don't know if there's enough firepower to beat FSU and Clemson.

John (Oklahoma )

Did you really just compare OU and Mizzou?

Mark Schlabach

  (4:12 PM)

In terms of schedule so far, yes, outside of the Notre Dame game.

Tom (PA)

what is your take on the PSU qb Hackenburg? I think if he gets another year under his belt he could be a dangerous qb...he is very poised for someone who is only 18 years old

Mark Schlabach

  (4:13 PM)

I've been impressed with him from Day 1. I'm probably most impressed that he stuck with Penn State after the sanctions were announced. Says a lot about the kid's character. He has all the tools and a good head on his shoulders. Plus, he has a great QB guru coaching him

Joe (eastern USA)

Do you think maybe with the mess at USC Silas Redd may be regretting his decision to leave B'OB and Penn State - sure Southern CA in the winter beats cold snowy PA, but if you are looking to get in the NFL wouldn't have B'OB been a bigger help in getting there?

Mark Schlabach

  (4:13 PM)

I'm sure there's some second-guessing going on right now, but it was hard to disagree with his decision at the time.

Don (Berkeley, CA)

Do you think Washington can/will take out Stanford on The Farm?

Mark Schlabach

  (4:15 PM)

Washington has probably been the most surprising team to me so far. We'll see if the Huskies are ready to handle Stanford's physical style of play. They've played Boise State, Illinois and Arizona, three teams that aren't quite as black and blue as the Cardinal. I think it's going to be a great game to watch.

Will (DC)

Why do you have Miami so low in your power rankings? You have four teams with loses ahead of them...

Mark Schlabach

  (4:17 PM)

The U. beat a Florida team that can't score, Florida Atlantic, Savannah State and South Florida. Georgia beat South Carolina and LSU and lost to Clemson by 3 points. Texas A&M lost to Bama. LSU lost to Georgia. Those teams have played more difficult schedules to date, IMO.

Anthony (Texas)

Whats up with the SEC's defenses? Hardly what I would call great.

Mark Schlabach

  (4:18 PM)

Lots of inexperienced LBs and DBs and a whole bunch of experienced quarterbacks. It's cyclical. There have been 21 first-round picks from the SEC the last two years -- 16 on defense. Offenses have the upper hand right now for the most part, outside of Florida and Bama.

Jim (California)

The SEC has not beaten ranked team outside of their conference this year so why are those one loss teams hanging around the top-10? Florida loss to Miami, UGA loss to Clemson, Tennessee loss to Oregon, Kentucky loss to Louisville, and Mississippi State loss to Oklahoma StateWhat we're seeing is bad football in the SEC disguised with top 10 rankings (except Alabama who hasn't played and won't play a ranked nonconference opponent).

Mark Schlabach

  (4:19 PM)

Florida losing at Miami and Georgia losing at Clemson were toss-up games to start with. The other three teams didn't have a chance.

Keith (Seattle, WA)

Will the Oklahoma-Baylor contest decide the Big XII Title?

Mark Schlabach

  (4:20 PM)

Looks like it right now. And it's a Thursday night game. I can't wait to see Baylor play some formidable competition. Love watching that team play.

Jay (Michigan)

Trap game for LSU on the road at Miss St? Is Miss St good enough to pull off an upset or at least be competitive?

Mark Schlabach

  (4:21 PM)

Only if LSU is really down after the loss at Georgia. Dak Prescott has been pretty impressive since taking over at QB

TIM (MIAMI)

What are miami's chances of going udefeated

Mark Schlabach

  (4:21 PM)

No question: the U. is back.

John (Texas)

LSU and Georgia had a great shootout, you agree that if it was 2 Big12 teams with that score, it would be chalked up as bad defense? Good defenses don't allow 40 points, no matter who the QB is.

Mark Schlabach

  (4:22 PM)

I think it was two really good quarterbacks and receiver corps against two really inexperienced (and bad) defenses.

Jon (Seattle, WA)

If Wisconsin wins out (and assuming OSU wins the Big Ten and the Legends loser finishes with 2 losses), do the Badgers get to a BCS Bowl? They'd be on a 7 game win streak and would have a controversial loss and a loss to OSU on the road as the only bad marks on their resume.

Mark Schlabach

  (4:22 PM)

Depends what happens to everyone else. They could be the second team out of the Big Ten if Michigan continues to struggle and the Badgers win out.

Buckeye Nation (Columbus, Ohio)

You rant on OSU's schedule as if they planned for Cal to collapse and hire a new coach...when the HOME/HOME was scheduled Cal was regularly top 15. We can only hope that Oklahoma, Oregon, VaTech and TCU don't crumble or we'll be further blamed for our scheduling...sheesh.

Mark Schlabach

  (4:23 PM)

Schedule is what it is. They're made far in advance. But you can't ignore the soft schedule because Cal used to be good.

Nick (Olson (CA))

Gut pick - Who will be USC's next head coach?

Mark Schlabach

  (4:24 PM)

Not Jeff Fisher or Jack Del Rio. I think Haden is going to take his time in making a calculated hire. Not sure if Chris Petersen would want the LA spotlight. Not sure if Kevin Sumlin would leave A&M so quickly. Derek Mason, defensive coordinator at Stanford, would be a great hire, but USC probably wants a head coach. Your guess is as good as mine at this point.

Will (DC)

TAMU has lost to Alabama, but beat Rice, Sam Houston State, SMU, and a 3-2 Arkansas. Your #10 South Carolina lost to UGA, beat UNC who lost to ECU, and just BARELY beat an AAC team. LSU has no wins to brag about... I'm not seeing a better win on there than UF... and again, Miami hasn't lost a game yet...

Mark Schlabach

  (4:26 PM)

Aggies lost to No. 1 Bama by a touchdown in a shootout. Again, UF was a big win, but Gators can't score and aren't that great. Florida Atlantic, Savannah State and USF are awful

Adam (Work....)

I have been telling my friends (OU fans) since the summer that the Big12 Champ would finish about 4th-5th in the Pac12... Your thoughts on that? Oregon, Stanford, Washington, Arizona St, UCLA all better than the best in the Big12, IMO...

Mark Schlabach

  (4:27 PM)

Don't sell OU and Baylor too short. Pac-12 is really, really deep this year, though. We'll see how OU and Baylor finish out, but I've been really impressed with both so far. I think they're probably right there with UCLA, UW and below Stanford and Oregon.

Tom (California)

Is UCLA a legitimate threat to Stanford and Oregon?

Mark Schlabach

  (4:27 PM)

Sure. Hundley is playing great and running game has been solid. We're about to find out if the Bruins can compete with the Pac-12's upper crust.

Tony (Richmond, CA)

Does Aaron Murray need to win the SEC title this year to fully validate his career, and silence his critics once and for all, given his record early on in big games? Or his performance through the first four weeks enough to finally put that to bed?

Mark Schlabach

  (4:28 PM)

I don't think the kid has to prove anything else. You can talk about his earlier record vs. top 10 teams all you want, but it's hard to win when you don't have a consistent running game (until last year) and a solid offensive line (until last year). It takes more than a quarterback to win a game.

Keith (Seattle, WA)

Other than being a USC grad, why is Del Rio so high on the list? His record as a head coach was not that great. I can see Fisher given his body of work at Tennessee?

Mark Schlabach

  (4:29 PM)

I'm not sold on what Del Rio would bring to the table, other than being a former Trojan. Fisher would be a great hire, but I'm not sure they'd want to wait until after the NFL season. How about Sarkisian? Not sure he'd take it, but he'd be very, very high on my list.

Cory (AL)

Watching georgia tech since they have been under paul johnson, i feel like they play worse when the other team has a bye week or extra time to prepare for the game is there statistical evidence for my theory?

Mark Schlabach

  (4:30 PM)

Don't have the stats in front of me, but Georgia Tech's record is worse when teams have at least a bye or bowl time to prepare for the Jackets. It only makes sense because you only see the triple-option about once a year anymore.

Kelli (Denver)

Alabama's corners played amazing against Ole Miss. Time to hush the criticize train? Also, after seeing the unimpressive corners of LSU perform against Georgia, it seems that Nov. 9th date isn't as exciting anymore. Agree? ROLL TIDE!!

Mark Schlabach

  (4:31 PM)

I wouldn't overlook LSU. Mettenberger is going to become a first-round pick and the two WRs are as good as any duo in the country. Defense will grow up and get better as season goes along. It's still going to be a dog fight.

Mark Schlabach

  (4:31 PM)

I'm gone. You guys have a great week. I'll be in Chicago to see Ohio State play Northwestern. Should be a good one. Talk to you next week.