Q: Do you really believe that USC would lose to SJSU, SDSU or Fresno State? Get serious.
Bruce Jaffe
A: Fresno State already defeated USC once in the 1992 Freedom Bowl, don't you remember?
Mal Florence, my late, great colleague, was a USC grad who once covered the Trojans (sometimes wearing his USC sweater).
Asked whether he was going to attend the Freedom Bowl at Anaheim Stadium, Florence gave a quick and firm reply.
"No," Mal said.
Why not?
"Someone might see me."
So don't give me this guff about state schools not being able to compete with almighty USC.
On Nov. 17, 2005, one of USC's best teams ever found itself in a Fresno State fist-fight at the Coliseum. The final score was 50-42. Had Reggie Bush been ruled ineligible that week instead of five years later, USC would have lost.
Q: If you had a Heisman ballot (maybe you do), what is your top three?
Jonathan Bates
A: It was with tears streaming down my cheeks that I reluctantly surrendered my Heisman vote a few years ago after The Times instituted a policy that forbids reporters from participating in awards.
If I did vote, my top three would be Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o and USC receiver Marqise Lee. However, I would not turn in my ballot without taking a final look at Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein on Saturday against Texas.
I think Manziel will win. He's put up amazing numbers as a freshman and had a signature win at No. 1 Alabama. I really would have been torn, though, had Oregon defeated Stanford, because then I would have strongly considered Ducks freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Bottom line is, Manziel won the game everyone was watching and Mariota lost his national TV tryout.
Watch out for Mariota in 2013.
Q: What division did Notre Dame win?
Josh Smiser
A: Oh, I see, you are needling me for having Notre Dame at No. 1 but not being sympathetic to one-loss Florida or Oregon because those schools did not even win their conference divisions.
