Q: Chris Leak may be your favorite SEC quarterback, but Florida fans aren’t the only ones who don’t like him. I don’t think anyone has forgotten that he wasn’t even man enough a few years back to follow through on his “commitment” to Tennessee. That’s a telling character flaw. Erik Ainge has better numbers than Leak and is currently leading the conference, yet oddly enough, he gets no respect from those Heisman trophy hypesters. Seems to me the best quarterback in the toughest conference in the land should get at least a little consideration for player of the year honors.
— Earl Hatley, Embreeville, Tenn.
A: You have a point. In my view, Chris Leak’s Heisman Trophy candidacy was largely fueled by his status as leader of an unbeaten team that looked like the potential SEC champion. Now all bets are off. The Gators have a loss and Leak was dreadful in the second half of the 27-17 defeat at Auburn.

Erik Ainge might be one of the best stories in college football this season. He looks like a totally different player, brimming with confidence, and that’s probably the influence of offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe.

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I expect Ainge to get some grassroots support in the next four weeks if the Volunteers can defeat Alabama, South Carolina, LSU and Arkansas. What Ainge needs is a signature victory. Beating California 35-18 in the season-opener was big, but back-to-back knockouts of LSU and Arkansas in November would be bigger.

Q: What coaches, besides possibly UTEP’s Mike Price, would be available or willing to take the job at Arizona State should it fire Dirk Koetter?
— Bob, Phoenix
A: If the Arizona State job came open, I’d have to believe there would be tremendous interest. Good conference. Resources. Talent base. The chance to win big. It all seems to be there. Mike Price had success in the Pac-10 and he would likely be on the short list.

Dirk Koetter’s defenders, of course, would point out that the Sun Devils still could finish 9-3 as their schedule is about to get softer. But the Sun Devils are on a three-game losing streak, including losses to California (49-21) and Oregon (48-13).

They played much better in losing at USC 28-21, but Koetter’s confounding decision to punt on fourth-and-23 with 1:19 remaining erased much of that good will. Arizona State had to use a timeout to stop the clock on the change of possession (new timing rule) and USC ran it out without making a first down.

There have been a number of things hard to understand about ASU’s program of late, including Koetter’s 2-19 record against ranked teams and his 0-for-California record in Pac-10 road games.

Koetter is under contract through 2009, but the Sun Devils haven’t displayed marked improvement in his six seasons.   

Q: What’s your take on Boise State this year as the BCS buster? Seems to me they have a pretty solid defense and an outstanding offense. With coach Chris Petersen at the helm, we have assembled one of the youngest and strongest coaching staffs in the country. They annihilated a good Utah team (2004 BCS buster) on the road and made minced meat out of Oregon State. I feel Boise State is a top 12 team without doubt. Show some WAC love, Joey!
— Russell Esquibel, Boise, Idaho
A: Boise State was building a nice case for itself, but Sunday night’s 40-28 win at New Mexico State might have been a step backward. It was a great opportunity to grab some attention — with Boise State having the college football airwaves all to itself — but instead its pass defense might have been exposed. Boise State couldn’t stop the Aggies.

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That being said, the Broncos are having a bang-up season, having already defeated Oregon State and Utah. But to be a BCS buster, you need to be good — and lucky.

We all know the rules. Being in a non-BCS league, Boise State must finish in the top 12 of the final standings to get a bid to one of the big games.

The Broncos might be forced to root from some more help. If Boise State is in the top 16 — and finishes ahead of the champion from a BCS league (maybe the ACC if the Clemson-Georgia Tech survivor does not win out).

Regardless of the rules and Boise State’s standing one thing is certain. If the Broncos finish 12-0 and do not qualify for one of the big games, it will not look good in a season when the BCS bowls were supposed to have much greater access.

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