Q: Instead of continually improving — as has Sylvester Croom with Mississippi State — Alabama is moving backward. What should be done? Does Mike Shula need to go?
— Kyle Stephens from Birmingham, Ala.
A: Alabama has definitely taken a step backward this season, Kyle, but that might’ve been inevitable after losing quarterback Brodie Croyle and other key performers. I believe Mike Shula is safe — a 10-2 season bought him some time — and a win against Auburn would leave a good taste in everyone’s mouth.

That being said, the current 6-5 record isn’t the ticket at Alabama, which was fortunate to escape Vanderbilt and Mississippi. On the other hand, it seemingly had a victory against Tennessee in hand and would’ve beaten Arkansas had it not been for a catastrophic performance by place-kicker Leigh Tiffin.

So what do we have? A team that has won some it should’ve lost — and lost some it should’ve won. The one thing Shula couldn’t do — from a perception standpoint — was lose to Mississippi State and Sylvester Croom, the Tide alum who was passed over for the head-coaching job that went to Shula in 2003.

That makes for a potentially rocky offseason. As usual, recruiting will probably decide whether Alabama’s program hovers near .500 or returns to an elite level.  

Q: Is Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan the real deal or more a product of the system? And is he likely to break David Klingler’s NCAA single-season touchdown mark?
— Todd from Beaumont, Texas
A: Colt Brennan definitely is a product of the system, Todd. A darn good system. The run-and-shoot attack of coach June Jones has put Brennan in position to break Klingler’s TD mark of 54. With four games remaining, Brennan already has 43 TD passes.

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He’s 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with a strong arm, a quick release, a heady approach, all the qualities you usually seek in a big-time quarterback. Of course, many of his statistics are just now reaching the Eastern Time Zone, so he isn’t exactly topping everyone’s Heisman Trophy watch lists.

But that shouldn’t detract from his accomplishments. He’s certainly the real deal as a college quarterback. Beyond that, as everyone knows, it’s a roll of the dice. There’s no such thing as a certainty when No. 2 overall pick Ryan Leaf becomes an NFL flop and sixth-round pick Tom Brady becomes a likely Hall of Famer.

Q: Who does Duke play next season (and in ’08?)? Was curious how long you think their NCAA-long losing streak might last.
— Steve W. from Lexington, Ky.
A: Duke’s losing streak is up to 18 games, Steve, and the 19^th loss probably is at hand in Saturday’s trip to Georgia Tech. Actually, I don’t think we’ll have to wait much longer. I think Duke is going to beat North Carolina in the Nov. 25 regular-season finale.

Just in case my crystal ball is fuzzy, here’s your information.

2007: (ACC games) Clemson, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, at Florida State, at Virginia, at North Carolina. (Non-conference games) Connecticut, Northwestern, at Navy, at Notre Dame.

2008: (ACC games) at Clemson, at Wake Forest, at Georgia Tech, at Virginia Tech, Virginia, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Miami. (Non-conference games) James Madison, Navy, at Northwestern, at Vanderbilt.