Since the Heisman Trophy will be handed out and a new national champion (or two) crowned before you know it, please send in your questions promptly using the form below to avoid a delay of game penalty!

Q: I know it was only one game, but is there already reason to panic a little bit for us Irish fans?
-- B.R. from Manchester, N.H.
A: Panic is an awfully strong word after Week 1, B.R. But you know what? It's not looking especially good for Notre Dame following the 20-17 loss at BYU.

The Irish were especially sluggish on offense and clearly missed injured tailback Ryan Grant. It looked like Notre Dame was relying on its old habit of doing just enough offensively and putting the game in the hands of its defense. That style did not play well in last season's 5-7 finish. And it didn't work against BYU, either. Notre Dame came to life with its two-minute offense, but it was too late.

BYU, expected to be a middle-of-the-pack Mountain West team (at best) was penciled in as a win for the Fighting Irish. Now it's a loss. A big loss. Notre Dame already is swimming upstream heading to its game against Michigan. Nobody needs to be reminded that Notre Dame has begun 0-2 only twice since 1978.

More sobering numbers:

• Since beginning his Notre Dame tenure at 8-0, Coach Tyrone Willingham is 7-11.
• Notre Dame is on a 6-9 run, the school's worst 15-game performance since a 4-11 mark in 1960 and '61.
• It's worth remembering that Notre Dame-BYU was originally scheduled for Oct. 30, but the game was moved largely because the Irish didn't care to open their season against Michigan. Read: They wanted a warm-up act.

Instead, people already are thinking its curtains for Notre Dame's season. Maybe rightly so. It's getting harder and harder to find a silver lining under the Golden Dome. I'm thinking the Irish might squeeze out a 6-5 or 7-4 finish — maybe — if everything goes right.

Q: Do you think this is Lou Holtz's last season at South Carolina? Looks like he's pulling no punches to go out in style.
-- Carl from Dearborn, Mich.
A: You have to believe retirement is being considered by Lou Holtz, Carl. And you know if that's the case, he wants to go out on his terms. That's why this year is so important. Resigning after three consecutive losing seasons wouldn't be the ideal exit strategy for a coaching icon such a Holtz.

You're right. He has pulled no punches. After last season, he fired four assistant coaches, who were on his inaugural South Carolina staff, and a fifth left for Arizona. He stripped the play-calling duties away from his son, Skip, and gave himself that important role on game day. He took steps to "change the culture'' in South Carolina's program, which had regressed into a losing pattern.

Beating Vanderbilt might not be a defining moment. But clubbing the Commodores, 31-6, a team that returns 21 starters, was eye-opening. For South Carolina to make real gains, it must defeat some of the SEC East frontrunners, either Georgia, Florida or Tennessee. If that happens for the Gamecocks, and a nice bowl trip is earned, I wouldn't be shocked if Holtz stepped away. But if South Carolina doesn't make those gains, look for the 67-year-old Holtz to keep plugging away at least another season.

Q: Other than the date switch, what impact will Hurricane Frances have on the Seminoles-Hurricanes game?
-- Jim from Mich.
A: I can't envision much of a large impact, Jim. Both teams are in the same boat. They will each lose an open date, but the Sept. 18 games should be no sweat (Florida State hosts UAB, Miami hosts Louisiana Tech).

The Labor Day evening showcase on ABC-TV has vanished, but similar exposure will exist with the Friday night nationally televised game. Truthfully, the hurricane-prompted game switch could have the biggest impact on high school football in Florida. The Florida High School Activities Association, the state's governing body for prep athletics, is steaming mad about the idea of this game being shifted to a Friday night, not to mention that the ACC never communicated with the agency.

With arguably the biggest game of the season being played, some fans will undoubtedly pass on a high school game to watch the tube. And some of those high schools already have lost games and revenue due to the back-to-back hurricanes (Charley and Frances).

Q: What got into West Virginia against East Carolina? They look like the real deal.
-- Mike Anzur from Billings, Mont.
A: West Virginia should indeed be the real deal in the Big East this season, Mike. And there should be no doubts about Kay-Jay Harris' ability to step in as the team's primary running back. All he did against East Carolina was roll up a school-record (and Big East-record) 337 rushing yards and four touchdowns. If the Mountaineers can defeat Maryland, an 11-0 record is a real possibility.

Q: I see Florida Atlantic upset Hawaii. Was that a fluke or does Howard Schnellenberger really have a chance to turn them into a legitimate I-A team?
-- Lew N. from Savannah, Ga.
A: It's no fluke, Lew. Schnellenberger's Florida Atlantic Owls were a very legitimate Division I-AA team last season, reaching the playoff semifinals and finishing 11-3. Similar to his recruiting strategy two decades ago at Miami, when he kept most of the South Florida talent home, Schnellenberger has done a nice job of attracting Florida players. Not the ones who would automatically choose Florida, Florida State and Miami, mind you, but some of the players who might drift away to a mid-range ACC, Big East, Big Ten or SEC program.

Senior quarterback Jared Allen is terrific. Anthony Crissinger-Hill — a mobile tight end in the mold of a Tony Gonzalez — could be the best skill position player nobody knows about. The Owls are making a two-season transition to Division I-A before joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2006. I expect Florida Atlantic to be perennial contenders for that league's championship, as well as a pesky spoiler for nonconference foes. All things considered, Schnellenberger's job of establishing Florida Atlantic's program certainly rivals the work he did at Miami and Louisville.

Q: Your answered the question about "hot" coaches last time, who are the coaches who should update their resume after this year?
-- Howard Presnall from Galloway, N.J.
A: Ah, the old "hot-seat'' question. Well, Howard, I'd count North Carolina's John Bunting, Stanford's Buddy Teevens, Illinois' Ron Turner and Syracuse's Paul Pasqualoni among the coaches who shouldn't be making long-term plans.

You can put Texas coach Mack Brown in a special "hot-seat'' category. Brown is the only Longhorn coach to win at least nine games in six consecutive seasons, but he's slumping against rival Oklahoma and can't seem to produce the big-bowl trip. Patience is running short.

MORE FROM COLLEGE FOOTBALL

College football Section Front

Mountain West reluctantly agrees to BCS deal WCarolina football player dies following workout Researcher: Cut back two-a-day football practices CFT: Cutler gets Georgia in trouble with NCAA CFT: Handful of schools recruiting McNair’s son CFT: Meyer-to-Irish pot stirs up again Notebook: Star’s hoops success lifts football prospects CollegeFootballTalk on NBCSports.com Who is team of the decade? Which is the best rivalry in college football? College football Section Front   Add College football headlines to your news reader: