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: We’ve all heard plenty about Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush. But what about the USC defense? What makes them so fearsome and what kind of problems do they present Notre Dame?
— Sean Beem from St. Paul, Minn.
A: The USC defense presents major problems for Notre Dame, Sean. It would present major problems with any opponent. You are correct that Leinart and Bush get most of the attention at USC. That’s the way it works when you have two Heisman Trophy candidates. And most national observers choose to emphasize USC as an explosive offensive unit.

But make no mistake, defense is the foundation of USC’s program. Trojans coach Pete Carroll, a defensive mind, has done well to recruit the right players to a system that values quickness, athleticism and play-making ability.

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It starts up front. Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn will be hard-pressed to find time against the USC defensive line, led by Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson. The linebackers are agile and instinctive, with Matt Grootegoed as good as any in college football and Lofa Tatupu sweeping in to make plays from all over the field.

In the secondary, the Trojans have a pair of really fine safeties in Jason Leach and Darnell Bing.

The Trojans have allowed just 11.6 points per game, with two shutouts, and are on pace to finish with the best points-allowed average since 1967 (7.9 points per game).

Even in its awful season, the Washington Huskies got worse-than-awful results in a 38-0 loss to USC. The Huskies gained just 113 yards, went 0-for-14 on third-down conversions, and didn't have a play longer than 18 yards.

The Huskies also were shut out for the first time in 271 consecutive games, thus ending the longest active scoring streak in NCAA Division I-A.

More impressive (but less dominating) was USC’s 23-17 win against California. The Trojans, despite an NCAA-record 23 consecutive completions by Golden Bears quarterback Aaron Rodgers, were unflustered when the game was on the line and made certain that Cal didn’t get into the end zone.

Impressive, too, was a 45-7 handling of Arizona State, which was looking good behind quarterback Andrew Walter. Instead, the Sun Devils nearly were shut out, getting their only TD on a 33-yard drive following a Bush fumble. The next week, Arizona State outscored UCLA 48-42.

Q: Does Iowa State or Colorado have a prayer of beating Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game? Which one would likely provide a stiffer test?
— Reggie from Elgin, Ill.
A: I’m not giving Iowa State or Colorado much of a chance against Oklahoma, Reggie. I’ll stop short of saying it’s an impossible task because, remember, Kansas State beat last season’s allegedly unbeatable Oklahoma team in the Big 12 title game. But Iowa State or Colorado don’t look like K-State. Neither has a weapon such as Darren Sproles, circa 2003.

If you’re forcing me to compare, I’ll give Colorado a better shot at keeping things competitive, despite Iowa State’s hot streak (winning four straight Big 12 games to gain control of its North Division fate). Colorado defeated Iowa State 19-14. But don’t read too much into all of this. I’d be stunned if either team toppled Oklahoma. For that matter, so would BCS officials.

Q: Despite some likely attractive job offers, would Bobby Petrino be wise to stay at Louisville since they’re headed to the weak Big East next season and would be in a good position to annually challenge for a BCS bowl each season?
— Jim from Memphis, Tenn.
A: I think that could be a good decision, Jim. Utah is all the rage as a BCS buster, but Louisville could have been in that position had it not been for the heartbreaking loss at Miami (why, oh why, did Louisville kick to Miami’s Devin Hester? Sorry, that question won’t go away).

Louisville may be the best thing to happen to the new Big East. The Cardinals, with heavy recruiting in Florida, has plenty of excellent players and two very good quarterbacks (Stefan LeFors and Brian Brohm). By winning out and taking their bowl game, the Cardinals would be a legitimate Top 10 team.

Petrino insists he’s staying in Louisville, despite never-ending rumors to the contrary. We’re going to take him at his word, partially because he’s still scarred for being involved in last season’s attempted coup at Auburn, but also because he has a great think going at Louisville.

With the new set-up, Louisville could be in the hunt for a major bowl every season. The facilities are excellent. The stadium is impressive. The athletic director, Tom Jurich, is behind football efforts 100 percent, even deep in the heart of basketball country. So what’s not to like? You can get it done at Louisville.

Q: Why doesn't Texas' Cedric Benson get more Heisman talk? He consistently runs for 150-plus yards with multiple TDs a game, sets new NCAA records each week, all against defenses putting 8-9-10 men on the line designed to stop the run.
— Kyle Martin from Houston
A: Cedric Benson strikes me as a player who could get a lot of third-place Heisman Trophy votes, but won’t receive much support to win the award. You can trace it, as always, to the Oklahoma game. Benson was not a dominant factor that day. If he had an Adrian Peterson-like performance, and Texas registered a victory, Benson might be leading the Heisman race.

Voters seem to value signature moments over season-long consistency. You can take nothing away from Benson’s season (1,600 rushing yards, 18 touchdowns) or his career (touchdowns in 36 consecutive games). He should get a trip to New York, but he won’t win the Heisman.

Q: Is Arizona State getting a raw deal at No. 18? After all, the only two teams they lost to were No. 1 USC and No. 4 California — both on the road — and they blew out Iowa, which is somehow ahead of them.
— Terry from Phoenix
A: That’s the nebulous nature of human polls, Terry. Sometimes it counts more WHEN you lose instead of HOW you lose. Certain teams get on a roll and become poll darlings. I wouldn’t discount 9-2 Iowa, which did a magnificent job righting its season, capped with Saturday’s 30-7 win against Wisconsin.

At this point, the rankings are just for show, unless you are contending for a BCS bowl position. Arizona State is the third-best team in a strong Pac-10. That’s a fact. And it will be reflected in its bowl bid.

Q: Will the Kentucky-Tennessee rivalry ever mean anything again?
— John S. from Los Angeles
A: Come again, John? Has Kentucky-Tennessee EVER meant something? OK, OK, I do have a long enough memory to know Kentucky has occasionally fielded a decent football team, but not too often in the modern era, when Tennessee became a national power under coach Phillip Fulmer. Tennessee’s chief rivals are Florida and Georgia. I can’t see that changing. Kentucky might be light years away from being a factor in the SEC East.