College football mailbag: UCLA, USC ... and the ‘Beverly Hillbillies’

Each week during the college football season, national analyst Chris Dufresne will burn a timeout to answer questions and exchange opinions. You can email him at chris.dufresne@latimes.com and reach him on Twitter: @DufresneLATimes.

You really think UCLA is a national title contender???

Stephen Donohue

Are you kidding (with three question marks)??? UCLA has won a record 111 NCAA titles. The Bruins are always strong in water polo and are the defending NCAA champions in women’s tennis.

The baseball team won the College World Series in 2013 and the men’s golf team won it all in 2008.

A long, long time ago, UCLA was even competitive in men’s basketball.

If you were talking about football, well, don’t ask me after the Memphis game on Saturday night. Ask me after the Arizona State game on Sept. 25.

::

Never show your hand as a biased reporter. You almost seem giddy with Hundley and UCLA’s bland performance. Yes… happy. USC routs a hapless Fresno team and my paper is soaking in ketchup.... Scratching Hundley as Heisman is a bit premature. Lighten up a bit with your glee. You are a better journalist than that.

Gregory DiGiorgio

Are you sure I am a better journalist than that? Have you read my raw copy or fact-checked my sources?

I was only “giddy” because the game started at 9 a.m. on the West Coast, so I didn’t have to play beat-the-clock with our early Saturday deadlines. I actually got to interview players and coaches who seemed to agree that UCLA didn’t play its best game.

Had Virginia Coach Mike London inserted backup quarterback Matt Johns into the game sooner, I think UCLA would have lost.

None of that matters. UCLA is in a special position this year, where winning is the only thing. Style points won’t matter if UCLA simply wins games. The Pac-12 Conference is the best or second-best conference in the nation and its champion — whether it’s UCLA, USC, Oregon or Stanford — will get strong consideration for one of the four playoff spots.

UCLA could even overcome a loss if it ends up winning the Pac-12.

::

UCLA will be in trouble if they rely on Hundley running the ball.

Marty Chargin

From what I saw last week, UCLA may be in trouble if they don’t rely on Hundley to run the ball.

::

Texas has no O-line left. None. NCAA should tell UCLA that there is a mandatory five Mississippi count before rushing the quarterback.

@TuxedoYoda

The best line I read this week on Texas was that Charlie Strong got the Longhorns down to a 53-man roster limit faster than the NFL’s Houston Texans.

Of course, in college, you can keep 85 players on scholarship.

Strong seems willing to sacrifice victories in his first year to rid the roster of undesirables. Strong is a no-nonsense taskmaster.

This week, with talented Brigham Young coming to Austin, Strong suspended offensive linemen Desmond Harrison and Kennedy Estelle. Texas is already playing without starting center Dominic Espinosa, who suffered a broken foot in last week’s win against North Texas, and quarterback David Ash, who has concussion syndrome.

Strong has dismissed eight players since taking over for Mack Brown, and reportedly even told Bevo he needs to straighten up.

It was first reported that Harrison and Estelle had been dismissed from the program. Texas later clarified the players were suspended for only the BYU game.

This is all must-follow news for UCLA, which plays Texas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Sept. 13.

It appears the Bruins may be catching Texas at the right time.

::

You are cruel to even mention the giant Denny’s menu laminated play card. USC fans still have nightmares about that sight.

Gary Cocayne

I had a nightmare in which Lane Kiffin was still coaching USC last week and called 105 plays against Fresno State, his alma mater.

His laminated play card was the size of a freeway billboard and the reflection from the sun nearly set fire to the Coliseum press box.

::

As a graduate of West Virginia, I wanted to mention that you can do better than perpetuating the Beverly Hillbilly image of Tulsa, Tennessee and West Virginia. I checked your bio, and as a graduate of Cal State Fullerton you would probably think it unfair if I told you that your comments remind me of the Ned Pepper character in True Grit, who when asked to surrender by Rooster Cogburn stated: “That’s pretty bold talk for a one-eyed fat man.”

Kevin H. Park

Encino

I actually wrote “we disagree with those who suggest this begins the toothless stretch.” It was changed to, “It has been suggested that this begins the toothless stretch.” My copy editor apparently is a huge fan of the “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

However, in the television show the origins of the Clampett Family are murky. The classic intro song says Jed was an “old mountaineer,” suggesting he may have graduated with honors from West Virginia. Yet, the oil Jed struck while out “shooting at some food” was also described as “Texas tea.”

Let’s make our peace, Kevin, and say the Clampetts were from Arkansas.

::

Thanks for great columns — your great writing and football are what I look forward to in the fall.

Hollis Mulwray

Thanks Hollis. I look forward to kind words from devoted readers. It serves as a counter-balance to the emails I receive from Southeastern Conference fans.

::

What is the [worst] Pac-12 football destination for the traveling fan, game-experience wise? What is second [worst]?

Jancis Vaynrchuk

You can get to the moon almost as fast as you can get to Pullman, home of Washington State. There is also a speed trap on the drive down from Spokane, near the town of Colfax. I’m not saying it’s a racket, but all the police cars in Colfax are BMWs and the cops are outfitted with “Gucci” gun holsters.

I actually wouldn’t mind Pullman if I could be flown there in a private jet.

Second worst is probably Oregon State but, again, it’s mostly the logistics of getting in and out of Corvallis.

The worst is when Oregon and Oregon State are playing home games on the same Saturday. It seems like there is only one road in the entire state, Interstate 5, and it becomes a parking lot when cars from Eugene intersect with cars from Corvallis as everyone does the inch-worm crawl back to Portland.

The first thing I did after being assigned to write from Michigan State at Oregon this week was check the Oregon State schedule.

My lucky day, the Beavers are playing at Hawaii!

::

Ohio State beating a bowl team by 17 on the road with four new OL, new WR, RB and frosh QB wasn’t impressive? #giveusabreak

@YeomenRon

I must have seen a different game. I saw the one where Navy was leading Ohio State, 7-6, at the half. It was the first time since 2008 Ohio State trailed a non-power conference school at the half.

I saw the game where unranked Navy trailed, 20-17, early in the fourth quarter.

I saw the quote from Coach Urban Meyer that said, “I thought J.T. did OK,” when asked about starting quarterback J.T. Barrett.

I never heard Meyer use the word “impressed” or “impressive.”

Look, it’s going to take time for Ohio State to coalesce after losing quarterback Braxton Miller. Meyer is obviously going to spoon feed Barrett until he can trust the redshirt freshman in pressure situations. Not only that, Barrett is surrounded by eight other first-year starters on offense.

Let’s see how Ohio State does in Columbus this week against Virginia Tech.

If the Buckeyes win that one by 17, I’ll be impressed.

::

“Clemson (almost always)” overrated? Dude, you make me angry. Nice job by your SC Gamecocks.

Paula Richardson

Hey, didn’t I say “almost”? Look, any town that paints Tiger paws on the road leading to the stadium is all right by me. Yet, there is no denying Clemson’s historical penchant for choking. Last year, Clemson had the world watching and Florida State at home and lost, um, 51-14.

And throwing “nice job by your SC Gamecocks” at a guy raised in Los Angeles actually didn’t raise a single hair on my neck.

If I was a South Carolina fan, though, I would mention the Gamecocks have defeated Clemson five straight years in a state where it really matters.

Twitter: @DufresneLATimes