Caught behind the stadium with you, Troy

Unbuckling the mailbag:

Question: Will your love affair with USC ever end? I’m in love with the school from the right side of the tracks, so it’s very difficult to read the L.A..Times sports section when all you write about is “them.”

Dorie Iwata

Answer: Wow. It’s been that obvious, huh? Alas, my Trojan tryst has been exposed.

What was the giveaway?

Saying USC couldn’t win the title last year by starting a true freshman at quarterback?

Suggesting the Trojans couldn’t win this year by starting a true freshman at athletic director (Pat Haden)?

Blaming Pete Carroll for the near-riot that broke out in last year’s USC- UCLA game?

Ranking USC at No. 20 in my preseason poll — six spots worse than the Associated Press.

Everything I’ve written has been maple-tree sap.

How do I love thee, USC, let me count the ways:

1: Referring to USC as “Men of Poi” and “Monte Kiffin’s Flying Circus” after allowing 588 yards in the opener at Hawaii?

2: Questioning Kiffin’s strategy of going for two-point conversions?

3. Ripping Reggie Bush for his complete lack of sincerity in returning the Heisman Trophy?

It’s funny, UCLA fans say I’m pro-USC and USC fans think I’m pro-UCLA, when all I really am is pro-punch line.

Q: I grew up in Big 10 country and so I looked at their schedules for Saturday. Illinois idle. Other 10 teams — all games at home. Opponents: Ball State, Austin Peay, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Northern Colorado, Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Temple, Akron, Northern Illinois.

What’s your best guess on the average score: 62-3? What a farce.

Guy Schick

A: That Big Ten lineup reminds me of a group of college kids going to Cancun the week before school starts—a getaway before they have to buckle down and quit blowing their parents’ money.

Ball State at Iowa, Bowling Green at Michigan, Northern Colorado at Michigan State, Northern Illinois at Minnesota, Central Michigan at Northwestern, Eastern Michigan at Ohio State, Temple at Penn State, Toledo at Purdue, Austin Peay at Wisconsin, Illinois (idle).

Cautionary notes: Central Michigan has won two straight against the Big 10 — Indiana in 2008 and Michigan State last year — and Temple (3-0) heads to Penn State (2-1) with a better record and an outside chance to win at Happy Valley for the first time since 1941.

A victory should enhance Temple Coach Al Golden’s chances of being named Joe Paterno’s successor when the Penn State legend finally retires.

Minnesota has already lost to South Dakota, so the Gophers can’t take any directional school for granted.

Still, when you look at it, Illinois probably has the third-toughest matchup.

Q: Look at you…”MSU” and “amazing” in the same paragraph? Hopefully (Mark) Dantonio will be fine and back on the sidelines very soon. That call took (guts), but Dantonio did what leaders should do — he took the pressure off the kid kicker and put it on himself.

Make sure Rankman notices.

Joel Schechter

A: Rankman noticed. That fake field goal call by the Michigan State coach against Notre Dame was the play of the year so far.

How many times have you seen a coach, with a game on the line, put the pressure on some 18-year-old kicker with dimples and pimples when the coach could have tried to score a touchdown — or at least attempted to get in position for a 25-yard field goal?

It’s always easier for the coach to have the kicker miss a 47-yarder rather than face the media backlash of a turnover resulting from trying to get closer to the end zone — or in the end zone.

Dantonio put all the stress on him and ended up paying for it with a postgame heart attack. His call to win the game took a lot of guts—and a lot of heart.

Q: Remember when football games took about two to 2-1/2 hours? Insane! And how much football is actually being played? According to a Wall Street Journal study of four recent broadcasts, and similar estimates, the average amount of time the ball is in play on the field during an NFL game is about 11 minutes.

Advertising (commercials) have taken over and are ruining the game.

Ben Quinones

A: Good points. Advertising has taken over everything. This week’s mailbag is sponsored by Rankman’s Five-Alarm Onion Rings, “the rings that have zing!”

Q: Nebraska’s schedule will end up being tougher than Boise’s simply by playing Texas, which is a far more talented team than any team on Boise’s schedule…. Boise can bring their “C” game weekly and blow through their conference. How many NFL prospects will Boise face on their schedule this year?

Iran Walton

A: This might get cantankerous if one of two national title spots comes down to Boise State or Nebraska.

The way I look it, Boise State’s schedule is tougher. The Broncos have Virginia Tech, Wyoming and Oregon State in nonconference. Nebraska has Western Kentucky, Idaho, Washington and South Dakota State.

In conference, Nebraska plays Texas, in Lincoln, and road games at Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.

None of those teams are ranked in this week’s Associated Press top 25.

Other than Texas, Nebraska has no remaining Big 12 games against ranked teams.

Boise State, though, closes the season at Nevada, which currently ranks No. 27 in the AP, ahead of Missouri and Oklahoma State.

James Madison (8) has more AP votes than Kansas State (4).

Is it possible undefeated Boise State would edge out the undefeated Big 12 champion if it is Nebraska?

I would guess not — voters would probably coalesce around the traditional power — but it could be close enough to make Lincoln squirm.

Remember, Nebraska once made the Bowl Championship Series title game with two losses coming off a blowout defeat at Colorado..

Q: Go ahead and admit it. You dislike (Nick) Saban because he coaches in the SEC and not the Pac-10 (or even the Big Ten).

Ida Clark

Nashville

A: OK, I admit it. I wish Saban was coaching at Washington State. Or even Indiana.

Q: Can’t find a bio on you anywhere. Create a Wiki page or something. Was wondering where your loyalty to the (Western Athletic Conference) comes from?

TJ Bolken

A: Thanks for the question. Loved your work on “Lord of the Rings.”

My bio is posted on a few of the popular social networks: “ChainLinkedin,” “Facecrook” and “Wryspace.”

Nothing unusual:

Education: Home schooled through graduate school, 10 years touring world with Circus Vargas, joined L.A. Times in mailroom, where I dreamed of some day writing a mail bag.

Loyalty to WAC comes from once stopping for gas in Fresno.

Q: How much to paint the field?

MauiThomas

A: You must be referring to Oregon State painting one of its practice fields blue to prepare for Saturday night’s big game at Boise State.

I didn’t see a price tag on the job — it was covered by an anonymous donor. Coloring the field blue required 440 gallons of paint.

Unfortunately, it rained during Thursday’s practice and Oregon State players ran off the field looking like “the Purple People Eaters.”

The equipment man suggested painting another field “orange,” waiting for it to rain again and holding another practice in the hope the two colors are neutralized.

Q: Reporting from Boise. At Boise State University…You really are obsessed! Are you doing this because you’re too embarrassed to write about Southern Cal? I’ll bet even relocated Idahoans are gagging on all this by now.

Craig Lesley

A: One doctor diagnosed me OCBB—Obsessive Compulsive Boise Behavior.

He said an Oregon State victory Saturday ought to cure it.

Q: Teams should be required to play on the same colored fields all over and they should contrast to uniforms. It isn’t just that grass is green. Green contrasts to all…That’s why we “green screen” the weatherman.

Jerry Waters

A: Fascinating “non-question.”

You may not know this: In Boise, they “blue screen” the weatherman.

chris.dufresne@latimes.com