eers: Chuck, what is up w. Colorado. They seem to have had quite a fall from grace since the 90's ...

Chuck Finder: Guess you could say that ever since the departure of Mr. Promise Keeper, Bill McCartney, there hasn't been much promise there, huh? Well, back then, the program recruited heavily in SoCal, especially including Pacific Islanders. Then again, they also recruited more than a few problem children -- anyone remember a player whom to Boulder police was known as the Duct Tape Rapist? Not a great football legacy, huh? But they did win, and in a pro-sports environment -- imagine Pitt being located in Butler or New Castle. Dan Hawkins seems like the right guy for this job, with his offensive bent and his success elsewhere (Boise State, tiny Willamette) and his wild flair (read up on him, he's a treat). Tonight actually is a big game for them, to see if the Buffs are making strides...back toward those glory days of the '90s, when they even shared the national title in 1990.

country_roads: That was a great line about the John Denver bowl ... handicap this game for me ...

Chuck Finder: Wish I'd thought of it first. The earliest I used the John Denver line was last September, and i'm sure somebody beat me to it... . Disclosure: If you want a professional handicapper, you've come to the wrong place. I had Dewey plus-six in the '48 election, and haven't been right since. But it seems to me, surprising to many, the WVU defense is in the hot-light here. If it can't stop the Buffs' short-passing game and no-huddle offense, or even if it can't stop a pair of freshman tailbacks who haven't found much daylight behind a mountainous offensive line, then the Mounties are in real trouble. The offense should be all right in time, there are just way too many skilled players there, with Patrick White and Noel Devine being of All-America caliber and Jock Sanders not far behind. Two things to watch offensively, though: That line has to make cracks for Devine and Sanders and time for White, and those receivers have to catch the ball -- Alric Arnett, Will Johnson, Dorrell Jalloh.

79_SOUTH: What is the likelihood that Rich Rod gets canned at Michigan, and comes back to WVU and everyone kisses and makes up?

Chuck Finder: ...The same as Dewey winning that '48 election. Wow, I cannot believe I'm reading this: At least a few WVU fans would welcome back The 4-Million-Dollar Man With As Many Derisive Nicknames. Your question contains the answer right there: Coaching, especially in first years, can gum up the works. Perhaps Bill Stewart and Jeff Mullen learned from East Carolina that throwing the ball, and the burden on Patrick White's shoulders, is too much. The offense works well running the ball, and isn't that what White and Noel Devine do best? In other words, if you've got a Maserati in the garage, get it the heck outta there, put the top down and riiiiiide. (One last thing about Rodriguez: Can anyone imagine circumstances where, even if he showed up at a high-school reunion or something, that somebody somewhere won't be crude and rude to him, the way folks have reacted so far? Methinks someone like a university president or governor someday will have to offer an olive branch merely to get him back in the state.

79_SOUTH: How has the Michigan season played in Morgantown?

Chuck Finder: It's the only thing keeping citizens from a torch and pitchfork rush on the Puskar Center, so it seems. I'm still waiting for the new Wild Wonderful bumper sticker: "My favorite teams are WVU and Whoever's Playing Michigan ... even if it's the second unit in practice." Holy rubber-necking. But it certainly is interesting to see messageboards aflame -- similar to the previous question -- pining for a Rodriguez return. Folks, it's way too early to excommunicate or canonize any coach. Like I said, starts are difficult for new staffs. Give peace a chance.

stewie: Do you think the Backyard Brawl this year should be dubbed the Disappointment Donnybrook?

Chuck Finder: Stewie, love your show. And, dagnabit, you should be a writer: Disappointment Donnybrook! Let's hold off and see where both teams are by then. You ask me -- and Paul Zeise probably answered this an hour ago -- but if Pitt loses to Iowa, it could well be down the path to Disappointment. And if WVU loses to Colorado tonight, or is highly fortunate to eke out a victory ... there might be pitchforks and torches at the Puskar Center, oh, tomorrow.

Chuck Finder: Hey, while we have a lull, please allow me to ask a question: Anyone thinking differently about Louisville after last night's Kansas State game?

stewie: OK, here's one. Walt Harris is looking for a job ...

Chuck Finder: Gee, I thought he was helping out Fox Chapel or Shady Side Academy or somebody ... ? Weird, isn't it? He coaxed great offense out of Pitt and got them to five consecutive bowls, which looks like a tremendous feat right now. Then he bought The Farm -- Stanford, which Jim Harbaugh has quickly revived. A guy doesn't go from smart to dum (sic) in a year, right? And look at Pitt now, wishing it could get one bowl in four years. Weird, indeed.

oakmont_bert: I lived in Boulder 20 years, and think that WVU should have waited until yesterday to travel. Do you think the extra day there will adversely affect WVU?

Chuck Finder: You know what, it's an old NFL trick: You arrive 36 to 48 hours before, so the oxygen in your blood platelets (geesh, i read too much) acclimatize. I loved Greg Isdaner's line: He watched "Hard Knocks with the Dallas Cowboys," and, man, those guys were dying. Much of it is (pointing to noggin) upstairs rather than in the lungs. But you owe it to those helmets and hearts to give them every idea that they're as ready as can be for the altitude adjustment.

Chuck Finder: Well, I'll go ahead and answer that Louisville question, from my perspective, anyway: That offense looked a lot better. More akin to the Cardinals we know from the Bobby Petrino days. Not as many weapons -- Chichester is no Urrutia, so far. But Victor Anderson and a bunch of capable receivers around Hunter Cantwell, and that offense looks like it can score. The question remains from last year, though: Can that defense stop many people.... As of now, the Big East's elite -- and that ain't sayin' much this year -- remains, perhaps in order: South Florida and WVU with UConn and Louisville close behind in a Wait-and-See-If-They're-That-Good mode.

stewie: Yeah, but I mean do you think he'd ever be considered for a WVU job? He loves those wide-open offenses we have.

Chuck Finder: Hmmm, now that's an interesting thought. Walt would probably want to recycle himself, like Paul Hackett (who could arise to be the next Oakland Raiders coach!), as an offensive coordinator with perhaps an assistant head coach title attached. If Jeff Mullens left, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea for Walt to drive down to Morgantown and sell himself to Bill Stewart. That Stewie could do a lot worse as far as finding a top offensive mind, spread offense or not. (And remember, WVU will only have Jarrett Brown and maybe Noel Devine around for a year, so getting Bradley Starks into a passing mode and growing the spread offense with some new passing tenets might not be a bad plan.)

79_SOUTH: Do you think Steve Slaton regrets going pro?

Chuck Finder: Not every other week, on payday. Knowing Steve -- and hello Slaton-Tiggetts, if you're reading this! -- he surely misses Pat and the collegial atmosphere. But it was time for him to move on. Sharing carries with Noel at a higher rate, people griping about his drop-off last year (when he got fewer touches than before!), the pressure to perform as an upperclass leader for Stew... it just didn't seem like it would've been a good season for him. He's making decent money, he's starting on a team that should get better, possibly even finish around .500, and he's taking steps toward a future that could be very bright in the NFL. So, in short, we all logically may well have reached the same conclusion, were we in his fast shoes.