Q: Paul, In regard to Steve Pederson saying that there isn't an institution out there that is the right fit for the Big East, how about Villanova? They have been a D-2 powerhouse for years, have put high profile players into the NFL and the last time the Big East tried this, it turned out pretty well with Connecticut. I know they have stadium issues, but don't you think Lincoln Financial Field would dump Temple ASAP if they had a chance to fill in a Big East affiliated Villanova?

CJ, Pittsburgh

ZEISE: Well Villanova, which is I-AA by the way, would have to want to make the jump and so far there is no sentiments at the university for that. They are happy with the current situation, it is a very popular program and they are successful. Now, if they wanted to make the jump, well, obviously they would solve a lot of problems for the Big East but they'd need to either expand their stadium or play in Lincoln Financial Field which I believe has a long-term deal with Temple so a third resident might not be in the cards at this point. And you are right, using the Connecticut model would be a good way to go, though I'm not sure Villanova would have the budget that Connecticut does for a number of reasons.

Q: It is always said that Florida schools have great speed. Dave Wannstedt has recruited more team speed. Looking at the South Florida game -- which team has more speed and better athletes, Pitt or USF?

Brian McPeak, Oxford, Va.

ZEISE: Well overall team speed and athleticism, meaning top to bottom of roster, position by position, (start at quarterback), I think South Florida does. I think South Florida probably has more athleticism as well. But as we saw, speed is important but it isn't everything and we also saw that Pitt has enough speed at all of the key positions to keep up with anyone. I think South Florida had more speed and athleticism but not that much more and frankly, I think Pitt has more football players and that's equally, if not more, important. Pitt also plays a much smarter brand of football than South Florida, so any advantage USF has over its opponents in speed or athleticism is almost always negated by the mistakes, penalties, negative plays etc.,

Q: My real question is if a 3-4 high pressure defense, like the Steelers run, would work in college. I know Dave Wannstedt is against it, and likes his 4-3 style. Just wondering if it would work?

Srikant Narasimhan, Washington, D.C.

ZEISE: It does work as there are some teams who use a 3-4 and others, like WVU, who use the 3-3-5 (or 3-5-3). From what I recall in terms of teams Pitt played in recent years, Virginia, which is coached by a former NFL coach Al Groh, was a straight 3-4 team. The beauty of college football to me is the innovation on both sides of the ball and that is a necessary part of the game because it is all about matchups and innovative schemes and formations to hide deficiencies. So to answer the question a 3-4 defense, with the right personnel would work, just like a 4-3 or any other scheme a defensive coach can come up with.

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