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On a frenetic November night on the L.A. set of Felicity, the cast is dividing its time between episode 11 and MTV's Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, who is taping a piece for House of Style. With cameras rolling in ''Ben's loft,'' Romijn grills Russell about cable-knit sweaters. Which is funny, since the actress — whose own wardrobe of plaid shirts, worn jeans, and Birkenstocks makes her character's low-key threads look glam — is not exactly a fashion maven. A self-described ''dork'' and ''freak,'' she's a contradictory combination of Noxzema perfection and Budweiser chumminess. ''She's humble to the point that you think it's an act, but it's not,'' testifies Foley. ''She received a framed cover of a magazine she was on, and she didn't know what to do with it. She didn't want to put it on her wall, and she didn't want to send it to her mom for her wall. So she asked the makeup people if they wanted it.'' He shrugs his shoulders: ''She's very unaffected by all of this.''

Well, most of it anyway. Russell — who goes big screen next year with the romantic comedy tentatively titled Mad About Mambo — is perplexed by the commotion accompanying the It Girl label. ''Everyone wants to know, 'How do you feel about all the hype?' The truth is...I don't know. But Regis and Kathie Lee don't seem to like that answer. They want something bigger.''

The Colorado-raised actress, whose former gigs include The All New Mickey Mouse Club and Aaron Spelling's cheesy Malibu Shores, is far more comfortable with Felicity fans. ''The teenage girls that come to me are smart and cool — exactly the kind of girls I want to be watching,'' beams Russell, who lives in L.A. with musician beau Tony Lucca. ''And they don't go [affects high-pitched squeal], 'Omigod! Keri!! Omigod!!!' They're more like, 'Hey, are you on Felicity? I really like that show.' ''

Not that Russell is grabbing all the attention. In fact, the really critical debate raging on this show is not whether Felicity is fulfilling its promise. Rather, it's the prickly passionate battle erupting between fans of Ben (the brooder) and Noel (the overearnest nurturer). Could this be Dylan versus Brandon all over again? (One fan website fastidiously tracks the ever-changing public sentiment: At press time, Noel led Ben 79 percent to 21 percent.) ''People really think I'm an a--hole,'' marvels Speedman. ''I went to this party and people were a little drunk and they were coming up to me, 'What do you think about your character?' and I'm like, 'He's a good guy,' and they're like, 'Nah, he's a d---.''' Foley, meanwhile, lays out his case quite convincingly: ''Speaking as Noel, it's time to see Felicity and Noel together. And speaking as Scott Foley...it's definitely time to see Felicity and Noel together.''

Well, Scott Foley, here's some good news: In future episodes, Felicity and Noel advance their intra-dorm desire, while Ben and Julie deepen their friendship. And here's an even juicier morsel, confided by series cocreator J.J. Abrams: ''Felicity...[uneasy pause] will have sex before the end of this year.''

Oh, dear. Does that also mean Nervous Breakdown No. 435 for our young heroine? If one criticism has dogged this otherwise snappily written show, it's this: Lighten up — it's college, for chrissakes! Fortunately, that's a concern WB prez Ancier shared. ''What J.J. and Matt [Reeves, a cocreator] have learned over the early episodes is that while college can be frightening, it can also be a happy experience,'' he says. ''The time has come for Felicity to enjoy herself.'' Reeves promises at least a few more yuks, including a farcical finals episode. The initial shows ''were full of low points; it was traumatic for Felicity to break away from home,'' he says. ''Now you're going to see more highs mixed in.''

But will that translate into higher ratings? Those pesky questions linger. ''Matt and I felt from the beginning this was a show that needed to find a core audience and then spread to other people,'' says Abrams. ''We're thrilled to be doing as well as we're doing despite the hype, which turned off a lot of people and raised expectations to an unrealistic level. This is a TV show. It's not going to change your life.''

Not your life, perhaps.

''The other day,'' offers Russell sheepishly, ''I was at a restaurant, and there was a long line, and they offered to seat me early. It was kind of awkward. I was like, 'No, no, no...you don't need to do that. It's okay.''' She pauses, then smiles. ''You better believe I'm going back!'' So much for serenity.