It's Week 3 of the college football season and we already have a clear Heisman favorite in Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson. Last year at this time, Michigan also had a Heisman candidate in Tate Forcier. You may recall he didn't win the Heisman.
The lesson being this: There's still a long way to go in the season. And also: Don't tie your shoes if you want to be any good at football. It couldn't be more clear.
Game of the Week
No. 9 Iowa at No. 24 Arizona -- 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
The forecast for Tucson on Saturday is a high of 101 degrees. But I've learned to not really trust numbers when it comes to the Big "Ten" and the Pac-"10" -- it's probably going to be more like 120 degrees. So tune in at 10:30 (12:30?) and watch these players give what I will assume will be a good bit more than 110-percent.
Another Game of the Week
No. 8 Nebraska at Washington -- 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Nebraska had five interceptions last week in a 38-17 victory over Idaho, the Cornhuskers' fourth game in their past seven with at least three interceptions. And although Washington quarterback Jake Locker is one of the nation's best, Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini says his players aren't concerned: "We played Reesing, we played McCoy. We've played great quarterbacks a lot in the Big 12. I don't rank 'em."
Ahh, but I do! I do rank 'em.
1. Jake Locker
2. Colt McCoy
3. someone else
4. Todd Reesing.
Hope that helps, Carl!
Still One More Game of the Week
No. 10 Florida at Tennessee -- 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS
As though SEC games aren't contentious enough, some entrepreneurial Tennessee fans this week started selling "Time To Die" T-shirts mocking the threatening text messages Florida receiver Chris Gainey sent his girlfriend.
We'll have to wait for the sales figures to see if the "Time To Die" shirts are more or less popular than Derek Dooley's "Time To Shower" T-shirts.
Cupcake of the Week
Virginia Tech: They play in a joke of a conference. They've lost to a WAC team and an FCS team. Their mascot, a Hokie, is as absurd as they come. And the school is in the middle of nowhere. A program really can't get more cupcakey than Virginia Tech.
This week Conference-USA power East Carolina comes to Blacksburg to play the Hokies (1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3.com). The Pirates are 2-0, but unless they win by 30 or more, you have to think they'll lose AP votes. There shall be no reward for scheduling cupcakes, East Carolina!
Rivalry Game of the Week
No. 6 Texas at Texas Tech -- 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC
Texas has designs on getting to the national title game and Texas Tech can ruin those plans. Again. Mack Brown is only 3-3 for his career in Lubbock and Texas is only 9-9 since 1974.
And while Brown might be fortunate that the unpredictable Mike Leach is no longer standing across the sidelines from him, Tommy Tuberville isn't much better. A riverboat gambler is basically the modern equivalent of a pirate.
Heisman Candidate in the Crosshairs
Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama: You can't lose your starting job to injury, or so they say. But you can definitely lose the Heisman to injury. (Fun fact: You can also lose the Heisman due to NCAA violations, but that usually takes about five years.)
After missing the first two games of the season due to a knee injury, Ingram will have to come back in a big way against Duke (3:30 p.m. ET on ABC) to impress the voters. And impressing the voters against Duke will probably require 700 yards and 11 touchdowns. Yeah, Mark Ingram isn't going to win the Heisman this year.
Mascot Fact of the Week
"Hokie" was a nonsense word used in a cheer by a Virginia Tech (then Virginia Polytechnic Institute) student way back in 1896. For a long time the school mascot was a turkey -- Virginia Tech teams were once called the Gobblers (really) -- and eventually the Hokie name caught on and replaced Gobblers.
