New No. 1. 1. (Last Week: 3) Graham Harrell. Texas Tech, Sr., 10-0. #2 AP. Last Week: 40-50, 456 yards, 6 TDs, 0 INTs, QB rating: 196.2; 56-20 win over Oklahoma State. Season: 332-463, 4,077 yards, 36 TDs, 5 INTs, QB rating: 169.2; 6 rushing touchdowns. Weeks ago the Heisman was McCoy's to lose so long as Texas kept winning. Now it's Herrell's turn. The senior took apart No. 11 OK State becoming the third consecutive ranked team to fall to the Red Raiders. In that stretch, the senior completed 75.8 percent of his passes for 1,316 yards with 13 TDs and 0 INTs. 2. (Last Week: 1) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, QB, So., 9-1. #5 AP. Last week: 22-33 passing, 320 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT, 1 rushing touchdown. QB rating: 188.1; in a 66-28 win at Texas A&M. Season: 224-330 passing, 3,406 yards, 38 TDs, 6 INTs, 4 rushing touchdowns. QB rating: 188.9. Bradford will have a chance to regain the top spot with a victory of Tech this week. The Sooner offense has been steamrolling opponents since its loss to Texas averaging 57.75 points per game, but the Tech defense is second in the conference giving up 22.2 and leads in INTs (16). This one is going to be fun. 3. (Last Week: 2) Colt McCoy, Texas, QB, Jr., 9-1. #4 AP. Last week: 26-37 passing, 300 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs; QB rating: 172.2; in a 45-21 win over Baylor. Season: 244-313 passing, 2,879 yards, 28 TDs, 7 INT, QB rating: 180.3; 101 rushes, 449 yards, 7 TDs. Opponent and INTs cost McCoy some Heisman realestate. So did Harrell's continued excellence. The junior, who already said he is coming back for his senior season, will be able to pad his stats in the coming weeks with Baylor and A&M left on the schedule, but he's going to need a statement game and some help from Bradford and Harrell to finish No. 1. 4. (Last Week: 4) Chase Daniel, Missouri, QB, Sr., 8-2. #12 AP. Last week: 24-36 passing, 271 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, QB rating: 137.1; in a 41-24 win over Kansas State. Season: 274-360 passing, 3,264 yards, 28 TDs, 10 INT; 40 rushes, 137 yards, QB rating: 172.4 Week 10 for Daniel wasn't exactly a thing of beauty against a K State team with only one conference victory. His ability to maintain his position is due more to the weakening competition than to individual success. Iowa State (0 conference wins) and Kansas (3-3) will provide stats and little competition. 5. (Last Week: 6) Tim Tebow, Florida, QB, Jr., 8-1. #3 AP. Last week: 12-17 passing, 171 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT, 11 rushes, 88 yards, 2 TDs, QB rating: 213.3 in a 42-14 win at Vanderbilt. Season: 126-194 passing, 1,740 yards, 17 TDs, 2 INTs, QB rating: 167.1; 105 rushes, 354 yards, 10 TDs. At year ago Tebow won the award after passing for 3,286 yards, rushing for 895 and passing and running for 55 touchdowns. He won't match those numbers and won't win the Heisman but he is slowly moving up in the pack and the Gators are the team no one wants to play. Not even No. 1 Bama. 6. (Last Week: 5) Max Hall, BYU, QB, Jr. 9-1. #16 AP. Last week: 25-30 passing, 317 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, QB rating: 205.1; in a 41-12 win over San Diego State. Season: 251-353 passing, 3,070 yards, 32 TDs, 7 INTs, QB rating: 170.1. The stats are there but its hard to look impressive piling up numbers against bad competition. An 83 percent completion percentage, 300 yards passing and a rating into the second century is tasty but not rather fulfilling considering the opponent. 7. (Last Week: 8) Javon Ringer, Michigan State, RB, Sr., 9-2. #18 AP. Last week: 32 rushes, 121 yards, 2 TDs in a 21-7 win over Purdue. Season: 353 rushes, 1,548 yards, 20 TDs; 21 receptions, 133 yards; 11 kickoff returns, 224 yards. Ringer continues to carry his team toward a BCS date and has slowly increased his lead on the nation's rushing list. Penn State looked bad against Iowa but is at home and will be a tough test for a State team that is 0-1 against ranked opponents. 8. (Last Week: 7) Daryll Clark, Penn State, QB, Jr., 9-1. #7 AP. Last week: 9-23 passing, 86 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, QB rating: 61.8 in a 24-23 loss at Iowa. Season: 135-223 passing, 1,738 yards, 11 TDs, 3 INT, 60 rushes, 235 yards, 8 TDs, QB rating: 139.6. Clark's performance did more than halt any outside chance of getting a New York invite, it ended the Nittany Lions shot at a national title. The Spartans will try to keep him off the field by feeding the ball to Ringer which will mean fewer chances to impress for Clark. 9. (Last Week: 9) David Johnson, Tulsa QB, Sr., 8-1. #25 AP. Last Week: Did not play. Season: 172-258 passing, 2,983 yards, 33 TDs, 10 INTs, QB rating: 198.2 Tulsa sneaked into the top 25 with losses by Maryland, Georgia Tech, Cal and West Virginia. No real challenges remain and an 12-1 season is likely. 10. (unranked) Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State, WR, Soph., 8-2, #11 AP. Season: 64 catches, 1,140 yards, 15 TDs; 15 punt returns for 288 yards, 2 TDs. With Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin reaping headlines, Bryant has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Cowboys. He leads the nation in yards per game, is second in receiving yards and third in touchdowns. smurray@midweek.com

One and done! 1. (Last Week: 2) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, QB, So., 8-1. #6 AP. Last week: 19-27 passing, 311 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT, QB rating: 220.8; in a 62-28 win against Nebraska. Season: 202-297 passing, 3,086 yards, 34 TDs, 6 INTs, QB rating: 189. After a week out of the top slot Bradford returns after McCoy' nasty run-in with Texas Tech. McCoy had a tougher test overall, but Bradford was just blistering against a Nebraska team that gives up fewer passing yards than does Tech. In two weeks, Bradford will get his own crack at Harrell. 2. (Last Week: 1) Colt McCoy, Texas, QB, Jr., 8-1. #5 AP. Last week: 20-34 passing, 294 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INTs; QB rating: 145; 13 rushes, 16 yards in a 39-33 loss to Texas Tech. Season: 218-276 passing, 2,579 yards, 23 TDs, 5 INT, QB rating: 181.4; 93 rushes, 428 yards, 7 TDs. Four great performances in as many weeks against top 12 opponents may have been too much to ask. The junior slipped off the mantle but will take the top spot again should Bradford struggle even just a little. He has a favorable schedule heading out and that should help him as Bradford faces two top 10 teams to close out the regular season. 3. (Last Week: 4) Graham Harrell. Texas Tech, Sr., 9-0. #2 AP. Last Week: 36-53, 474 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, QB rating: 155; 39-33 win over Texas. Season: 292-413, 3,621 yards, 30 TDs, 5 INTs, QB rating: 165.9; 6 rushing touchdowns. The victory said as much about Tech as it did Herrell with both moving from questioned contender to legitimate trophy threats. The senior outplayed his opponent throughout but the big statement came during the game-winning drive with the Longhorns holding the momentum and Harrell coldly moving down the field for the win as time expired. 4. (Last Week: 3) Chase Daniel, Missouri, QB, Sr., 7-2. #13 AP. Last week: 30-38 passing, 318 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, QB rating: 164.8; in a 31-28 win at Baylor. Season: 250-324 passing, 2,993 yards, 26 TDs, 8 INT; 36 rushes, 159 yards, QB rating: Although he retains his top four spot, Daniels has continued his slow slide away from contention. Completing 78.9 of his passes was a plus, but tossing two picks and squeaking out a close victory over a Baylor team that came into the game 1-3 in conference play was costly. 5. (Last Week: 6) Max Hall, BYU, QB, Jr. 8-1. #17 AP. Last week: 28-35 passing, 389 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INTs, QB rating: 214.8; in a 45-42 win at Colorado State. Season: 226-323 passing, 2,753 yards, 29 TDs, 7 INTs, QB rating: 166.9. BYU was nearly Tech-esque. Down by four with 1:36 left, Hall drove the Cougars 76 yards capped by a 23-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta with 22 seconds remaining. His play was brilliant, but the competition was not. Same old story. 6. (Last Week: 7) Tim Tebow, Florida, QB, Jr., 7-1. #4 AP. Last week: 10-13 passing, 154 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT, QB rating: 227.2; 12 rushes, 39 yards, 3 TDs in a 49-10 win at Georgia. Season: 114-177 passing, 1,569 yards, 14 TDs, 2 INTs, QB rating: 162.7; 94 rushes, 266 yards, 8 TDs. Tebow still does not dominate the competition like he did a year ago, but the Gators keep winning and Tebow continues on his assault for a second Heisman Trophy. He's a long way behind the Big Two but the remaining schedule favors Florida and a national title would help his chances greatly. 7. (Last Week: 9) Daryll Clark, Penn State, QB, Jr., 9-0. #3 AP. Last week: Did not play. Season: 126-200 passing, 1,652 yards, 11 TDs, 2 INT, QB rating: 148.5; 55 rushes, 229 yards, 8 TDs. With three weeks to go and only one ranked opponent, Penn State remains in an enviable position. Clark's trophy chances not so much. Still a national title will go a long way in soothing the hurt. 8. (Last Week: 5) Javon Ringer, Michigan State, RB, Sr., 8-2. #18 AP. Last week: 21 rushes, 54 yards, 2 TDs; 3 receptions, 10 yards in a 25-24 win over Wisconsin. Season: 321 rushes, 1,427 yards, 18 TDs; 20 receptions, 130 yards; 11 kickoff returns, 224 yards. Ringer came into the game the nation's leading runner and remains so even as his Heisman chances tumble. His performance was hampered by illness but voters won't know or care. 9. (Last Week: 10) David Johnson, Tulsa QB, Sr., 8-1. unranked. Last Week: 17-31 passing, 322 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int., QB rating: 146.3; in a 30-23 loss at Arkansas. Season 172-258 passing, 2,983 yards, 33 TDs, 10 INTs, QB rating: 198.2 Arkansas won, but Johnson was adequate and Tulsa remains atop the division. Team success is really all he can hope for. 10. (Last Week: 8) Donald Brown, Connecticut, RB, Jr. 6-3. Unranked. Last week: 19 rushes, 82 yards, 1 TD in a 35-13 loss to West Virginia. Season: 254 rushes, 1,406 yards, 15 TDs; 19 receptions, 113 yards. Connecticut continues its downward slide and Brown is going down with the ship. He has three more chances to impress voters for next year. smurray@midweek.com

For at least in the short term, Mike Singletary is my favorite person in football. Not just in the NFL, but in college, Canada, Samoa, Japan and anywhere else an oblong leather ball is tossed and toted across a grassy field or its synthetic copy. I say short term because as the San Francisco 49ers' interim coach, his future as the leader of the disappointing Bay Area panners is in doubt. But for the time being, I'm going to enjoy the ride. At the post-game press conference following the Niners' loss to Seattle, Singletary gave voice to all fans and topic-starved commentators tired of prima donna athletes more concerned with personal achievement than team success. On this day, he put away his ocassion Cosby sweaters and regressed back into the saucer-eyed Hall of Famer who once boasted about wanting to hit someone so hard that bubbles were forced from the victim's nose. The difference this time was that the target wasn't an NFC tailback or unfortunate tight end doomed to mid-field pass routes, but his entire team in general and tight end Vernon Davis in particular. Saying, "I told him he would do a better job for us right now taking a shower and coming back watching the game then going out on the field," Singletary gave a performance likened less to his excitable former coach and more to the World War II tank commander who infamously slapped two shell-shocked soldiers in European field hospitals. At least Singletary had more in common with the actor who played the Gen. George S. Patton in the Oscar-winning film. For those few moments, Singletary was George C. Scott's Patton. Would it be so out of character at his next presser if the coach addressed the media before a massive American flag wearing sharply creased riding pants, a highly polished helmet boasting four stars, an international collection of military honors including the Pope Pius XII Medallion and ivory- - not pearl- - handled revolvers because Singletary is no "pimp from a New Orleans whorehouse." Here's still hoping it happens just so we can hear the coach paraphrase the film's opening monologue saying, " ... no bastard ever won a game by dying for his team. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his team." Whether Singletary went to the podium with thoughts of the hot-tempered commander of the Third Army following the D-day invasion is not clear, but he could have hardly done a better impersonation. Singletary's "I would rather play with 10 people and just get penalized ... rather than play with 11 when I know that right now that person is not sold out to be a part of this team. It is more about them than it is about the team. Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can't do it!" bore the same message as Patton's "An army is a team. It lives, eats, sleep, fights as a team. This individuality stuff is a bunch of crap." Of course, Singletary's assessment lacked the whimsical commentary of his forebear concerning those who espouse uniqueness as knowing less "about real battle then they do about fornicating." Much like the work Patton had to do to clean up the mess that was the U.S. II Corps in North Africa, Singletary takes over a team that was expected to be a divisional factor but has failed because of sloppiness and poor execution. San Francisco has collected the second most penalties in the NFC and leads the division in interceptions thrown and times being sacked while trailing only the Lions in rushing touchdowns. On defense, the 49ers have given up a second-worst 28.8 per game and are 11th in yards allowed. Singletary has his work cut out for him. But one thing that became evident, he's not about to coddle his troops, and expects nothing but extreme effort. "Our formula is this," said the coach. "We go out and hit people in the mouth. That's No. 1. No. 2, we are not a charity. We cannot give them the game. No. 3 is that we execute from the very start of the game to the very end of the game." Or as the man called Georgie in deference to his father, who had the same name, said, "We're going to hold him by the nose and kick him in the ass. We're going to kick him all the time and we are going to go through him like crap through a goose." Singletary closed with his anger tempered and his pants on - something he failed to do during halftime. But he made his point in clear George S style, and just needed to end it the same way. "All right now you sons of bitches, you know how I feel." After all, all real Americans love the sting of battle and can't stomach a loser. Neither can Singletary. smurray@midweek.com

We've cleanup the rating confusion with stats from the NCAA. Hook 'em horns! 1. (Last Week: 2) Colt McCoy, Texas, QB, Jr., 8-0. #1 AP. Last week: 38-45 passing, 391 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INTs; QB rating: 167.7; 10 rushes, 41 yards 1 TD in a 28-24 win over Oklahoma State. Season: 198-242 passing, 2,285 yards, 21 TDs, 4 INT, QB rating: 186.5; 80 rushes, 412 yards, 7 TDs. McCoy is No.1 and not just because the competition has faltered. McCoy was so nearly perfect in the first half - completing 18 consecutive passes - that his second two quarters looked rather mild in comparison. He still completed 84 percent of his passes - making it the fifth time this season he has completed at least 80 percent of his throws. A win over Texas Tech would be his fourth straight win over a ranked opponent. 2. (Last Week: 1) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, QB, So., 7-1. #4 AP. Last week: 13-32 passing, 255 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT, QB rating: 138.5; in a 58-35 win at Kansas State. Season: 183-270 passing, 2,775 yards, 29 TDs, 5 INTs, QB rating: 185.9. For the last two weeks, Bradford was one bad performance from losing the top spot. Throwing for just 33 yards on 1-for-9 passing in the second half was more than enough for last week's No. 1 to drop. The Sooners won thanks to five Kstate turnovers and 273 yards rushing. Nebraska won't give in so easy. The Cornhuskers are second in the Big 12 in pass defense. 3. (Last Week: 3) Chase Daniel, Missouri, QB, Sr., 6-2. #14 AP. Last week: 31-37 passing, 302 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INTs, QB rating: 191.5; in a 58-0 win over Colorado. Season: 220-286 passing, 2,675 yards, 23 TDs, 6 INT; 31 rushes, 146 yards, QB rating: 177.9. The original No. 1's position tumbled with his team, but he's putting pressure on Bradford for second. Daniel's topped the 80 percent completion mark for the fourth time this season against a Colorado team that leads the conference in pass defense. Daniels could again threaten the No. 1 spot in the coming weeks as the Tigers' opponents have a combined 14-18 record including 4-12 in conference. 4. (Last Week: 4) Graham Harrell. Texas Tech, Sr., 8-0. #6 AP. Last Week: 34-42, 386 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs, QB rating: 197.4; 1 rushing touchdown in a 63-21 win at Kansas. Season: 256-360, 2,761 yards, 28 TDs, 5 INTs, QB rating: 167.4; 6 rushing touchdowns. Harrell simply blistered then No. 19 Kansas and solidified his standing among the Heisman elite, but things are about to get nasty. Tech has No. 1 Texas at home, followed by top 10's Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. He could move into the top two with good performances against the trio. 5. (Last Week: 6) Javon Ringer, Michigan State, RB, Sr., 7-2. #22 AP. Last week: 37 rushes, 194 yards, 2 TDs; 2 receptions, 25 yards in a 35-21 win at Michigan. Season: 300 rushes, 1,373 yards, 16 TDs; 17 receptions, 120 yards; 11 kickoff returns, 224 yards. The Wolverines haven't won many games, but they had been decent against the run. No longer. Ringer shredded the Michigan defense on plays long and short. The senior showed speed, power and cutback ability and the Wolverines had no answer. 6. (Last Week: 5) Max Hall, BYU, QB, Jr. 7-1. #17 AP. Last week: 24-31 passing, 245 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, QB rating: 186.4; in a 42-35win against UNLV. Season: 198-288 passing, 2,364 yards, 24 TDs, 6 INTs, QB rating: 161. Hall had another nice afternoon against another bad team. UNLV is giving up 33.9 points per game and their pass D is second worst in the conference. Like Harrell, competition could kill his chances but for entirely different reasons. 7. (Last Week: 9) Tim Tebow, Florida, QB, Jr., 6-1. #5 AP. Last week: 11-15 passing, 180 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, QB rating: 204.8; 9 rushes, 48 yards, 2 TDs in a 63-5 win against Kentucky. Season: 104-164 passing, 1,415 yards, 12 TDs, 2 INTs, QB rating: 157.6; 82 rushes, 227 yards, 5 TDs. The defending champ continues to underwhelm in simple statistics, but the Gators continue their raise up charts. Florida travels to Georgia and the Bulldogs are second in the SEC against the run, but 11th versus the pass. 8. (Last Week: 7) Donald Brown, Connecticut, RB, Jr. 6-2. Unranked. Last week: 29 rushes, 150 yards, 2 TDs; 4 receptions, 58 yards in a 40-16 win against Cincinnati. Season: 235 rushes, 1,324 yards, 14 TDs; 18 receptions, 112 yards. Cincinnati has give up just 720 yards rushing this season, but have faired much worse against good competition as the 197 they surrendered to Oklahoma shows. Brown still leads the nation in rushing yards per game, but the opponents are killing his chances. 9. (Last Week: 8) Daryll Clark, Penn State, QB, Jr., 9-0. #3 AP. Last week: 12-20 passing, 121 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, QB rating: 110.8; 8 rushes, 39 yards, in a 13-6 win at Ohio State. Season: 126-200 passing, 1,652 yards, 11 TDs, 2 INT, QB rating: 148.5; 55 rushes, 229 yards, 8 TDs. Only victories are keeping Clark ahead of Johnson at this point. The Nittany Lions' offense is is MVP good, but against the Buckeyes Clark was a busher. Penn State plays at Iowa and the Hawkeyes are giving up just 11.5 points per game. 10. (Last Week: 10) David Johnson, Tulsa QB, Sr., 8-0. #19 AP. Last Week: 17-27 passing, 264 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int., QB rating: 149.9; 2 rushing TDs in a 49-14 win against UCF. Season 155-227 passing, 2,661 yards, 32 TDs, 9 INTs, QB rating: 212.8. If Johnson keeps putting up the stats it's going to be harder to justify his low position. He was solid but not spectacular last week and needs to dominate Conference USA teams to make a real mark.

While it may be a bit too early to hand out the NHL hardware and ponder whether Nicklas Lindstrom will win his seventh Norris Trophy, he will, if Alexander Ovechkin will make it back-to-back Hart Trophy victories, yep, or if interest will rise along with on-ice pugilisim, hell yes!, we can still recognize the players and teams with impressive mantle pieces. The Rocky Balboa Award. Georges Laraque, Montreal. Given to a one-dimensional goon who cashes in. At 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing in at 255 pounds, the Montreal native may not be the biggest enforcer on the ice, that honor belongs to the Bruin's 6-foot 9-inch Zdeno Chara, but there ain't no better scrapper in the league. After spending two seasons as Sidney Crosby's bodyguard, Laraque has cashed in with a three-year-deal that will net the winger $4.5 million. Not a bad payday for a player who has averaged eight minutes a game and whose skills were so impressive that he did not even suit up for the last five games of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Tony Romo Award. The Detroit Red Wings Given to the team that has it all (wealth, history) and gets even richer (Jessica Simpson). Missing games because of a broken pinkie notwithstanding. Coming off another Presidents' Trophy - its fourth in six years - and their 11th cup, the New York Yankees of the National Hockey League lands the biggest free agent on the market - forward Marian Hossa - in a very un-New York way. Hossa took a considerable pay cut to put on the red sweater, which has to make Penguins' fans even more irate. Declining multi-year offers from Pittsburgh, Montreal, the Rangers, Minnesota and Edmonton, Hossa signed a one-year deal worth $7.45 million for a shot a winning the cup. The Clint Eastwood Award. Martin Brodeur, New Jersey. Given to the player who though aged remains at the top of his game. The 36-year-old goaltender is competing for his fifth Venzina Trophy - he's won four of the last five - and after 14 seasons remains the games most durable netminder, leading all goalies in minutes played over the last three seasons. During those same three years, he has finished first in wins, goals against average and save percentage. Two seasons ago he set the single season record for victories with 48 and next month he will become the all-time leader in career wins. As of this writing he trailed Patrick Roy by eight. The Simon and Garfunkel Award. Colorado. Given to the team still looking for Joe Dimaggio. Since Patrick Roy retired following the 2003 season, and in the six months since Roy was suspended by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for instigating a fight between his son Jonathan and two members of the Chicoutimi Saguen