1. Colt McCoy, Texas: The top three guys from my Heisman ballot last year return and I'm beginning 2009 with my No. 1 guy from 2008, Colt McCoy, in the same position. McCoy is a great leader, a dangerous runner, has a quick release and is incredibly accurate (77 percent in 2008.) He also performed at an incredibly high level throughout the season and didn't have any subpar games. Better still, he has the benefit of having his O-line back (unlike Sam Bradford) and his top playmaker back (unlike Tim Tebow) in Jordan Shipley. Plus, I think there will be a feeling among the Heisman electorate that will cause them to side with McCoy if it's a toss-up in the voting, feeling like it's "his turn."

2. Tim Tebow, Florida: Tebow is definitely in the mix, especially since his team is the preseason No. 1 and there is a huge celebrity quality about him now. I'm intrigued to see this Tebow Version 2.0 with the arrival of new QB coach Scot Loeffler. Tebow was already pretty accurate. Will his tightened-up delivery enable him to take the next step as a passer? Tebow figures to put up a lot of yardage both on the ground and through the air but I wonder if Urban Meyer will try and not have him run quite as much.

3. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma: I'll put Bradford No. 3 going into the season. Truth is, it's splitting hairs between the top three guys, but we've seen how hard it can be for an offense breaking in almost an entirely new O-line and I suspect those growing pains will affect the Sooner offense at times this season. Bradford still has a lot of weapons to throw for a ton of yards, especially relying on TE Jermaine Gresham. Plus the Sooners will be in some compelling early-season matchups (BYU and at Miami) to get generate some buzz.

BYU's Max Hall isn't even on the list.

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The German Pancake

A hospital that serves thousands of indigent Massachusetts residents sued the state on Wednesday, charging that its costly universal health care law is forcing the hospital to cover too much of the expense of caring for the poor.

Named honorable-mention All-American by SportsIllustrated.com and was a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award. Matched school record with seven TD passes against UCLA, earning an ESPN helmet sticker. His 35 scoring throws were a Mountain West Conference record.

Under one idea being discussed, delinquent homeowners would surrender ownership of their homes but would continue to live in the property for several years, the sources told Reuters.

Officials are also considering whether the government should make mortgage payments on behalf of borrowers who cannot keep up with their home loans

So the government would help pay your mortgage if you could not afford it? You buy a house that you can no longer afford, and your neighbor helps pay your mortgage because you no longer can afford it? First we are required to pay for the medical bills of our neighbors. Now we are being asked to pay for their mortgage too???

As tourists lined up to snap photos of the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign Monday morning, many noticed something amiss.

Red graffiti was scrawled on the famous landmark, defacing the main face and one of its structural legs.

That is messed up.

Vandals damage the Las Vegas landmark sign.

PROVO — Police arrested an LDS seminary principal Thursday after they say he spent several months grooming a 16-year-old student for a sexual relationship.

In a conference call with reporters Monday, education officials said $2.5 billion of the new funds would go toward new community college facilities, with the rest going to an assortment of grants designed to boost graduation rates and encourage the teaching of skills that will better prepare students for jobs in a changing economy that is increasingly demanding a more highly educated workforce.

On Tuesday, Exxon plans to announce an investment of $600 million in producing liquid transportation fuels from algae — organisms in water that range from pond scum to seaweed.

Kirsten Gillibrand: Gillibrand had a chance to shine today as one of the two senators chosen to formally introduce Sotomayor. But, Gillibrand wound up getting cut off by Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and managed to call Justice Antonin Scalia "Anthony." Still, for those not paying close attention to the hearings (i.e., most voters) Gillibrand's prominence in advocating for the first Hispanic nominee to the Court should help her in her primary fight against Rep. Carolyn Maloney next year.

Jeff Sessions: Democrats insisted that Sessions's tone was way over the top, coming across as mean-spirited rather than merely challenging. It will be interesting to see what sort of approach Sessions will take when he gets his chance to ask questions of Sotomayor.

Arlen Specter: It was odd to see a titan of the Judiciary Committee -- back when he was a Republican -- reduced to a speaking slot between a caretaker (Sen. Ted Kauffman of Delaware) and Franken. Not a great moment for Specter who must be stewing about his junior role in this hearing. Of course, if he get

Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's opinions show support for the rights of criminal defendants and suspects, skepticism of corporations, and sympathy for plaintiffs alleging discrimination, an analysis of her record by The Washington Post found.

Hardly a surprise. She's in the mainstream of judges appointed by Democrats.

Counties that supported Obama last year have reaped twice as much money per person from the administration's $787 billion economic stimulus package as those that voted for his Republican rival

Probably because the big cities vote Democratic, and that's where the public spending goes in general.