Monday, October 20, 2003

At the moment, Larry Fitzgerald's name is at the top of my Heisman Trophy ballot. There isn't a better college football player in America. There just can't be.

"Larry might be the best receiver in Pittsburgh, college or pros," Pitt coach Walt Harris has said.

"When the ball is in the air, it's not fair. He just has tremendous ball skills."

Unfortunately, the odds against Fitzgerald winning the Heisman are more enormous than ever.

One reason is his position. That has always worked against him. Only three wide receivers -- Nebraska's Johnny Rodgers, Michigan's Desmond Howard and Notre Dame's Tim Brown -- have won the award and they also returned kicks. There's an incredible bias toward quarterbacks and running backs. It's a joke that a player such as Miami tight end Kellen Winslow has no chance. In the latest ESPN.com Heisman poll, he ranked 16th. If Fitzgerald isn't the best player in the country -- he was fourth in the poll -- Winslow is.

But an even bigger factor against Fitzgerald is Pitt's disappointing first half. The Panthers' ragged 42-32 win against Rutgers Saturday -- a game in which he had eight catches for a career-high 207 yards and two touchdowns -- wasn't enough to get them back into The Associated Press Top 25 poll. They almost certainly will have to win out for him to get serious Heisman consideration. With remaining games at Boston College and West Virginia and home games against Virginia Tech and Miami, that seems virtually impossible, especially considering the way they are playing defensively.

That's a shame for Fitzgerald.

Since the AP poll began in 1936, only four Heisman winners played on teams that weren't ranked. The most recent was Auburn's Bo Jackson in 1985.

It's even better being on a top-10 team. Of the 67 Heisman winners since 1936, all but 17 fit into that category.

That's why this year's Heisman is Oklahoma quarterback Jason White's to lose. It's hard to say he's better than Texas Tech's B.J. Symons, who throws for about a million yards each week, but he has the huge advantage of playing for the No. 1 team. The Sooners figure to still be there in December when the Heisman voting is done.

Virginia Tech running back Kevin Jones also has a better shot than Fitzgerald because the Hokies are unbeaten and ranked No. 3. He can enhance his chances with big performances in nationally televised games against West Virginia Wednesday night and Miami Nov. 1. At least Pitt will have the opportunity to slow his candidacy when it plays Virginia Tech Nov. 8.

What's sad is the Panthers would be a top-10 team -- probably a top-five team -- if not for their upset losses to Toledo and Notre Dame. Fitzgerald would be right there with White as a Heisman favorite. And he would stay there even if Pitt lost a game or two down the stretch.

But now? Pitt has no margin for error. Zero.

It's normal for the Heisman voters to downgrade a player on a three- or four- or five-loss team. I know. Last season, there were four equally deserving candidates -- Southern California's Carson Palmer, Iowa's Brad Banks, Miami's Willis McGahee and Penn State's Larry Johnson. Johnson was the one who didn't make my ballot only because his team lost the most games.

"I accept how it works," Fitzgerald said. "I think you should have to play on a great team to win. The level of success of one player isn't important compared to the success of the team."

This is a kid who is mature beyond his 20 years. He gets it. He knows what's important.

"When I see them talking about the Heisman on TV, I turn it off," Fitzgerald said. "When I see my name mentioned in the papers, I don't read it. That's just not that important to me right now. All I care about is trying to help us win as many games as possible."

No one can accuse Fitzgerald of not doing his part. He has been remarkably productive, leading Division I-A in receiving yards per game (144.8) and touchdown catches (13). He also has been remarkably consistent, catching at least one touchdown pass in 12 consecutive games, one shy of the NCAA record.

"Now, if we get to December and we're going to be playing in a BCS game in January, I might start considering [the Heisman possibilities]," Fitzgerald said.

For that to happen, Pitt has to run the table and win the Big East Conference championship.

If Fitzgerald's Heisman hopes aren't enough to get the Panthers motivated to take their best shot, nothing is.

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