A FINAL PUSH FOR BUSH.

Byline: TOM HOFFARTH

Even though the ballots aren't due until Dec. 7, and the winner won't get to lug the trophy through airport security until after Dec. 10, and considering Vince Young had the same effect on us Friday as tryptophan did on Thursday, is it now a foregone conclusion that the Reggie Bush push for the 2005 Heisman has officially concluded?

That's the best a restless Young could do in a statement game against rival Texas A&M, which has a pass defense ranked right below acid reflux among all of the NCAA's Division I teams?

Did you happen to notice that, of the more than 130,000 who logged a vote on ESPN.com's poll o' the day Friday, 77 percent would take Bush over Young in a head-to-head Heisman poll?

And what's the logic in snubbing Matt Leinart as the Heisman repeat if his 2005 stats are better than last year's (which they are) and the Trojans remain undefeated (which they are)?

Why not go to VoteforHeisman.com yourself and make an informed decision?

Hey, didn't you used to be Adrian Peterson?

--There's a Poinsettia Bowl? What's the point?

--An invite to lustless Liberty Bowl was the best fearsome Fresno State could get after all them Bulldogs have been through? Is it because their fans haven't been to Graceland enough times?

--Is there a worst fit for the Las Vegas Bowl than BYU? Is there some way they can move the game to Sunday, just to make sure no one will travel down from Utah to see it?

--Does USC's football team end up averaging more points a game than its basketball team?

--What's Joe Paterno doing on the cover of my Sports Illustrated? Is he the new pitchman for Vitameatavegamin?

--Bud Black was on the Colletti radar, but (so far) not Kevin Kennedy?

--Are you used to the idea yet of Nomar Garciaparra, starting shortstop for the Dodgers? And then maybe a shift to center field for the second half of the season when Cesar Izturis comes back? How about if it's a one-year, $5-million nothing-to-lose deal?

How about if Mia Hamm is part of the deal?

--When does someone in the MLB offices finally admit it was a mistake to plant a team in Miami?

--Haven't you developed a laissez-faire attitude about anything Steve Young might have to say these days on TV? Shouldn't Phil Simms do the same?

--Does an extra-large $700 face-value ticket deter you from planning an early February trip to Detroit for Super Bowl XL? What about the stuff you can find on the secondary market, such as StubHub.com, that already has high end-zone seats at Ford Field going for an unreasonable $2,150 each - for now?

--Which is the real Indianapolis Colts' defense, the one that allowed an average of six points a game through the first five games, or the one that surrendered 25 points a game through their past five?

--Wouldn't it be more appropriate for the NFL to schedule the Detroit Lions with an annual game on the Friday after Thanksgiving - with all the other leftovers?