Fingers crossed for Mariota

Hawaii football fans are pretty stoked that one of our own is quite likely to be the next Heisman Trophy winner: Marcus Mariota. The Saint Louis School graduate, now quarterback of the No. 2-ranked University of Oregon, is widely considered to have a lock on the uber-prestigious award, given annually to the "outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity."

Mariota’s football numbers are amazing, but just as important is that he’s always let his actions speak for themselves, instead of blowing his own horn.

The Heisman ceremony will be televised Saturday from New York. And if Mariota wins, another treat awaits: for the first time ever, two Heisman Trophy winners — Mariota and quarterback Jameis Winston of Florida State University (last year’s winner) — would face off at the Rose Bowl in the inaugural College Football Playoff semifinals on Jan. 1.

CGI Group needs to clean up mess

Remember a year ago, when there was an uproar over CGI Group Inc., the Canadian tech company behind the botched rollout of the Hawaii Health Connector online insurance exchange?

Now the nonprofit Connector has decided to keep the website builder on contract at least through Sept. 30. The contract pay has been cut from $2.6 million to $1 million. Officials said that’s achieved by limiting CGI to the last "cleanup items" on the job list.

As much as the impulse is to show CGI the door, this phase-down of the business relationship seems the rational way to go. But when September rolls around, we should be asking: How’s that job list going, folks?