Red Card Top 10 (11/17)

Posted by Nick Verlaney on Nov 18, 2010 in NCAA Football | 2 comments

- Hey everyone, thanks again for all the comments that have been rolling in the last few weeks. It makes this site fun and interactive, which is excellent. Ill do my best to answer your posts ASAP.

- A quick note: Ndamukong Suh is getting his #93 jersey retired at the Colorado game next week. Great for him. Im glad that I will be there to see it.

- A quick music recommendation for this week. This could come as a surprise to many, but Im going to recommend 5.0 by Nelly. I know it has been awhile since we all viewed Nelly as a top-tier rapper, but lets not forget at one time, he was what Lil Wayne is now. I like his new album, and it really shows how his style has grown over the years.

- A got a few questions from people last week about what a “flat-bill high five” is, so Ill clarify this for everyone. In lieu of a lot of “bro’s” wearing their hats with the bill left flat, and thus acting like total bros, I have created a high-five that truly captures their bro essence. First, take your hand and leave it flat. Next, connect your wrist to your forehead, creating a flat bill of your own. Finally, touch your “bill” with another flat bill high-fiver, and you have officially given a flat bill high five, brah. FBH5 is the official abbreviation of the flat bill high-five, taking after My Life is Bro [MLIB] and Total Fraternity Move [TFM]. Copyrighted, bro.

- Eva Longoria is getting divorced from Tony Parker for cheating on her with former teammate Brent Barry’s wife. They have a phrase for you Tony, SUCKS TO SUCK. I would shut my eyes around all other women if I was married to Eva. RED CARD.

- I would again like to touch on the developing Cam Newton situation before we jump into the Top 10. It appears that someone new is coming forth with new information about what allegedly happened every day. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Newton’s recruitment wasnt as closely watched as I anticipated it was. Maybe there is smoke because there is fire out there. All are completely possible. BUT, I will say, again, PLEASE dont get caught up in the daily BS machine that is the 24 hour media. Please do yourself a favor, and wait until all the facts come out. A couple friends of mine came up with good thoughts about the Cam Newton situation. 1) Tyler said “The timing of the allegations aren’t fishy; they’re inevitable. Greatness attracts scrutiny. If Cam Newton turned out to be an average quarterback, chances are we never here about this.” 2) Jimmy said that if the investigators wanted a quick way to figure out where money exchanged hands, they would go to the IRS. You dont think the IRS would want to miss out on taxing a couple hundred thousand dollars, do you? Both are really good, constructive thoughts about this. If you have your own, post them below.

- Lets take a look at what the middle of November brings to the Red Card Top 10.

1. Oregon. Well, apparently the Ducks are humans after all. The point is that they won, and this time of year, that is all that matters.
2. Auburn. With everything that is swirling above the program right now, the Tigers rallied from 14 down to win by 18 against a feisty Georgia team. Impressive.
3. TCU. It wasnt pretty, especially considering their dominance over their previous opponents, but TCU won. Again, style points dont matter to me at this point in the year. I would stack this team up against anyone in the country.
4. Boise St. Another week, another 40 point win. When did this become so boring?
5. Stanford. Much like TCU, the Cardinal were coming off a huge win, and were flat last Saturday against ASU. Much like TCU, they still won.
6. Wisconsin. 83 points? Are you serious? I dont like the fact that the Badgers seemingly ran up the score against Indiana, but they did some of that damage with 3rd and 4th team players. They arent a “sexy” football team, but they line up and play old school football every week, which makes them tough to beat in my book.
7. Nebraska. I know many folks were expecting a 55-0 beatdown of Kansas, which made the 20-3 final seem very, for lack of a better word, boring. But, lost in the bore, was that the Blackshirts allowed 87 total yards of offense the entire game, with 15 of those coming through the air. That is as impressive of a defensive performance as there as been all year from any team. 87 yards is phenomenal for one quarter, but for a game? Ridiculous. Bo has his boys clicking at the right time.
8. Ohio State. After stumbling early, the fightin’ Terrelle Pryor’s out-muscled a beaten up Penn State squad, 38-14. Next up: @ Iowa.
9. LSU. I know, I know. People think Im crazy for even considering putting the Tigers so low in the rankings, and to do it, for shame! I just dont think that they are as good as everyone else thinks they are. Lets not forget that they are good clock management from Tennessee away from losing at least 2 games. Plus, they dont have a shot at that SEC title anymore.
10. Oklahoma State. The Cowboys continued to pour salt in Texas’ many wounds, housing the Longhorns 33-16 in Austin, and it wasnt that close.

- Here is my look at the race for the Heisman Trophy:

1. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn. Of course he has off-the-field issues, but until he is proven guilty, I have him #1. Also, his 301 total yards and 4 total TD’s against Georgia was pretty nice too.
2. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon. Not a great week for James, as he, and the rest of the Oregon team had a bad game. Only 102 total yards and no touchdowns, but his season totals of 1,444 yards and 17 touchdowns are good enough to keep him in 2nd place.
3. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford. Luck, like James, had a mediocre week. 292 yards and no touchdowns isnt spectacular, but his team keeps winning. His leadership and toughness make him an ideal candidate.

- Knocking on the door: Kellen Moore, QB, Boise St. Derron Thomas, QB, Oregon.

- Another stellar week of games that can change the title race include (rankings are based off current BCS standings):

• #9 Ohio State at #20 Iowa. This could be the last real test for Ohio State to stay in the Big 10 title race and leap-frog Wisconsin in the BCS rankings. The Buckeyes need to win out and hope that either they are the top Big Ten team in the BCA rankings, or hope that both Wisconsin and Michigan St. lose to close out the season. Winning in Iowa City is their first priority though, and this has all the makings of a typical Big 10 slugfest. Iowa is especially upset after losing to Northwestern in the closing seconds, to drop out of the Big 10 race. this game comes down to who wants it more in my book, and Ohio St. has much more to play for. Prediction: Ohio St. 28-24. Confidence: 6.
• #8 Nebraska at #19 Texas A&M. This is a close-out game for Nebraska. If they win, they are going to Arlington as Big XII North Champs. This game is also important for A&M, as they are still mathematically in the Big XII South race. Both teams are on 4 game winning streaks. Both teams have impressive home victories over Top Ten teams. Both teams have different strengths. Nebraska relies on a strong running offense and passing defense, while the Aggies rely on a staunch rushing defense and electric passing offense. Both teams can put up points in a hurry. The difference in this game for me will be the amount of pressure that Nebraska can get on A&M QB Ryan Tannehil. Tannehil is not a threat with his legs, so the Blackshirts can pin their ears back and try and rattle him. The Huskers play great in big games on the road under Pelini as well. Prediction: Nebraska 38-21. Confidence: 5.
• #14 Oklahoma at Baylor. Oklahoma has struggled on the road. Baylor thrives at home. This has all the makings for an upset. If an upset does happen, OU gets knocked out of the race for the Big XII South, which would make rival Okie St. champions. Oklahoma needs to consistently run the ball and keep the Baylor offense off of the field to win this game. Robert Griffin is looking to rebound from that beatdown that Texas A&M laid on his team last week. Look for Griffin to bounce back, but for OU to finally play well on the road. Prediction: Oklahoma 42-35. Confidence: 7.
• #16 Virginia Tech at #24 Miami. This is it for Miami. Lose, and there is no shot at the Coastal Division crown. Win, and there is still hope, albeit, very little hope. It all starts with this game against a very stubborn Va. Tech squad, that has rebounded very nicely from their disastrous start. Miami is still without QB Jacory Harris, which will make this an even tougher task. The Canes D’ must step up huge and get to Tyrod Taylor early and often if they have a chance to win this game. Look for Virginia Tech to run the ball with authority and establish their dominance. Prediction: Virginia Tech 32-13. Confidence: 8.

- Here is what we learned from Week 10 in the NFL (Im trying to come up with a funny name for this section, so if you have a good one, comment below and I may use it!):

• If Michael Vick plays like he did against the Redskins on Monday Night for the rest of the year, he will de-throne Peyton Manning as MVP. The man is on a different level right now. It is beautiful to watch.
• DeSean Jackson said this after the pre-game fight with LaRon Landry of the Redskins: “We were like pit bulls, ready to get out of the cage.” Really, DeSean? Really? Of all the phrases you could have used, dogfighting was the message that you wanted to convey especially with Mike Vick on your team? RED CARD.
• If the Eagles continue to play like this, look out NFC. They are my favorites to win the NFC right now, but they are an injury or 2 away from not winning their division.
• Speaking of the NFC East, how about the egg that the Giants laid against happless Dallas? Have a chance to establish yourselves as the clear favorite in, not only the East, but the entire NFC, and you blow it to a 1-7 team who couldnt hold their own jock strap? RED CARD.
• If not for the Eagles on Monday, the most impressive win of the weekend had to be the Patriots big win over the Steelers, in Pittsburgh. The 39-26 final was not as close as it looked. The Patriots havent played that well since the ’07 season.
• Im not a Tom Brady fan, but I like to see him fired up and yelling at his team. It makes him seem less like a super-model playing football, and more like a grown-ass-man who happens to be married to a super model. Either way, he wins.
• As for the Steelers, I dont think this game was indicative of their entire season, but they do have some clear issues. Their offensive line is in shambles, which leaves Big Ben to make more errant throws than usual. Also, their defensive backs need to learn how to cover again. Leaving receivers with space is generally a bad idea, look at the ’07 Nebraska defense as a reference.
• If not for both the Eagles and Patriots performances, the dominance of the Broncos over the division-leading Chiefs was something that boggled most peoples minds. I mean honestly, where did that beat down come from? For my sake as a fan, please play like that the rest of the season, Broncos.
• Congrats to Tim Tebow for throwing his first NFL TD. If Tebow comes in on a goal line package, he will not be stopped until a TD is scored. Fact.
• How about that Hail Mary that the Jaguars won with? That was 1 of 4 plays in the history of the NFL that won the game with 0.0 seconds left on the clock. Good for Jack Del Rio and the Jags.
• Im happy that Donovan McNabb got a fat new 78 million dollar contract. He deserves it. The problem I have with it is that the Redskins can let him go at any point and only give up $3.5 million. That is straight-up robbery. RED CARD.
• Just when I thought the Lions were approaching being a mid-tier team, they go and lose to the 0-8 Bills. RED CARD.
• If only Detroit had Matt Stafford all year instead of 3 games…..what could have been.
• How about that sense of urgency from the Vikings? Losing by 14 to the Bears was the final nail in both the Vikings and Brad Childress’s coffin. So much talent, and so few wins. RED CARD.
• The Bears may be the worst 6-3 team I have ever seen. RED CARD.
• The Browns are the best 3-6 team in the league right now.
• So let me get this straight, the Seahawks get blown out by the Giants, and then go blow out Arizona in Arizona? Easily the most schizophrenic team in the NFL.
• Will the real Houston Texans please stand up? RED CARD
• John Fox must be happy that he will be fired at season’s end. The Panthers are really, really bad. RED CARD.
• How do the Jets keep escaping in OT? They are the first team ever to win 2 consecutive overtime games.
• You would hate to be a Dolphins QB right now, huh? 2 down last week, and only 2 more on the roster. Uh-oh.
• I give the fightin’ Manning’s mad props for continuing to win with so many injuries. That is why Peyton will be the MVP…..again.
• My MVP voting, in order: Manning, Brady, Vick.