Red Card Top 25- Championship Week
Hey folks, welcome back to the Top 25. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and were able to help those a little less fortunate than yourself. On that note I would like to list the Top 25 things that I am thankful for. This list made me realize how blessed I truly am. Here it is (in no particular order):
Chipotle, buffalo sauce, my beard (and beard trimmer), working indoors, the gym, Sperry’s, FIFA 12, Chick-fil-A, a tasty Guiness, Tim Tebow (and the Broncos D), Uprise Design, TKE Alumni Weekend, U.S. Soccer, friends that like soccer, a Stella’s burger (best in NE), moms cooking, sticky notes, Men In Blazers, Red Bull, a fine cigar, friends abroad, the men and women of the military, my very best friends, the readers of my blog, and last but CERTAINLY not least; my family. Whew.
Definitely thankful for the Top 25.
- LSU. Is there any doubt that this team is the best in the nation? No? Good.
- Alabama. They have taken care of their business. Now the Tide gets to wait to see if Oklahoma St. will jump them with a win over Oklahoma.
- Oklahoma St. Easy scenario: win big against OU and they should make the National Championship game. If not, to the Fiesta Bowl they go.
- Stanford. Just like last year, they will just miss a National Championship bid by 1 game.
- Virginia Tech. 1 word for their win over Virginia: shellacking.
- USC. I would love to see how the Trojans stack up in a high profile bowl game, but alas, we will not see that. They are playing great football right now.
- Houston. The Cougars could be headed to a BCS bowl with a win over Southern Miss.
- Boise St. The Broncos BCS dreams are most likely over.
- Arkansas. If dont like LSU running up the score on you, it is probably best to have not done it 2 years earlier. Karma.
- Oregon. Oregon goes to the Rose Bowl if they show up to Autzen Stadium Friday night.
- Oklahoma. Bedlam time. Forget the records, this game will be fun to watch.
- Georgia. The Bulldogs could spoil the whole BCS picture if they are able to upset LSU. Lets not forget, they are on a 10 game winning streak.
- South Carolina. The Gamecocks beat rival Clemson convincingly last week. They will most likely be headed towards a New Years Day bowl game.
- Wisconsin. The Badgers systematically destroyed Penn St. to win the Leaders Division last week. Is it revenge time for Bucky?
- Michigan St. They have a chance to go to the Rose Bowl by beating Wisconsin this week. Look for the fightin’ Dantonio’s to be ready.
- Kansas St. K-State has an outside chance of a BCS at-large bid if a couple of teams ahead of them lose this week.
- Michigan. The Wolverines will be fighting K-State for the last at-large BCS bid after their nail-biting win over Ohio St.
- Baylor. 2 letters, 3 numerals: RGIII.
- TCU. The Horned Frogs ended the regular season strong and are awaiting their bowl fate.
- Nebraska. After a convincing win over Iowa to end the season, the Huskers may be headed to a New Years Day Bowl.
- Clemson. Oh how the Tigers have fallen. They could save their season with a win against Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship.
- Penn St. Well, the Nitany Lions gave it a good run, but they ran into the buzz saw that is Wisconsin playing in Madison.
- West Virginia. The Mountaineers could still make a BCS bowl game, as silly as that is.
- Cincinnati. The Bearcats will be fighting West Virginia for that BCS bowl bid as well. They host UCONN this week.
- Florida St. The Seminoles went into the Swamp and took it to the Gators. Good win.
Still my leader in the Heisman race.
Heisman Contenders:
- Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford. Luck is still the leader in my clubhouse. He has done more with less than any of the candidates on this board. Plus, he passes the eye test to everyone, and I mean everyone.
- Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor. A month ago, RGIII was nowhere to be found on this board. Now, if he can have a MONSTER game against Texas, he has a chance to win the Heisman trophy. Wow.
- Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama. Mr. Richardson definitely had a grown-man performance against rival Auburn last week. His 204 yards were more than the Auburn team had on offense. It wouldnt surprise me if he won the Heisman, but I think Luck has had a bigger impact on his team than Richardson.
Other contenders: Matt Barkley, QB, USC; Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin; Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma St.; Case Keenum, QB, Houston.
Bedlam is always an entertaining rivalry.
Games of the Week:
- #14 Georgia vs. #1 LSU. Here it is. The last hurdle for LSU to jump before entering the National Championship picture. To be fair, I think Georgia will put up a big time fight against the Tigers. They have the talent at the skill positions to really mess with LSU. Plus, they are riding a 10 game win streak. BUT, before you go buying stock in the Bulldogs, remember that LSU just crushed the #3 team in the land. They should win, even with a pro-Georgia crowd in Atlanta. Prediction: LSU 35-21. Confidence: 8.
- #10 Oklahoma at #3 Oklahoma St. One word: BEDLAM. This game is always a frantic, high-energy, doesnt matter who’s favored type of affair. This year should be no exception. Both teams have extremely explosive offenses. Both teams have defenses that tend to give up big plays. Both teams have elite quarterbacks in Landry Jones and Brandon Weeden. The difference in this game will be whoever seizes momentum early in the game. If Oklahoma State and Brandon Weeden get into an offensive rhythm then it could be a long day for the Sooners. Remember, with a good margin of victory, the ‘Pokes could still get into the National Championship. They will be motivated. Prediction: Oklahoma St. 47-31. Confidence: 6.
- #5 Virginia Tech vs. #20 Clemson. Time for a rematch in the ACC Championship. In October, when Clemson was riding an unforseen hot streak, they waltzed into Blacksburg and just took it to Virginia Tech like few do in Lane Stadium. At that point, it looked like Clemson was a lock to make at least the Orange Bowl. Oh my, how things have changed. Since that game Virginia Tech hasnt lost, and Clemson has lost 3 times. Both teams are going in opposite directions and I expect that trend to continue in Charlotte. Prediction: Virginia Tech 31-24. Confidence: 8.
- #15 Wisconsin vs. #13 Michigan St. This might be the rematch of the year (minus Alabama-LSU). In October, these two teams played the most exciting game of the year with Michigan St. winning on a Hail Mary touchdown with 0.0 seconds on the clock. It was one of the great finishes in the last 5 years in college football. After that game was over, many people sensed that these two teams might meet again in the conference championship. Both were clearly the strongest teams in their respective divisions and play a very similar style of football. The key to this game will be Michigan St.’s front 7 on defense. If they are able to limit Wisconsin RB Montee Ball’s yards in this game, they could have a chance to pull off another late stunner. Prediction: Wisconsin 27-24. Confidence: 6.
- #22 Texas at #22 Baylor. This game is all about Robert Griffin III, plain and simple. If RGIII has a big game against big bully Texas, he could launch himself into the lead for the Heisman trophy. His numbers, passing efficiency, and big game poise have NFL scouts drooling over him. Look for Texas to blitz him early and often to shake him, but in the end, look for the Baylor Bears to end the season at 9-3. Thats weird to say. Prediction: Baylor 48-29. Confidence: 8.
- UCLA at #5 Oregon. Just kidding.
LOL.
Time to hand out a few much-needed RED CARDS:
- To the B1G Conference for 11 am kick offs: RED CARD. 11 am kickoffs have ruined this football season for me. I am a night game kind of guy, but thats fine if you dont allow them in November- I get that with weather concerns. I just ask for 2:30 pm kick offs. Give me a chance to wake up before tailgating.
- To Auburn’s offense: RED CARD. Alabama RB Trent Richardson LITERALLY had more yards of total offense than you did. Shame on you.
- To Clemson: RED CARD. Remember when you were ranked 5th? Yeah, neither do I.
- To UCLA: RED CARD. USC 50- UCLA 0. At home. Ouch. The best part about this is that when Rick Neuheisel became coach, he went after USC saying that they werent the only show in Los Angeles. Whoops. Ironically, he lost his job by losing to the only show in L.A., USC.
- To the NCAA for granting UCLA a bowl exemption: RED CARD. This team is horrible and is going to lose to Oregon by 50 on Friday. How on Earth do they deserve to go to a bowl game? A bowl game should be earned, not given out like Halloween candy.
- To Texas A&M: RED CARD. You had your rival, at home, down in the 4th quarter…..and like LeBron in 4th quarter of the NBA Finals….choked. Enjoy the SEC.
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