Red Card Top 25- Week 9
Hey everyone, and welcome back to the Top 25. A quick note before we dive into the rankings: last weekend I visited with a few Michigan St. fans who were in Lincoln for the game, and all of them were blown away by the hospitality that was shown to them and were adamant that they would be back in 2 years. Good job Husker fans, that is what we’re all about. Now, this week is sure to bring us more controversy with the slate of games being played this week in the SEC. After last week’s ridiculous endings, there has been quite a shake up in the rankings, so without further ado let’s see what is in store for this week.
Better than Wisconsin's 4th quarter pass defense.
- LSU. Ok everyone, its time for the game of the year as LSU travels to Tuscaloosa for a 1 vs. 2 showdown. This should be fun. These are clearly the best 2 teams in college football.
- Alabama. Read ^
- Oklahoma St. Quietly, Okie St. is positioning themselves to win the Big XII and take on the winner of LSU-Alabama in the National Championship game. Next up: Kansas St.
- Stanford. Whew! After a thrilling 3 overtime win against USC, the Cardinal travel to Corvallis to take on Oregon St.
- Boise St. Boise St. is holding strong at #5. It is still feasible for them to make the National Championship game with the right teams losing.
- Oklahoma. Well, that was the Oklahoma team we expected to see. Blowing out Kansas St. restored some hope for the Big XII title. The Sooners better be wary of a schizophrenic Texas A&M team this week.
- Oregon. The Ducks just keep rolling along. They are lying in-wait for Stanford in 2 weeks.
- Arkansas. The cardiac ‘Hogs somehow keep winning. They will have to play better to beat South Carolina this week.
- Nebraska. After a comprehensive beatdown of Michigan St. at home last week, the Husker defense finally got their Blackshirts. Look for them to try and prove their worth against an explosive Northwestern offense.
- South Carolina. They travel to Arkansas this week with a must-win mentality due to Georgia’s reemergence for the SEC East crown.
- Clemson. Ouch. Losing to Georgia Tech in Atlanta isnt a bad loss, but they way they played made it that.
- Virginia Tech. Yeah….this team almost lost to Duke…..wow.
- Michigan. The Wolverines just took it straight at Purdue with little problem. They could get caught looking forward to the Nebraska game in 2 weeks when they play at Iowa this week.
- Kansas St. The game against Oklahoma brought the Wildcats down to Earth a little bit. This weeks game against Okie St. could complete that process.
- Houston. 2 words: Case Keenum.
- Penn St. There may not be a more offensively challenged team in the country, but they still somehow win.
- Michigan St. To be frank, Sparty wasnt very good in Lincoln last Saturday. They get Minnesota at home to rebound in the B1G Legends race though, so that should help.
- Georgia. The Dawgs pulled out a close one against Florida last weekend. This week they will have their best corner playing running back due to suspensions. Luckily, the game is against New Mexico St.
- USC. The Trojans nearly pulled off the upset of Stanford last week. That one will hurt for awhile.
- Wisconsin. What has happened to the Badgers in the past 2 weeks?
- Arizona St. The Sun Devils still comfortably control the Pac-12 South race.
- Georgia Tech. Where did that performance come from? The Rambling Wreck plain ol’ beat up on Clemson last week to end a 2 game skid. Next up: Virginia Tech.
- Auburn. The Tigers had a strong performance against Ole Miss last week. This week: @ Georgia.
- Texas. The Longhorns played Kansas last week. What more is there to say?
- Cincinnati. The Bearcats play at Pitt this week. They are trying to stay undefeated in Big East play.
Luck(y) and good.
Heisman Contenders:
- Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford. Mr. Luck wasnt always fantastic against USC, but he played great when it counted. That will matter to Heisman voters.
- Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama. If he can play well against a stout LSU ‘D’, then you may see him leapfrog Mr. Luck to be at the top of the rankings next week. This is where Heisman campaigns are made.
- Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma. Mr. Jones took a big step back into the race by torching Kansas St. He still has a lot of work to do to beat Richardson and Luck.
Other contenders: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma St.; Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson; Kellen Moore, QB, Boise St.; Rex Burkhead, RB, Nebraska
Easily the game of the year.
Games of the Week (rankings based on BCS):
- #1 LSU at #2 Alabama. Quick bit of advice: watch this game. It may seem obvious, but this is easily the game of the year. It has everything you want: #1 vs. #2. Power. Speed. Complex schemes. Big coaching egos. Rabid fan bases. This one could, and most likely will, determine which team plays in the SEC Championship and possibly the National Championship. LSU has been absolutely outstanding on defense this year, bringing in the 3rd rated defense in the country. A crazy as it sounds, Alabama’s defense rates better, coming in at #1. The key to this game will be turnovers. Whichever team gives the ball away more will lose this game, period. Prediction: LSU 17-14. Confidence: 5.
- #9 South Carolina at #7 Arkansas. This game has a lot of SEC implications as well. For South Carolina, a team who has been through a lot off and on the field this year, a win keeps them ahead of Georgia in the SEC East race. For Arkansas, a win ties them for 2nd place in the SEC West with the loser of the LSU-Alabama game. The key to this game will be which team plays better in the second half. Both teams seem to start slow, so look for the 2nd half to be where sparks fly. Look for Arkansas to score late to win. Prediction: Arkansas 35-27. Confidence: 6.
- #14 Kansas St. at #3 Oklahoma St. Well the Wildcats didnt have the ammunition to keep up with Oklahoma last week. They got down early and had to play catch up, which didnt work too well. Oklahoma St. arguably has more ammo than OU does, so K-State should be weary to not make the same mistakes that they did last week or this one could get ugly. Little known fact: Oklahoma St. RB Joseph Randle has 17 touchdowns in 8 games. He helps lead their offensive explosion. Prediction: Oklahoma St. 51-21. Confidence: 8.
- #22 Auburn at #18 Georgia. This is another game, like South Carolina-Arkansas, that has big time implications for the SEC. With a win Auburn, can climb back to within 2 games of the leaders of the SEC West. Georgia, after an 0-2 start, is on a roll and is looking to steal the SEC East away from South Carolina. Both teams havent played consistent football all year, which makes this game tough to predict. But, when all else fails, pick the home team. Prediction: Georgia 28-24. Confidence: 7.
It happened again?
Finally, its time to dish out some RED CARDS to those who are deserving:
- To the Kansas St. Defense: RED CARD. Ouch. I think Landry Jones just threw another touchdown on you.
- To Clemson: RED CARD. What a missed opportunity. You had the chance to salt away the ACC and keep your National Championship chances alive, and then you played your worst game of the year against a Georgia Tech team that was on a 2-game slide.
- To Texas A&M: RED CARD. This team could be undefeated. Instead, they have 3 losses.
- To Penn St.’s offense: RED CARD. You set college football back 50 years last week.
- To Arkansas: RED CARD. Stop playing down to the level of your competition or you will get burned this week.
- To Virginia Tech: RED CARD. Did you really just beat Duke 14-10? Shame on you.
- To Wisconsin: RED CARD. How’s that 4th quarter pass defense working out for you?
Love the column, Nick. A very fun read. Keep up the good work.
Thanks a lot Brandon, I appreciate it man. I read the Locker all the time.