The Red Card Top 10

Posted by Nick Verlaney on Sep 22, 2010 in NCAA Football | 6 comments

*** If you like good music, check out WAKE UP! by John Legend and The Roots, and Habits by The Neon Trees. Pure awesomeness.

Hey Red-Card Nation, here are my current Top 10 teams (I decided not to do a full 25, because at this point, there is not enough separation between teams 11-25 to make an accurate list).

1. Alabama: Look very strong and poised to make my prediction of having 2 losses at year-end look very bad.
2. Ohio St. : After dismantling Miami, the Buckeyes look to cruise through Big 10 season.
3. Oregon: Easily the most explosive team in the country through 3 weeks. Their real test with come against my pick to win the Pac 10, Stanford. How hilarious is the Duck doing push-ups, though?
4. Nebraska: through 3 weeks, the Huskers appear to have an offense to help their already stellar defense win big games. Taylor Martinez has been electric, and could be a Heisman dark horse IF he continues to play this well. The Blackshirts have the best pass defense in the nation by far, just ask Jake Locker.
5. TCU: With all the hype around Boise St, the Horned Frogs have quietly been marking their territory for January.
6. Oklahoma: If the OU team that played Florida St shows up every week, they will win the National Championship, but they lack consistency at this point in the year. Their annual barometer game against Texas should tell us a lot about where the Sooners are and are going.
7. Arkansas: Everyone knows about Ryan Mallet, but have you seen the ‘Hogs D? They could knock off Alabama this week. If they do, watch out.
8. Boise St. : Call me a hater, but Im still not sold on Boise St, especially after it appears that VA Tech is not up to snuff this year. They will need to destroy Oregon St to stay relevant.
9. South Carolina: A Steve Spurrier coached team is winning with a power running game and a stout defense? You know it is driving the ‘Ol Ball Coach insane, but SC is also doing a fine job of making my 7-5 prediction look awful.
10. Texas: Look, they are LOADED with talent, but for whatever reason, they cannot run the ball. If this trend continues, they are not only going to lose 1 or 2 games, but maybe 3. Their defense as a whole is probably the best in the country right now, which will keep them in games.

- My top 3 Heisman front runners (feel free to add yours to the comments section below):

1. Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan. His numbers are staggering. Even more so, the hapless Wolverines of last year are winning this year. Credit “Shoelace” for saving Rich Rod’s job……for now.
2. Ryan Mallet, QB, Arkansas. He can really solidify his chances by beating Alabama. Good luck.
3. Terrell Pryor, QB, Ohio St. He hasnt be as spectacular as he was against Oregon in the Rose Bowl, but anyone can see another breakout performance coming….soon.

- How gutsy was that fake field goal call that Michigan St beat Notre Dame with on Saturday? Not only did it give coach Mark Dantonio a heart attack after the game, but it may have catapulted Michigan State’s season. The after-effects that a win like that have should not be underestimated. It is kind of ironic that Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly wasnt the one that had the heart attack though, right?

- I would also like to wish former Nebraska Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove’s son, Connor, a speedy recovery from his recently diagnosed Leukemia. I know that the Cosgrove’s left Lincoln on bad terms, but I would hope that everyone could see past the football side of this and see the family that is hurting. I already sent “Coz” an email wishing them well. I would hope that you can spare 2 minutes and do the same. His email can be found on http://www.gophersports.com/. Step up.

- You have to feel bad for the Houston Cougars right now. Not only did they lose QB Case Keenum, a possible Heisman candidate, but they also lost their backup QB……in 1 game. Ouch. I think Nebraska is the only team in the country that could go to their 3rd string QB and still make a New Year’s Day bowl game. Is there another team that could make do?

- What do you think of the Reggie Bush-Heisman controversy? My take on him giving back his Heisman is two-fold. 1) It was the best PR move he could have made in the wake of everything that was swirling around him. He was sick of it, and gave it back before the Heisman trust could take it from him. Desmond Howard did bring up a good point about U$C though; its fine that they have distanced themselves from Reggie, but what about all the BCS bowl game money the Trojans won over those 4 years? Did they give that money back to the NCAA? I think not. They made that bed together and now are forced to sleep in it.  2) It is sad that the most exciting football player I have watched is no longer the Heisman winner. He will always carry that title in my book, and the amazing moments he had on the football field will never be taken away. Tape doesnt lie.

- Moving on to the NFL, lets take a look at what is making noise through week 2.

• Ray Lewis is still the baddest man on the planet. I dare you to tell him otherwise. Animals want to learn how to talk just so they can hang out with him.
• The Jets are fine. They are idiots, but they are fine.
• The Steelers are winning without Big Ben, just imagine when he gets back. Look out.
• Tom Brady (Shaggy from scooby-doo) needs a haircut. Like zoinks Scooby. Tom gets a Red Card for that doo.
• Injuries will prevent an 18 game regular season schedule.
• The Bengals will win games with defense,  T.O. and OchoCinco are playing second fiddle.
• The Dolphins may win the AFC East.
• Donovan McNabb is still a top 5 QB in the NFL. The Redskins are going to the playoffs.
• Mike Vick is back, and may be more electric than ever. Scary thought.
• Ndamukong Suh has 2 sacks in his first 2 games. I guess that quarterback hunting commercial wasnt a joke.
• The Cowboys will be overrated all season.
• Brady to Moss is still working, just in case you forgot. “The Slouch” is on his game.
• All NFL referees are ripped. Why? Its not like they are UFC refs.
• Female reporters who dress inappropriately will get treated that way by 53 grown men in a locker room. Inez Sainz is nothing more than a publicity stunt from Mexico, albeit, a caliente publicity stunt from Mexico.
• The Saints can repeat, but the Colts will be waiting.
• Concussions are finally being dealt with correctly by the NFL, except by the Eagles. RED CARD.
• 49ers coach Mike Singletary is the best sound byte in sports right now.
• For any pro athlete to get a DUI is absurd. Seriously, call a limo, cab, helicopter….anything. Braylon Edwards, GET A GRIP! Seriously, what are you doing drunk on at 5 am on a Tuesday morning anyway?
• Chris Johnson is fast, but Dexter McCluster is right there with him.
• The Houston Texans are for real.

- Finally I’d like to touch on the race for October in baseball.

• As much as it pains me to say, right now, the Phillies look like the real deal. Pitching, defense, and a lethal line-up make them strong contenders for the World Series.
• My Atlanta Braves have seemingly come down to earth after exceeding expectations so much of the year. They are beating themselves and are not playing smart baseball at the WRONG time of the year. Wild card is still a possibility with the N.L. West remaining a 3 team race.
• The Giants, Padres, and Rockies are all racing towards the finish of the season. My money has been on the Giants and I havent moved since March. I think they have the pitching to compete with any team in the playoffs, but they continue to struggle to hit, which does not bode well for the post season. Look out for the Rockies to make their now patented September run to make everyone sweat.
• The Yankees and Rays continue to fight for the AL East. Something tells me that they will be seeing each other in the ALCS. Both teams can win the World Series with the amount of talent they have.
• If I had to give out awards today, here is where they would go:
• NL MVP: Carlos Gonzalez, LF, Colorado Rockies.
• NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies.
• NL Rookie of the Year: Jason Heyward, RF, Atlanta Braves.
• AL MVP: Josh Hamilton, RF, Texas Rangers.
• AL Cy Young: David Price, Tampa Bay Rays.
• AL Rookie of the Year: Neftali Feliz, RP, Texas Rangers.
• Who are your award winners?

* I would like to say a melancholy goodbye to former Denver Broncos wide receiver Kenny McKinley, who died on Monday of an apparent suicide. Its an all to familiar story for the Broncos, who have dealt with the deaths of Damien Nash and Darrent Williams since 2007. As an organization, that must be tough to go through 3 different times. I hope they are able to recover, although nobody ever really does. RIP Kenny.