BumpAndRun.com’s College Football Top 15

Look at this year’s rosters – you become quickly aware that there are a handful of teams that should be better than everyone else. And then there are a whole lot of average teams, hoping for one of the elite teams to slip up. As you take a look at my top 15, you’ll see some similarities in other rankings across the country, but you’ll see quite a few differences too. So here you go, BumpAndRun.com’s College Football Top 15 in reverse order:

15. Notre Dame: The Irish look to be back in the mix for a BCS birth this year. This will be their second year under head coach Brian Kelly, who’s known for being able to turn around programs quickly. Key games: @ Michigan 9/10, Air Force 10/8, @ Stanford 11/26.

14. Virginia Tech: The ACC is going to be very weak this year, just like the last 5 years. They don’t have to play Florida State until the conference title game. Key games: @ ECU 9/10, Clemson 10/1, @ UVA 11/26

13. Florida State: Ranked in the top 7 by most preseason polls, I just can’t give them credit when the conference is blah. They will quickly find out where they stack up against real competition. Key games: Okl 9/17, MD 10/22, @ Fla 11/26

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The U: On Death’s Door

Last week, Yahoo! Sports broke news of a huge scandal at the University of Miami. I knew I had to write about it, but exactly how to approach it has proven to be a difficult task.  Growing up, I was a fan of The U. I loved the orange uniforms, their confidence (or arrogance) every time they walked on the field, and the fact that they won more often than not. I remained a fan in high school and was a kicker for my high school team. As the end of my junior year came around, I received a few recruiting letters from The U and head coach Butch Davis. I was about as happy as any high school junior could be, in fact I still have a few of the letters to this day. I knew they weren’t going to be offering me an athletic scholarship. They did however however give me a decent sized academic scholarship. In the end I decided against playing football and stayed closer to home for college. I just wanted to give you that background so you don’t accuse me of anything at the end of this entry.

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Free Agent Frenzy Leaves One Team’s Fans With a Bitter Taste

As soon as the NFL lockout ended, all hell was set to break loose as players looked for new homes. It seemed as if most teams were organized, had a plan and began executing it. Apparently the plan for the Miami Dolphins (I am a Dolphin die-hard) was to continue down the road of being a terrible football team.

The Miami Dolphins last year had an above average defense, a fairly good running game, and a TERRIBLE passing game.  All logic pointed to the Dolphins going out and acquiring an NFL starting-caliber QB. And let me stress starting-caliber, because as we sit here on August 4th they have two NFL 3rd stringers and an undrafted FA (might be the best option) on their roster. Jeff Ireland watched Kevin Kolb and Donovan McNabb get traded, Vince Young and Matt Hasselbeck sign with other teams.

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“Dream Team” Comparison: 2011 Eagles vs. 2000 Redskins

The Eagles struck again on Tuesday, this time signing veteran running back Ronnie Brown to a one-year deal. Hours later the team agreed to terms on a one-year deal with former Broncos tackle Ryan Smith. Are they done? Who knows.

Philly’s free agency splurge has sent shockwaves throughout the league. Players, fans and writers alike are calling the 2011 Eagles a “dream team.” It got me to thinking, when was the last time an NFL team garnered this much off-season attention? When did we last witness a team stack its roster with Pro Bowl and Hall-of-Fame caliber free agents in hopes of winning a Super Bowl? When was the last time we threw out terms like dream team and the best team money can buy? Let me take you back eleven years and a few hours down I-95: the 2000 Washington Redskins.

Humor me for a few minutes:

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Jets Lap Giants in Training Camp Attendance

This offseason when Rex Ryan proclaimed to the world in his new book that the Jets were the Giants’ “Big Brother,” most folks playfully took that as just another hot-air track on the Rex Ryan Greatest Disses LP. Well, if early returns are any indication, Ryan’s Jets are lapping Big Blue in training camp attendance – and it’s not even close.

Today’s attendance for Jets training camp was 2,775 fans. The Giants’ three-day attendance total? 2,735.

Does this really mean anything in determining which team is New York’s Big Apple? Of course not. Ryan is excitable. He likes flaunting his superstars, and in turn Jets fans flock. Names like Revis Island, ‘Tone Time, Cro and The Sanchize sound a lot more exciting to watch in August than Eli and Camp Coughlin. And I’m quite sure that’s fine with the Giants’ no-nonsense head coach. Something tells me that TC isn’t too beat up over not having hoards of fans watch him conduct a practice.

Just don’t let Rex get ahold of those attendance numbers – Giants fans will never hear the end of it.

Photo: Flickr

NFC East Round-Up: Ryan Chirps, Beck Struggles, Osi Wants Out?

Dallas Cowboys – New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan may have taken an indirect shot at the Philadelphia Eagles and last week’s free agency splurge.

“I don’t know if we win the all-hype team,” Ryan said (via ESPNDallas.com). “That might have gone to someone else, but we’re going to beat their ass when we play them.”

Our Take: Wow, these Ryan boys sure hate the spotlight, don’t they? You don’t think he’s a little upset that the Cowboys lost The Nnamdi Sweepstakes (his former player) to the Eagles, do you? Rob’s obviously trying to fire up his D and I bet it works. In case you were wondering, the Cowboys visit Philly on October 30th and the Eagles travel to Dallas on Christmas Eve.

New York Giants – The Giants have allowed disgruntled defensive end Osi Umenyiora to seek a trade, but they are asking for a 1st round pick in return. Umenyiora made his feelings known in an email to the Associated Press. He also took a dig at newly-paid Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson:

“How does a guy who had one good year (no disrespect to Charles Johnson) sign a deal and make more than both me and (Justin) Tuck combined? It’s not right.”

Our Take: Sour grapes (no disrespect), Osi? First off, there’s no chance that any team gives up a first-round pick for Umenyiora’s services. None. Second, Umenyiora signed a six-year extension in 2005. Since signing that extension, he has never equaled the 14.5 sacks that he registered in ’05 — the year he got paid. Throw in the injury history and a log jam at the DE position in NY (Tuck, Pierre-Paul, Kiwanuka), why would Jerry Reese rip up his deal and give him a new one?

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See you in 2011!

A big thanks to all of our readers — we look forward to the 2011 season (and yes, there will be a season).

BumpAndRun.com Play Sheet – Week 16

Merry Christmas from BumpAndRun.com! Your FREE Play Sheet provides fantasy rankings, weekly picks and survivor pool solutions on one printable page. It’s sent straight to your inbox every week during football season.
 
As you prepare your fantasy line-up, finalize your weekly picks or decide which team to select in your survivor pool, BumpAndRun.com will serve as your “second opinion.”

Click Here to Download Your Week 16 Play Sheet!

BumpAndRun.com Play Sheet – Week 15

Sign-up for your FREE Play Sheet and get fantasy rankings, weekly picks and survivor pool solutions on one printable page. It’s sent straight to your inbox every week during football season.
 
As you prepare your fantasy line-up, finalize your weekly picks or decide which team to select in your survivor pool, BumpAndRun.com will serve as your “second opinion.”

Click Here to Download Your Week 15 Play Sheet!

Tick, Tick, Tick…Time Might be Running Out on These Coaches

Three coaches have already been let go this season as Dallas, Minnesota and Denver have all decided to go in different directions next season.  How many others will suffer the same fate in just a few weeks? Here is your list of coaches that could be sent packing:

Jeff Fisher, Tennessee Titans: It appears Fisher’s time in Tennessee is running out. The Titans stand at 5-8 and have been all but eliminated from playoff contention.  Through the course of this season it seems as if the team has slowly tuned him out. Add to that the Vince Young saga and the writing appears to be on the wall.

Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins stand at 7-6, but have a 1-5 home record. Management gave him an all-pro wide receiver this year in Brandon Marshalland improved the defensive personnel, but the team hasn’t improved. The play calling has been awful and Chad Henne has regressed. At the very least, there will be a new offensive coordinator in Miami, but my guess is Sparano is also on his way out.

Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans: Yup, I predicted that he’d win Coach of the Year honors, yet Houston is the same inconsistent team it always has been. At this point, all the blame has to fall on Kubiak. He has an all-pro at quarterback, wide receiver and running back, yet can’t even get his team to a .500 record.

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