TOP TEN- 11-20-06

Everybody has a Top 10. NS is no different. But rather than focus just on college basketball or the NFL, we’ve decided to throw every sport –NBA, PBA, PGA- into the same pool and simply fish out the best athletes/teams each Monday. Let the debating commence…

1. Ohio football- The No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes’ near-classic win over No. 2 Michigan solidifies the team’s place in the BCS Championship. Cincinnati’s huge upset over No. 7 Rutgers assures them of at least the Liberty Bowl.
2. Jimmie Johnson- JJ didn’t win the Ford 400 –Greg Biffle did- but he didn’t need to in order to win his first Nextel Championship. You put up a good fight there though, Matt Kenseth.
3. Buffalo Sabres- You might not be into hockey, but if you’re not at least seeing the nightly highlights of these NHL wonders, you’re doing yourself a disservice as a sports fan. Hand’em the Cup now!
4. Maryland Lady Terps- The defending NCAA champs are loaded (Crystal Langhorne, Shay Doron) and don’t look the least bit worried about making a repeat run.
5. Florida Gators- The football team has an outside shot –waaay outside- of making the BCS title game with an SEC title. The No. 1-ranked basketball team can beat you from the outside, inside or whatever side it chooses.
6. Utah Jazz- The most interesting thing about the NBA’s best team in November isn’t the fact they’re off to a franchise-best 9-1 start; it’s actually that guard Deron Williams is becoming a certified star and no one’s really noticed.
7. USC Trojans- What a week for Southern Cal! Not only did the title game-sniffing Trojans smack up Cal, but the basketball team made its own winning play: getting hoops phenom O.J. Mayo to sign a letter of intent.
8. San Diego Chargers- Philip Rivers is a certified starter. LaDanian Tomlinson is a certified Hall of Famer. Shawne Merriman, who’s one week from returning from suspension, is a certified beast. Rest of the league, watch out for the 8-2 Bolts.
9. North Carolina Lady Tar Heels- It’s truly unbelievable how loaded the No. 2 Heels really are…Oh, and the No. 2 ranked guys team ain’t half bad either.
10. Indianapolis Colts- So Dallas got the best of them on Sunday. With the ridiculous “Will they go 16-0?” monkey off their backs, Peyton and Co. can finally take care of business—clinching the AFC North.

Almost Made The Cut: Chicago Cubs (signing Alfonso Soriano), Nashville Predators (8-1-1 over the last 10), Oral Roberts (upset then-No. 3 Kansas by 7)

Three WORST: Memphis Grizzlies (off to a 1-8 start), Rutgers (your textbook letdown loss vs. Cincy), Atlanta Falcons (your textbook definition of inconsistency)