The 2010 college football betting season is nearly here! Though anyone can rank the teams No. 1 to No. 25 in the nation in terms of SU records, here at Bankroll Sports, we are ranking our Top 25 underrated teams that could be monsters for your against the college football odds this season.

25. Ball State Cardinals (2-10, 6-5 ATS in 2009) – After a magical run in 2008 in which the Cardinals flirted with an undefeated season, Ball State came crashing back down to Earth last year under first-year HC Stan Parrish. However, this year Ball State returns their entire offense from 2009, including 2nd team All-MAC RB Miquale Lewis who should go down as the school’s all-time leading rusher with even a halfway decent 2010 campaign. The Cardinals have been friends to college football betting fans over the past five years, going 35-22-1 ATS in that span.

24. Air Force Falcons (8-5, 7-4-1 ATS in 2009) – Since taking over for the legendary Fisher DeBerry, HC Troy Calhoun has excelled in his first three years at the Air Force Academy, taking the Falcons to a 25-14 record and three straight Armed Forces Bowl appearances. QB Tim Jefferson is a dual-threat passer who can beat team with his arm or his legs and should be one of the best in the conference if he can stay healthy for the whole season.

23. Syracuse Orange (4-8, 6-5 ATS in 2009) – The Orange may be seen as a surprising candidate to be on this list, but Syracuse showed marked improvement in their first year under new HC Doug Marrone. Although the Orange managed just one more win in 2009 than in 2008, the Syracuse program showed signs of life for the first time in years, especially when the mass exodus of 20+ players prior to the start of the 2009 season is considered. The key to the offense will be RB Delone Carter who carried the ball for 1,021 yards and 11 TDs last year.

22. Rice Owls (2-10, 4-7-1 ATS in 2009) – Much like Ball State, Rice went from a fantastic 2008 CFB wagering season to a disastrous campaign in 2009. For the 2010 season though, the Owls bring back 18 starters and one of the more experienced offensive lines in the nation to provide protection for QB Nick Fanuzzi. Fanuzzi showed some promise last season in completing 60 percent of his passes for 1,598 yards with 11 TDs and eight INTs and will look to get even better in 2010.

21. Idaho Vandals (8-5, 8-5 ATS in 2009) – In any other conference in America, QB Nathan Enderle would have garnered all-conference honors last season and would be considered one of the conference favorites for Offensive Player of the Year. Last season, Venderle completed over 60 percent of his passes for 2,906 yards with 22 TDs and nine INTs while leading the Vandals to their first winning season of the decade.

20. Oregon State Beavers (8-5, 7-5 ATS in 2009) – Over the last decade, the Beavers have been one of the best teams against the NCAA betting odds in the country, going 68-48-1 ATS. With the return of the Rodgers brothers (WR James and RB Jacquizz), HC Mike Riley’s Beavers have one of the most formidable offenses in the Pac-10 and should once again challenge for the Pac-10 title now that the Trojans are ineligible to take home the trophy.

19. North Texas Mean Green (2-10, 5-7 ATS in 2009) – With only five wins over the past three seasons, it seems rather unlikely that North Texas could be on any Top 25 list, but the Mean Green have 17 returning starters and a very manageable schedule. RB Lance Dunbar had a monster season for North Texas last year, carrying the ball for 1,378 yards and 17 touchdowns en route to 1st team All-SBC honors in 2009. Dunbar looks to continue the tradition of quality running backs at North Texas, following in the footsteps of Jamario Thomas and Cedric Cobbs.

18. Baylor Bears (4-8, 5-7 ATS in 2009) – Many pundits thought that 2009 would be the year that the Baylor Bears turned the corner, but those dreams were derailed in Week 3 after sensational QB Robert Griffin tore his ACL and back-up QB Blake Szymanski injured his shoulder. Griffin looks like he is back to form though and if he can stay healthy has a real chance to take the Bears to their first bowl appearance since 1994.

17. Miami Redhawks (1-11, 5-7 ATS in 2009) – Things haven’t looked good in Oxford over the past half decade, but there is reason for Redhawks fans to be excited in 2010. In HC Mike Haywood’s second year, the Redhawks return 19 starters from 2009 while many of their opponents in the MAC East are reloading. Miami probably isn’t good enough to make a bowl this season, but should keep games close and cover a lot of college football gambling spreads.

16. UTEP Miners (4-8, 5-7 ATS in 2009) – Inconsistent wouldn’t even begin to describe the UTEP Miners’ 2009 season. In their first C-USA game of the season, the Miners upset #12 and then undefeated Houston 58-41 as a two TD underdog on the NCAA gambling odds. In UTEP’s very next game they suffered an embarrassing 15 point loss at Memphis, giving the Tigers their only FBS win of 2009. With one of the best backfield tandems in the conference in QB Trevor Vittatoe and All-American RB Donald Buckram, the Miners will be able to put up a lot of points this season.

15. South Carolina Gamecocks (7-6, 7-5 ATS in 2009) – With the graduation of the record-setting Tim Tebow, the SEC East is the most open its been in years and the Gamecocks are in good position to take advantage of this. They usually have one of the better defenses in the country and if QB Stephen Garcia can continue to develop like he has over the past two seasons, South Carolina could flirt with a 10 win season.

14. Connecticut Huskies (8-5, 9-2-1 ATS in 2009) – Few would deny that Randy Edsall has done one of the best jobs in the country in guiding UConn from the FCS level to the FBS level. Over the past three years, Edsall has really hit his stride with the team going 25-14 and winning back-to-back bowl games. The Huskies have also been one of the best teams for NCAA wagering enthusiasts with the team going 63-42-2 ATS since 2000.

13. Texas A&M Aggies (6-7, 6-7 ATS in 2009) – Mike Sherman’s Aggies benefit from only having four road games this year, and in only one of those four road games (@ Texas) will they be a prohibitive underdog. Texas A&M has 16 returning starters this season, including QB Jerrod Johnson who passed for 3,579 yards to go with 30 TDs against just eight interceptions on his way to a 2nd team All-Big 12 selection in 2009.

12. UCF Knights (8-5, 9-3 ATS in 2009) – Last year, not much was expected of the UCF Knights after a 2008 campaign in which the Knights had one of the worst offenses in the country. However, HC George O’Leary turned to the running game last year and found a valuable asset in RB Brynn Harvey. Last season, Harvey ran for 1,109 yards and 14 touchdowns while picking up 3rd team All-C-USA honors. Harvey suffered a knee injury in spring, but is expected to miss no more than a few games at most.

11. Michigan Wolverines (5-7, 5-6 ATS in 2009) – HC Rich Rodriguez might be on the hottest seat in the country after managing just an 8-16 record and zero bowl appearances in his first two seasons as the head coach of one of the most storied programs in the country. This season, though, will be the first where Rodriguez has a clear-cut choice at QB to run his system in Tate Forcier. With Forcier at the helm, the Wolverines will almost certainly improve on their paltry 7-16 mark against the CFB betting line over the past two seasons.

10. Temple Owls (9-4, 8-4 ATS in 2009) – Al Golden has done a remarkable job in turning around a horrific Temple program that hadn’t made a bowl game in 30 years prior to the Owls making the EagleBank Bowl in 2009. This season, the Owls return almost all of their skill position players and 16 starters to a team that should be considered the favorite to win the MAC East.

9. North Carolina Tar Heels (8-5, 5-6 ATS in 2009) – North Carolina may have the best defense in the country this season with a bevy of NFL prospects at every position along the defensive front. DE Robert Quinn, LB Quan Sturdivant, CB Kendric Burney, and FS Deunta Williams all garnered 1st team All-ACC selections in 2009, while DT Marvin Austin, LB Bruce Carter, and SS Da’Norris Searcy all picked up 2nd team honors. With 19 returning starters in all, the Tar Heels should be one of the best teams against the NCAA odds in 2010.

8. Nevada Wolfpack (8-5, 7-6 ATS in 2009) – When QB Colin Kaepernick pulls the strings, the Wolfpack have one of the most exciting offenses in the country. Last season, Nevada managed an NCAA first when the Wolfpack had three different players (Kaepernick, Vai Taua, and Luke Lippencott) rush for over 1000 yards. In WAC play, the Wolfpack have been especially great the past five seasons, going 26-14 ATS for CFB wagering fans over that time.

7. Washington Huskies (5-7, 7-5 ATS in 2009) – Jake Locker is considered by many to be the top pick in the 2011 draft, and the strong-armed quarterback showed off just what he could do in his first year under new HC Steve Sarkisian. In 2009, Locker became much more polished as a quarterback, throwing for 2,800 yards with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in a season where they flirted with a bowl bid. This year, with 18 returning starters, the Huskies will be in great shape to make their first bowl appearance since 2002.

6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-6, 4-8 ATS in 2009) – Although QB Jimmy Clausen and WR Golden Tate have departed, the Fighting Irish are primed to turn some heads in the first year of new HC Brian Kelly. Kelly had one of the best offenses in the country at Cincinnati last year and inherits an offense with a lot of weapons in RB Armando Allen, WR Michael Floyd, and TE Kyle Rudolph. The key to the season for Notre Dame will be how well sophomore QB Dayne Crist can perform in his first season running the offense.

5. Florida State Seminoles (7-6, 4-8 ATS in 2009) – Before getting hurt, QB Christian Ponder looked well on his way to having one of the best seasons in school history. Still, Ponder finished with great numbers, completing 68.8 percent of his passes for 2,717 yards with 14 TDs and seven picks. He’ll also have the luxury of being behind one of the best and most experienced offensive lines in the country, anchored by Jacobs Award winning LG Rodney Hudson.

4. Auburn Tigers (8-5, 6-6 ATS in 2009) – Despite questions over whether he was the right man for the job or not, HC Gene Chizik led the Tigers to a respectable season in 2009. With the help of offensive guru Gus Malzahn, the Tigers offense went from one of the worst in the SEC in 2008 (17.3 PPG) to one of the best in the conference last year (33.3 PPG). The Tigers dodge both the Vols and the Gators in conference play and with eight home games could turn many heads this NCAA wagering season.

3. Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (10-3, 10-3 ATS in 2009) – QB Dwight Dasher may have been playing in the lowly Sun Belt last season, but his numbers were good enough for any conference in the country. The athletic Dasher turned a lot of heads in 2009, by throwing for 2,789 yards along with 23 TDs and 14 INTs while also running for 1154 yards and 13 scores. With Dasher under center, the Blue Raiders have a very good chance for back-to-back 10 win seasons.

2. Cincinnati Bearcats (12-1, 5-7 ATS in 2009) – Though QB Tony Pike and HC Brian Kelly have since departed, the Bearcats should still have one of the best offenses in the Big East in 2010 under new HC Butch Jones and QB Zach Collaros. Collaros was impressive in his limited playing time in 2009, completing 75 percent of his passes for 1,434 yards with ten TDs against just two INTs. USC transfer WR Vidal Hazelton will also pack some punch to a WR corps that lost Mardy Gilyard.

1. Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-4, 9-5 ATS in 2009) – Since taking over for Bill Callahan, Bo Pelini has brought respect back to the Blackshirts and pride back to Husker Nation. Pelini’s Huskers were one last second FG away from making it to a BCS bowl and ruining Texas’ undefeated season in the Big XII Title Game, and although they do lose Heisman Trophy candidate DT Ndamakong Suh, Nebraska returns six starters to the defense that only gave up 10.4 PPG last CFB gambling season.

The 2010 All-Star Game is just a few days away, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are analyzing the top snubs from the mid-summer classic.

Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: How on earth have there been two pitching replacements selected for the All-Star Game and Jered Weaver isn’t one of them? Perhaps if Weaver played on any other team, this would be an excusable snub by manager Joe Girardi, but there is just no reason for the best pitcher on the host team for this game to be left off of the roster. Weaver has 130 strikeouts this year, which is the second most in baseball and the most in the American League. He is 8-4 with a 2.97 ERA, and he would have double digits in wins if not for the fact that his team is averaging exactly 2.0 runs per game in his L/3 starts.

Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds: We understand that you only have so many spots on your roster to deal with and that you have to fill in someone from every team in the game, but manager Charlie Manuel really screwed up by not putting Votto on his roster. Perhaps he will end up getting on the roster by the time the game actually starts on Tuesday, but for now, Votto will be back in Cincinnati wondering what more he had to do in the first half of the season to become an All-Star. His 21 homers is best in the National League, while his .313 batting average puts him in the Top 5 in that category as well. Votto is on pace to drive in about 115 runs this year, and his OPS of 1.006 is off the charts. First base is a deep position, especially in the NL, but there is no way to justify why Votto was left off of this team when his teammates, 2B Brandon Phillips and 3B Scott Rolen are.

Mat Latos, San Diego Padres: Thank goodness that Manuel wised up and put closer Heath Bell on the All-Star team finally. Latos should be there as well. How on earth does no one from the best staff in baseball have the goods to be on the All-Star roster? Latos ranked eighth in the NL in ERA at 2.62, and he is 9-4 to show for his 16 starts. His numbers are virtually identical to St. Louis Cardinals RHP Chris Carpenter and aren’t that much worse than anyone aside from Josh Johnson and Ubaldo Jimenez in the NL. Some starting pitcher should be representing the Padres in LA on Tuesday, and Latos should be the man for the job.

Mike Pelfrey, New York Mets: How many ten game winners can really say that they don’t deserve to be All-Stars? Pelfrey was the spit and glue for the Mets for the better part of two months already this year, and though he hasn’t had a great last few starts, this award is supposed to be a recognition for your entire body of work from the first half of the year. Pelfrey is 10-3 with a 3.39 ERA, and, and though his strikeout total is down from the rest of the big arms in baseball, that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t been just as effective. If Pelfrey’s name was Greg Maddux, he would arguably be in a position to not just be in the All-Star Game, but to be starting in it as well. It’s not fair that he was left off of the squad because he isn’t your tradition household name amongst pitchers in the league.

Billy Wagner, Atlanta Braves: We hate to keep picking on the way that Manuel picked this roster, but if nothing else, shouldn’t Wagner be entitled to pitch in the All-Star Game because of his history? Now that Bell has his spot on the team, Wagner is the biggest snub amongst relievers in the league. He has 19 saves against just three blown saves, and has 55 strikeouts, the second highest number amongst closers in the NL. His 1.27 ERA is tops amongst closers, while a 0.91 WHIP and .164 batting average against are also best in the NL for stoppers. Wagner is a future Hall of Famer. His name should have carried him onto the All-Star roster with numbers like that. We love Jonathan Broxton in Los Angeles, but we’re sorry… Broxton’s 18 saves and 1.98 ERA aren’t as strong as Wagner’s 19 saves and 1.27 ERA.

Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox: At least Manuel picked two other first basemen on his roster when he left Votto off of the team. Girardi seemingly just overlooked Konerko, as the only other listed 1B on his team is Miguel Cabrera. No disrespect is meant to Cabrera, a deserving All-Star in his own right, but leaving Konerko off of the team is a travesty. He ranks fourth in the AL in home runs with 20 and has already knocked in 60 runs this year. By the way, that’s four more than starting 1B Justin Morneau and six more than OF Jose Bautista, who is also on the team as an outfielder. Aside from his sheer numbers, Konerko is the team leader for the White Sox, and he is arguably the main cog in their resurgence from the bottom of the AL Central up to where they sit now, just one game back of the Detroit Tigers for the division lead.

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The rosters for the 2010 MLB All-Star Game have been chosen by managers Charlie Manuel and Joe Girardi, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are taking a first glance at the matchup for the All-Star Game odds and which team we think has the upper hand in the mid-summer classic scheduled for next Tuesday in Anaheim. BetUS Sportsbook will have all of your All-Star Game props and MLB All-Star Game betting lines available to you for this annual festival.

Without a doubt, the National League team has the better set of pitchers at their disposal for this game. If anyone aside from RHP Ubaldo Jimenez starts the game for the NL team, it is a travesty. Yes, Jimenez has struggled just a tad over his last few starts, but it isn’t often that you can say that a pitcher is coming into the All-Star Game with at least 14 wins under his belt. Turning the ball over to RHP Josh Johnson and his 1.82 ERA doesn’t seem like such a bad idea either for Manuel. If a game is close in the late innings, there aren’t a ton of closer options for Manuel to turn to. RHP Jonathan Broxton is having another solid year for the Dodgers, as he gone 17-for-19 on save opportunities and has a 2.02 ERA. LHP Arthur Rhodes may be having the best year for any relief pitcher in baseball in Cincinnati, though. The southpaw as three wins and 15 holds, and up until he allowed three runs against the Phillies last week, his ERA was at 0.28. Still, a 1.06 ERA and 0.88 WHIP are nothing to be ashamed of.

The American League has a nice lineup that is chalk full of speed, particularly at the top of the order. One would think that both OF Carl Crawford and OF Ichiro Suzuki are going to be taking off on the base paths quite a bit if they get aboard, while the big bats of 3B Evan Longoria, DH Vladimir Guerrero, 1B Justin Morneau, and OF Josh Hamilton aren’t going to be far behind waiting to produce runs. Off of the bench, the AL has a superior advantage, as 3B Alex Rodriguez and DH David Ortiz could both pop home runs at a moment’s notice to blow the game wide open for the American League.

The AL pitchers are going to have a tougher time finding traction against the NL roster, though. LHP Cliff Lee won’t be starting the game in all likelihood, but he is arguably the hottest pitcher in baseball right now having thrown 73.1 innings in his L/9 starts and allowing just 13 runs in those outings. Lee is also 7-1 to show for his work in that time, which upped his record to 8-3 on the season. Lefties are certainly at no shortage on this AL roster, as both LHP David Price, LHP Jon Lester, and LHP CC Sabathia are amongst the best in the game. As we all know, if the AL has a lead going into the ninth inning, it’s Enter Sandman time. RHP Mariano Rivera has nailed down a number of All-Star Games in his career, and this year could be no exception.

Manuel has a lineup at his disposal that is chalk full of men from his own division. Four of the nine starters for the NL are out of the East, though 2B Chase Utley won’t be playing in the game due to injury. Expect SS Hanley Ramirez to start off the game as the leadoff hitter. He is really the only pure speed that this roster has until you reach the bench, though. Power is the name of the game for the National League, as 1B Albert Pujols leads a slew of sluggers that can change the game on one swing of the bat as well. The bench doesn’t appear as deep for the NL as it does for the AL, especially when you’re talking about everywhere aside from first base. Obviously, 1Bs Ryan Howard and Adrian Gonzalez are amongst the best hitters in baseball, but there just isn’t any pop beyond those two waiting as potential pinch hitters. The fact that the fans voted in OF Jason Heyward as a starter in this game is a joke, as the rookie is only batting .251 on the season. He is currently on the DL with a bone bruise, and it is unknown whether or not he will be able to give it a go in the All-Star Game or not.

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2010 MLB All-Star Game: American League Roster

Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins
Robinson Cano, New York Yankees
Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners
Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays
Vladimir Guerrero, Texas Rangers
Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox
Trevor Cahill, Oakland Athletics
Fausto Carmona, Cleveland Indians
Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
Phil Hughes, New York Yankees
Cliff Lee, Seattle Mariners
Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox
David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
CC Sabathia, New York Yankees
Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals
Matt Thornton, Chicago White Sox
Jose Valverde, Detroit Tigers
John Buck, Toronto Blue Jays
Victor Martinez, Boston Red Sox
Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers
Ty Wiggington, Baltimore Orioles
Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers
Adrian Beltre, Boston Red Sox
Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees
Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Vernon Wells, Toronto Blue Jays
David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox

2010 MLB All-Star Game: National League Roster

Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
David Wright, New York Mets
Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers
Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves
Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles Dodgers
Matt Capps, Washington Nationals
Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee Brewers
Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies
Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves
Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies
Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins
Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
Evan Meek, Pittsburgh Pirates
Arthur Rhodes, Cincinnati Reds
Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
Brian Wilson, San Francisco Giants
Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves
Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres
Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies
Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds
Martin Prado, Atlanta Braves
Jose Reyes, New York Mets
Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies
Omar Infante, Atlanta Braves
Scott Rolen, Cincinnati Reds
Michael Bourn, Houston Astros
Marlon Byrd, Chicago Cubs
Corey Hart, Milwaukee Brewers
Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals
Chris Young, Arizona Diamondbacks

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Just four teams remain in the World Cup betting festivities, and here at Bankroll Sports, we’re breaking the teams down, #1 to #32 for your World Cup Power Rankings.

1: Germany (2-0-1, 6 pts) – Not that we ever doubted the strength of the Germans, but there clearly hasn’t been a team stronger in this World Cup than they have been. F Miroslav Klose now has 14 goals for his World Cup career, leaving him one short of Ronaldo for Brazil for the all time scoring lead. He is also just one goal off of the Golden Boot pace going into the semifinals as well. Germany has dropped eight goals in the knockout rounds already and is virtually assured of being the highest scoring team in this tournament. How many tremendous performances can this team expect to come up with, though? England and Argentina have already fallen, but Spain provides perhaps the toughest task to date.

2: Holland (3-0-0, 9 pts) – La Oranje are just two regulation victories away from matching the feat of the 2002 Brazilian team that won the World Cup. Holland would become one of the rare teams in World Cup history to win all of its group stage matches and then not need at least one period of extra time to win the tournament. Holland put forth a tremendous come from behind effort against Brazil in the last round, erasing the memories of knockout round defeats to the winningest team in World Cup history in both 1994 and 1998.

3: Spain (2-0-1, 6 pts) – David Villa strikes again! The Spanish have only gotten goals from their top striker so far in this knockout round, as Villa was the hero in 1-0 wins against both Portugal and Paraguay. Spain knows that this is the best chance that it has ever had to win the World Cup in the country’s second trip ever to the semifinals of this tournament. Wasting this opportunity would be a bitter disappointment in Madrid and all across Spain. However, someone aside from Villa is going to have to figure out how to hit the back of the net. At times, it feels like the Spanish have just waltzed around the pitch waiting for Villa to do something special. That won’t cut it against Germany.

4: Uruguay (2-1-0, 7 pts) – In a tournament where all five South American sides made it out of the first round of the tournament, none figured that Uruguay would be the last team standing representing COMNEBOL. Alas, perhaps it shouldn’t still be here. The Uruguayans needed a deliberate handball from F Luis Suarez right on the goal line in the 120th minute against Ghana to preserve a chance at a shootout. To their credit, they did win the sudden death challenge four goals to two, but not since Diego Maradona and the “Hand of God” goal that helped Argentina win the World Cup has there been such a controversy.

Final Power Rankings for Eliminated Teams

5: Brazil (2-0-1, 7 pts) – Shame on the Brazilians for not only blowing a 1-0 lead, but blowing their composure as well. After giving up that fluke goal on a cross to Holland’s F Wesley Sneijder, the team just appeared to mentally check out. As a result, manager Dunga was sacked and Brazil has come home empty handed from South Africa.

6: Argentina (3-0-0, 9 pts) – Was a berth in the quarterfinals good enough to save Diego Maradona’s job? We tend to believe so, as the Argentines ran into a brick wall against Germany in their final game here in South Africa. We always wondered how Argentina would react to a bit of controversy, and the answer is simple: Not well. A 4-0 defeat sent one of the favorites of this tournament crashing out of the World Cup.

7: Paraguay (1-2-0, 5 pts) – Give Paraguay all the credit in the world for hanging in there against Spain for almost the entire match. One defensive lapse really cost the team, though one has to wonder what would have happened had the Paraguayans converted on their penalty kick attempt late in the match.

8: Ghana (1-1-1, 4 pts) – Ghana doesn’t want to talk about penalty kicks, though. The Black Stars were all but through to the semifinals when F Luis Suarez literally robbed them red handed of a strike in the 120th minute of a 1-1 match. However, F Asamoah Gyan had a chance to be a hero and sink a penalty shot that would’ve done the exact same thing. He hit the crossbar, and Ghana went on to lose the shootout very predictably by the count of 4-2. Still, the Black Stars have nothing to be ashamed about, as they clearly put on the best show that any African team has ever put on in this tournament.

9: Portugal (1-2-0, 5 pts) – There is no shame in the way that Portugal was knocked out of the World Cup, as the 1-0 defeat to Spain was disappointing, yet expected.

10: United States (1-2-0, 5 pts) – Manager Bob Bradley may get sacked for the defeat to Ghana, but all things considered, the US should be thrilled about getting into the Round of 16 here in South Africa.

11: England (1-2-0, 5 pts) – The Three Lions were one of the most disappointing teams in this tournament, and though a defeat to Germany was at least in the realm of possibility back home, losing by four goals will certainly leave manager Fabio Capello on the unemployment lines.

12: Japan (2-0-1, 6 pts) – Losing in a penalty shootout is always the cruelest way to leave a tournament, especially after 120 scoreless minutes. Give the Samurai Blue some credit for reaching this point, as they put together a fantastic effort and can hold their heads high for a strong effort in South Africa.

13: Mexico (1-1-1, 4 pts) – The Mexicans never really stood a chance of advancing into the quarterfinals against mighty Argentina, but just like the Japanese, there should be no level of shame here either. This was a very tough Group A to get out of, and Mexico did just that to make its homeland proud of its effort in the 2010 World Cup.

14: Chile (2-0-1, 6 pts) – Two wins in their first two matches were fantastic, but the Chileans ended up losing out to both Spain and Brazil in their L/2 matches, proving that there is still a ways to go to get them up to the highest level of international play.

15: South Korea (1-1-1, 4 pts) – A 2-1 loss to Uruguay crushed the South Koreans in their effort to duplicate their outstanding run to a third place finish in the 2002 World Cup on their home soil. Better is expected in the future, but for now, a place in the last 16 will have to do for one of the top Asian nations.

16: Slovakia (1-1-1, 4 pts) – The Slovaks never stood a chance to beat Holland in the Round of 16, but watching Robert Vittek score his fourth goal of the tournament in stoppage time was a nice send off for the most unlikely team to advance out of the group stage of the World Cup.

17: Switzerland (1-1-1, 4 pts) – Disappointing and lifeless draw against Honduras kept the Swiss out of the second round of this tournament.

18: Slovenia (1-1-1, 4 pts) – It simply had to be heartbreaking to watch Landon Donovan boot the Slovenians out of this tournament with his stoppage time strike against Algeria. Still, a loss to England and blow a two goal lead to the USA wasn’t worthy of a bid in the second round for Slovenia.

19: Ivory Coast (1-1-1, 4 pts) – The Ivory Coast was probably the best club not to reach the second round of this tournament, but this is the second straight World Cup that the “Group of Death” claimed Les Elephants.

20: Denmark (1-0-2, 3 pts) – A heartless effort against the Japanese sent the Danish Dynamite home without a berth into the second stage of this tournament, but there are still great signs to point at for the direction of this team in the future.

21: South Africa (1-1-1, 4 pts) – No, it ultimately didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but South Africa’s win over France in the final group stage match in Group A was a great boost to the host nation. The Bafana Bafana became the first host nation to not advance to Round 2, though.

22: Australia (1-1-1, 4 pts) – Give the Socceroos some credit for beating Serbia on the final match day in Group D even though it wasn’t enough to get through. The future of soccer here is very, very bright, especially considering the fact that the results just kept getting better and better for the Aussies.

23: New Zealand (0-3-0, 3 pts) – There probably isn’t a team prouder in this tournament than New Zealand is. Once a 400-1 longshot to win it all, the Kiwis managed three draws and were just one stroke of genius away from becoming the least likely qualifier for the second round in years in this tournament.

24: Italy (0-2-1, 2 pts) – Shame on you, Italy! Even a draw against lowly Slovakia would’ve been enough to put the defending champions through to the second round of the World Cup, but it wasn’t meant to be. Now, the Azzuri have to go home and wonder what went wrong in a tournament that didn’t even provide a single win.

25: Serbia (1-0-2, 3 pts) – Simply put, the Serbs blew it. They had their chance to get into the second round of this tournament, but a shocking defeat to Australia kept them from advancing.

26: Greece (1-0-2, 3 pts) – Greece still has never scored a goal against a team that had a full 11 men on it in the World Cup, but at least it got its first points ever in this tournament with a ‘W’ against Nigeria.

27: Nigeria (0-1-2, 1 pt) – If not for miss after miss after miss in the dying moments of their match against South Korea, the Nigerians would have survived into the second round of this tournament. A 2-2 draw was a fair result, but was one that has to leave a bitter taste in their mouths, knowing that advancement was oh so close.

28: Algeria (0-1-2, 1 pt) – Algeria fought off the United States for 90 minutes before Donovan scored in stoppage time, but in the end, not being able to score a goal in this tournament was the reason that the Desert Foxes are going home.

29: Cameroon (0-0-3, 0 pts) – The Cameroonians once thought that they were the top African team in this tournament, but it’s hard to make that argument with no points under their belt through the group stage.

30: Honduras (0-1-2, 1 pt) – The Hondurans earned a point in their final match against Switzerland in a rather pathetic 0-0 display for both clubs. Still, this was a team that was just happy to be here.

31: France (0-1-2, 1 pt) – The French were clearly the biggest embarrassment of the World Cup, getting just one point against Uruguay to show for three matches. Rumors may or may not be true that manager Raymond Domenech was asked to walk home instead of getting on the team charter.

32: North Korea (0-0-3, 0 pts) – Giving up 12 goals in three matches is never a good sign no matter who you are playing. North Korea was as bad as it has ever gotten at this level.