LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The most discussed moment in college football this summer unfolded this week, and I apologize for being several hours late with my words on the subject.
It wasn't the arrival of another preseason magazine. It was not the list of nominees for the Davey O'Brien Award.
It wasn't Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy patting himself on the back for bragging that he got away with driving buzzed "1,000 times."
It was EA Sports building on its fantastic promotional work feeding the hype train for the upcoming release of its signature video game, College Football 25, by releasing its list of the top 100 players in the game for this season.
Scratch Phil Steele. Or the Football Writers of America Association.
What will my teammates and rivals say about me when the acclaimed video game is released July 19?
Heisman, schmeisman. Do the gamers believe I've got game?
I'll pause here so four local players can spike the ball. Two members of Jeff Brohm's Louisville squad and two members of Mark Stoops Kentucky team earned more than the $600 and free copy of College Football 25 that will be given to every FBS player in America.
They made the top 100.
Louisville defensive end Ashton Gillotte landed at No. 72 with an overall player rating of 90 on a scale of 100.
Considering Gillotte earned first-team all-American status from at least two sources, including Phil Steele's yearbook, somebody should file appeal with the game creators. He's got approval to play the No Respect card.
You'd better throw to the other side of the field when you play against Kentucky. UK cornerback Maxwell Hairston is player No. 61 with an overall player rating of 91.
Hairston is not the best defensive back in the state. Not with Quincy Riley patrolling the secondary for Louisville. Riley's player rating of 92 helped earn him No. 40 in the video.
And who is the local player most likely to be considered a cheat code?
That would be Kentucky's mammoth defensive lineman Deone Walker, who ranked seventh in the SEC last season in sacks and 10th in tackles for loss.
Run the other way. Walker earned an overall player rating of 93, the same as Georgia quarterback Carson Beck or Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, without the interceptions. Walker is ranked No. 21.
Several quick notes:
*No player earned an overall score higher than 96. Three guys were listed at that level, with the game's overall top recognition going to Michigan cornerback Will Johnson.
*They say quarterback is the most important position on the field. EA Sports does not agree.
The highest ranked quarterback was Sanders at 17. He finished behind four defensive linemen, three offensive lineman, three receivers, two linebackers, two running back and two defensive linemen.
*But in the end, quarterbacks always get the glory.
It was Arch Manning, the back-up quarterback at Texas, who read the coverage perfectly and teamed with his uncle Eli to announce that he opted into the game at the last-minute — after negotiating a payment reported to be between $50,000-to-$60,000 to appear in the flood of upcoming commercials.
Peyton and Archie Manning could not have played that any better.
*Indiana and Curt Cignetti have work to do. No Hoosiers cracked the top 100, even though 31 Big Ten players made the list, including Purdue safety Dillon Thieneman (No. 83).
*Sources say Paul Finebaum has ordered a Congressional investigation of EA Sports with the news that the the SEC was outflanked by the Big Ten in top-100 representation — 31 Big Ten players to the SEC's 29. He's put the blame on Jim Harbaugh.
The Atlantic Coast Conference, for the record, has 15 guys, topped by Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter at No. 15.
*Finally, although complete rankings will not be available until the game's release next week, there is bulletin board material for Brohm and Stoops.
Neither the Cardinals nor the Wildcats made EA Sports preseason top 25, a list that does include Virginia Tech, Miami, North Carolina State and Notre Dame, four teams that Louisville defeated by a combined 54 points last season.
Flip the coin. Choose your side of the field. Play ball.
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