NFL
By: Allan Erickson
2018 is here sports fans.This weekend was outstanding, if you’re a sports fan. I won’t focus on the NFL playoffs, nor will I focus on the epic national championship game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Instead, I will look at this weekend and dream about the endless possibilities of the upcoming tournament- March Madness.
Typically, there are 6-10 teams that have established themselves as front runners for the national championship. However, this year, has been an absolute roller coaster, and if this weekend was a preview, boy are we in for quite some ride. 7 teams in the top-25 were defeated over the weekend, and 11 of the top-25 took a loss last week.
We saw Michigan State go down, Duke stumble, Carolina tumble, Oklahoma fall, Xavier, Kansas, TCU, Florida State all go down. The kicker? 7 out of the 11 losses were to unranked opponents. It’s not unheard of for this many ranked opponents to go down, even in the same week. What is abnormal is the rate in which losses are coming to the blue blood programs this season.
Kansas is in jeopardy of not being the Big 12 champion for the first time in 15 seasons. Carolina and Duke are 10th and 11th respectively in the standings of the ACC. Kentucky has dropped a few conference games already. Florida, UCLA, Gonzaga, Arizona, Michigan State, all with multiple losses, and double-digit deficits. According to rankings and standings, Clemson and Miami are the 2 best teams in the ACC. Something just seems really different about this year. And you never know who’s the favorite any given night in college basketball.
The NCAA football championship game was as good as advertised, an instant classic, and something that should be celebrated. But who was the preseason favorite? If anybody put money on Alabama at the beginning of the year, well, yeah, nobody would argue. And look how that turned out. The NFL playoffs are beginning to heat up. Who ya got? New England? Pittsburgh? Atlanta? Not too much risk, there. Solid picks, but easy to make. Enter college basketball. This NCAA tournament will not be like that, I promise you. There is NO TEAM you can put money on right now, that I’d say “yeah, that makes sense.” Because the unknowns are countless. This March/April, you guys better hold on tight. Perhaps get ready for a Lehigh vs. George Mason national championship game. And enjoy the best “postseason” for any sport. The NCAA basketball tournament is a great sporting event, and this year, with the way this season is going, there are no favorites or front runners. It’ll be a bracket full of shocking upsets (more than likely, Duke, in the round of 32.) It’s my favorite time of the year, and this one is gearing up to be special. There’s nothing better than a 1-and-done bracket, and if things keep going, the first ever 16 seed to upset a 1 see could be right around the corner. Y’all stay tuned.
