A Look Back

How did my NFL 2012 predictions turn out in the regular season?  Well some truth and fiction.  Let’s start with where I screwed up.

-          Jets and Bills at 11-5 and in the playoffs.  Ouch!

-          Bengals go 6-10.  I respect the Dalton a lot more!

-          Colts 5-11.  Tell you what, they’ve won a lot of close games.  My guess is they take at least a 3-4 game decrease next year.

-          Chiefs win the AFC west at 9-7.  Ouch!! 

-          Broncos at 8-8 miss the playoffs.  Ouchie Mama!!!

-          Eagles at 10-6, Redskins at 3-13.  Philadelphia’s wheels definitely fell off.  RG3 and Alfred Morris are a lot better than I thought.  I didn’t even know who Morris was actually.

-          Lions 11-5, Vikings 4-12.  Double Ouch!

-          Seahawks 7-9 and Rams 4-12.  Now I did say that the Hawks would improve down the stretch but thought their early schedule was too difficult.  Home wins vs GB and NE made a huge impact in their win column.

Now with where I succeeded…

-          Patriots, Ravens, Texans, Packers, Falcons, and 49ers all won their divisions as predicted.

-          Steelers did not make the playoffs as predicted.

-          Jaguars were exactly 2-14.  Titans 6-10.  Buccaneers 7-9.

-          Browns were last in AFC north (although anyone would’ve predicted that)

-          The following teams had either 1 more win or loss than I predicted…Ravens, Texans, Giants, Cowboys, Packers, Bears, Panthers, Saints, and Cardinals

Overall Playoff Teams…

-          I was able to get 6 out of 12 on playoff participants…pretty bad really

-          Teams that didn’t make it which I picked:  Jets, Bills, Chiefs, Giants, Bears, and Lions (4 of which seem very ridiculous)

-          Teams that did make it which I didn’t pick:  Seahawks, Redskins, Vikings, Broncos, Colts, and Bengals (can see Denver in retrospect but consider what most of us thought of the other 5 teams QBs before the season began)

Hey, it’s fun to predict and more fun to see how I do.  Give me your thoughts!!!

Kieth

 

Black Monday

Which NFL coaches should be fired in your opinion?  Here's my list in no particular order...

1. Chan Gailey 15-33 in 3 seasons with Buffalo
2. Romeo Crennel 4-15 in just over 1 season with Kansas City
3. Norv Turner 55-41 in 6 seasons with San Diego
4. Jim Schwartz 22-42 in 4 seasons with Detroit

Obviously my list is smaller than what will actually happen but I can't go against the likes of Andy Reid, Ken Whisenhunt, or even Pat Shurmur.  As a one time head coach, albeit high school, I tend to side with the coach.  I'd like to know your thoughts.

Kieth

Quarterfinal Results

South Region:  Alabama never could get on track as Stanford controlled time of possession, didn't turn it over, and racked up 257 yards rushing to control the Tide.  Stanford 21 Alabama 14.

East Region:  Texas A&M scored early and often as Florida State's defense was exposed against a high powered Johnny Manziel led offense.  Texas A&M 31 Florida State 10.

West Region:  Northern Illinois made it two upsets in a row as they were able to get the Century Link Field crowd on their side taking down the favored Wildcats.  With 34 seconds left in regulation dual threat Jordan Lynch ran in a 27 yard TD to cap the victory.  Northern Illinois 28 Kansas State 24.

North Region:  The Fighting Irish did what they have all season...kept winning.  By the skin of their teeth Notre Dame held onto their championship hopes defeating the Gators in overtime.  Theo Riddick's 4 yard TD put the Irish up 7 with Florida's possession 2nd.  On the first play of Florida's drive Mike Gillislee fumbled and Notre Dame advanced.  Notre Dame 17 Florida 10.

Final Four- games to be played January 1st.

Stanford vs Texas A&M (Orange Bowl)
Northern Illinois vs Notre Dame (Rose Bowl)

2012 College Football Playoff

First Round Results:

South Region- Utah State 7  Alabama 28
                       South Carolina 18  Stanford 20

East Region- Florida State 31  Ohio State 20
                     Texas A&M 27  Georgia 24

West Region- Northern Illinois 31  Oregon 29
                      LSU 16  Kansas State 24

North Region- Clemson 17  Notre Dame 34
                       Oklahoma 17  Florida 30

Analysis:  obviously the big upset here was Northern Illinois dropping Oregon on the road.  Doesn't seem possible does it?  All I can say is that's why they play the game.  How many times have we written off NFL teams going on the road in the playoffs?  Perfect example...1996 Jaguars in Denver.  And I know, I'm not an Oregon fan whatsoever but I didn't cheat.  Oregon had an advantage 4-1.  The Huskies (ironically Northern Illinois' mascot/nickname) came out of the hat despite only one slip.  This is why we need a playoff so all teams could settle it on the field.  And by the way the game was decided by a missed Oregon field goal with no time on the clock.  Speaking of missed field goals, South Carolina lost at Stanford in the waning moments due to a miss.  Spurrier made all those faces, moved the visor a few times, and bent over facing the ground.  Texas A&M kicked a late 40 yarder to win their battle vs Georgia.  And Florida State took down undefeated Ohio State despite the odds in a classic case of a #1 seed being upset by a team previously thought to be a "top seed." 

Quarterfinal Matchups:

South Region- Alabama vs Stanford (Reliant Stadium in Houston)

East Region- Florida State vs Texas A&M (Met Life Stadium in Newark)

West Region- Northern Illinois vs Kansas State (Century Link Field in Seattle)

North Region- Notre Dame vs Florida (Ford Field in Detroit)

College Football Playoff 2012 Week 1 Results

Preliminary Round Results

South Region:  Boise State 27 Utah State 37

East Region:  Tulsa 10 Florida State 31

West Region:  Louisville 21 Northern Illinois 31

North Region:  Arkansas State 24 Clemson 49

*all home teams won their matchups

First Round Schedule

South Region:  Utah State @ Alabama AND South Carolina @ Stanford

East Region:  Florida State @ Ohio State AND Texas A&M vs Georgia (St. Louis)

West Region:  Northern Illinois @ Oregon AND LSU vs Kansas State (St. Louis)

North Region:  Clemson @ Notre Dame AND Oklahoma @ Florida

College Football Playoff 2012

Over the years I've dreamt, pondered, and calculated a college football playoff for Division 1-A (FBS).  I've held mock playoffs a variety of ways but last year finally decided on a plan to stick with.  Oklahoma State came out on top in a classic shootout over Stanford featuring two current NFL starting QBs.  Of course neither of them were qualified enough to take on the likes of Alabama or LSU...(throat clearing repeatedly.)  This year I bring back the same method and this year's tournament begins today.

Tournament Specifications:

1. A 20 team playoff...I know you may think that waters down college football but clearly it doesn't.  Consider that there are 123 teams in the FBS.  20 out of 123 = 16%.  Compare that to the NFL which sends 12 out of 32 to their playoff.  
2. All Conference Champs are included...yes I know typically the winner of the Sun Belt isn't nationally ranked, but the idea of a playoff or tournament is to include all worthy representatives.
3. 11 Conference Champs + 9 At-large bids...just look at the at-large teams and tell me which do not deserve a shot.  They all do and you know it!
4. All teams are eligible regardless of NCAA postseason sanctions...the way I see it is if you allow them to have a record then I'm going to send them to my playoff.  And since this is mythical and I'm the creator I can do what I want!
5. Games will be decided by odds...I used to just send out an email to 3 or 5 people and tell them to vote for a winner but I decided that was too predictable and all my results were ending up just like the AP poll.  So last year I adopted the draw out of a hat method except with some odds involved.  So when Clemson upset Alabama in my playoff last year they were 6 Alabama tabs versus only 1 Clemson and yet a Clemson was pulled out the hat.  Now obviously this way isn't perfect (I'd take suggestions) but the reality of sports is that not every regular season powerhouse wins the national tournament.  While Alabama was certainly one of the best teams last year they didn't prove it nationally.  They only beat another SEC team for goodness sakes!!!!  Ridiculous!!!!
6. Seeding...I determine seeding based on my expertise.  I can take the heat for any seeding mistakes but the big thing here is all get in that should be in.  
7. Locations...I am into saving $$ even if it is mythical therefore all preliminary and first round games will be played at the higher seed.  EXCEPTIONS:  the two first round games featuring the overall 7-10 seeds will be played at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.  Then all quarterfinal games will be played regionally including Ford Field, Met Life Stadium, Reliant Stadium, and Century Link Field.  The semifinals will be held in conjunction with the bowls on January 1st so this year the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl will host.  The championship game will be played at Cowboys Stadium...considering Dallas won't be playing in January.

Automatic Conference Bids:

- Stanford, Alabama, Florida State, Tulsa, Louisville, Arkansas State, Boise State, Utah State, Northern Illinois, Kansas State, and Ohio State (deserved the Big Ten Championship considering their regular season record)

At Large Bids:

- Georgia, Oregon, Florida, South Carolina, LSU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and Clemson (okay the only questionable team here, but their two losses were both fairly close and to teams in the field, more than you can say for any other team on the bubble)

Bubbles Burst:  

- Oregon State, Nebraska, UCLA, and Michigan

Overall Seeding:

              1) Alabama, Oregon, Notre Dame, Ohio State

              2) Georgia, Kansas State, Florida, Stanford

              3) Texas A&M, LSU, South Carolina, Oklahoma

              4) Florida State, Clemson, Northern Illinois, Utah State

              5) Boise State, Louisville, Arkansas State, Tulsa

Bracket Seeding:

South Region:  Alabama, Stanford, South Carolina, Utah State, Boise State

East Region:  Ohio State, Georgia, Texas A&M, Florida State, Tulsa

West Region:  Oregon, Kansas State, LSU, Northern Illinois, Louisville

North Region:  Notre Dame, Florida, Oklahoma, Clemson, Arkansas State

Preliminary Round Games (December 8th @ higher seed):

South Region:  Boise State @ Utah State

East Region:  Tulsa @ Florida State

West Region:  Louisville @ Northern Illinois

North Region:  Arkansas State @ Clemson

Results coming tomorrow or late this evening!  Enjoy.

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