NBA Pre-Season Predictions

The lockout is over and the NBA will return Christmas Day. After a very busy off season where we saw CP3 traded and Lamar Odom basically given away, here’s how I think the teams stack up.

Western Conference

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder hold the top spot in the west with their core of young players which includes the best scorer in the league in Kevin Durant. Russell Westbrook is one of the best point guards in the west, and James Harden is on the brink of a break-out season. The key for the Thunder to make a run to the finals will be if Westbrook can change his shoot first mentality, and take on the role of a true point guard.

2. Dallas Mavericks

Any chance the Mavericks had of defending their title significantly decreased when they failed to re-sign Tyson Chandler and watched him go to the New York Knicks. JJ Barea, another key piece of their title team left for the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves, while Caron Butler left for “Lob City”, leaving their roster with many holes. They acquired Lamar Odom in a mind boggling trade with the Lakers and signed veteran Vince Carter to go along with aging Nowitzki, Terry, Marion, and Kidd. They didn’t get any younger, and they would have to avoid the injury bug to make it out of the west.

3. Los Angeles Lakers

Do not count out a team that has Kobe Bryant on its roster. With all the drama of the nixed CP3 trade, Kobe’s divorce, and giving away their best player to the team that swept them from the playoffs the previous season, the Lakers are perennial contenders and this season won’t be any different. Kobe has expressed his anger and frustration with Laker front office in various interviews, and there is one thing you must never do – bet against an angry Kobe. The window of opportunity for Bryant and the Lakers is closing and Bryant wants to prove he has more left in the tank to capture his 6^th title, tying Michael Jordan. And Laker fan or not, who isn’t looking forward to hearing the PA announcer yell out “Metta World Peace” for the first time?

4. LOB CITY! (Los Angeles Clippers)

The Clippers are relevant! How long have we waited to hear that? Donald Sterling finally decided he was tired of watching his team be yearly cellar dwellers by trading for Chris Paul and changing the culture of the franchise. Pairing up Chris Paul with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan makes the new look Clippers one of the most exciting, young teams in the league. The best show in LA is no longer in purple and gold.

5. Memphis Grizzlies

Last season the Grizzlies shocked the NBA world when they upset the top seeded Spurs in the playoffs. This year they won’t sneak up on anybody. Re-signing Marc Gasol to play alongside a resurging Zack Randolph, and a recovered Rudy Gay, it gives the Grizz one of the best front lines in the west – if not the league.

6. San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs will finish in the middle of the pack in the western conference this year. However, if their big 3 in Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker can stay healthy, they have a load of experience that could payoff down the stretch as they try and make one last run at a championship as the Duncan era comes to an end.

7. Denver Nuggets

Denver’s #1 priority in the offseason was to re-sign Nene, and they got the job done. However, they gave him a 5-year $65 million contract, superstar money for an above average player. The Nugget’s next move was better, re-signing under-the-radar guard Aaron Afflalo to sure up their defense and give them another outside shooter to help fill the void J.R. Smith left when he ran off to play in China. Also don’t sleep on Danilo Gallinari, probably the most underrated player in the league.

8. Portland Trailblazers

The Bad Luck Blazers. Brandon Roy, the face of the franchise retires because of bad knees, Greg Oden is a total bust, and LaMarcus Aldridge had a scare with a heart condition. After all that I think the Blazers have enough to squeak into the playoffs with solid players such as Wesley Matthews, Raymond Felton, and Nicolas Batum.

9. Houston Rockets

The Rockets tried to get Pau Gasol from the Lakers in the trade that was denied by commissioner David Stern. Even if they were successful in acquiring Gasol, that would not have put them over the hump and into contention in the west. In my opinon it would have made them worse by giving up one of the best scorers no one talks about, Kevin Martin, who averaged 23.4 PPG last season, and a solid big man Luis Scola whose 18.3 PPG and 8.2 RPG are virtually the same as Gasol’s 18.8 PPG and 9.1 RPG, but comes a lot cheaper.

10. Utah Jazz

The wild card team of the west is the Utah Jazz. Their youth is their biggest asset, and yet, their biggest problem. No one knows what rookies Enes Kanter and Alec Burks will bring to the table. Gordon Heyward has shown signs of breaking out, and Derrick Favors could possibly be the most improved player in the NBA. Utah has a real chance to make the playoffs, but if it doesn’t come together they could also be in for a very long, rebuilding year.

11. Phoenix Suns

They have Steve Nash…that’s all you need to know about the Suns. A lot of contenders could use him (Knicks, Heat, Lakers) if Phoenix would be willing to part ways with its aging point guard.

12. New Orleans Hornets

Everyone is talking about the Hornets being the worst team in the west, which I don’t understand. Don’t get me wrong though, they won’t even sniff the playoffs. Losing Chris Paul was inevitable, but they didn’t lose him and get nothing in return. Eric Gordon is an up and coming, young point guard who was a star for the Clips. You pair him with Al-Farouq Aminu, Emeka Okafor, and Trevor Ariza and that gives you some solid players. They also received Minnesota’s first round pick in the Paul deal that looks like it will be a top 3 pick, which gives New Orleans a chance to be competitive in the future.

13. Sacramento Kings

JIMMER MANIA! Fredette will be by far the most watched and anticipated rookie this season, and has shown so far in the pre-season that his game will have no trouble transferring over to the pro game. The Jimmer dominated the ball at BYU, and it looks like he will have the same chance in Sacramento as they have talked about starting him at point guard and moving Tyreke Evans to the 2-guard. Ok so maybe he won’t dominate the ball, but at least it would be in his hands every possession instead of getting lost in the black hole that is Evans and DeMarcus Cousins. Sac-Town will score a lot of points, but they will have a hard time stopping other teams.

14. Golden State Warriors

I wanted to put Golden State higher, but then the Monta Ellis drama surfaced. What’s with athletes taking pictures of their junk and sending it to team employees?? If I’m Stephen Curry I’m out of Golden State the first chance I get.

15. Minnesota Timberwolves

The most exciting, bad team in the league. It will be interesting to see if Ricky Rubio can live up to the hype, and help Kevin Love turn things around in Minnesota. My guess is no, but you never know.

Eastern Conference

1. Miami Heat

After last season’s disappointing finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks in 6 games, the Miami Heat will begin the season on Christmas Day in Dallas where they will watch as the Mavs raise their championship banner – as if they needed anymore motivation for this season. LeBron is coming into the season with a whole new attitude, shedding himself of the villain image that he admittedly embraced last year, which affected the way he played in a big way. With the addition of veteran Shane Battier to go alongside perennial MVP candidate Dwyane Wade, and the reincarnated dinosaur Chris Bosh, it’s hard to see anyone in the east stopping Miami…

2. Chicago Bulls

…Except for the Bulls. Expect big things this year and at least for 5 more years from Derrick Rose and company as they just locked up their All-Star and league MVP for $90+ million. The only thing that held the Bulls back from getting to the finals last year (besides Carlos Boozer) was lack of a 2-guard to complement Rose on the floor. The perfect player would have been Aaron Afflalo from Denver, but he decided to resign and stay in the mile high city, so Chicago filled the void with former Detroit Piston guard Richard Hamilton. Rip will be a huge upgrade over Keith Bogans who averages just 6.7 PPG for his career compared to Hamilton’s 17.7. After a frustrating year in Detroit, expect a big improvement in Hamilton this season, and don’t be surprised if they dethrone the Heat and represent the East in the finals

3. New York Knicks

The Knicks will sport the best front court in the league with Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and newly acquired Tyson Chandler. Their biggest question will be their guard play, and if Chandler can bring a defensive mindset to a team that’s last priority last year was defense.

4. Boston Celtics

With up and coming young teams in the East, this could be the last chance for the aging Boston Celtics. It’s hard to accept that players like Garnett, Allen, and Pierce – all players I grew up watching – are now considered old, but it’s true that their best years are behind them. Experience wins in the playoffs and if they can stay healthy Boston is more than capable of making one last playoff run.

5. Orlando Magic

This Magic’s spot at #5 is pending where Dwight Howard ends up. If he leaves, they would rank much lower, but regardless I don’t see them going anywhere this year. For everyone that was upset when the Jazz traded Deron Williams to the Nets last season, just look at the drama that has surrounded Dwight Howard and Chris Paul.

6. Indiana Pacers

The up-and-coming team of the east are the Pacers. Signing David West was huge, and there are talks that they could end up with Memphis guard O.J. Mayo to bolster their offensive attack and complement Danny Granger. This team gave Chicago all it could handle last year in the playoffs, and all they have done since then is get better.

7. Atlanta Hawks

Joe Johnson’s $100+ million contract is killing this team, and it’s a contract he will never live up to. They can’t afford to get better, and they just lost Jamal Crawford to the Trailblazers. With a top heavy eastern conference, the Hawks will make the playoffs, but that’s as far as they’ll get.

8. Philadelphia 76ers

After a disappointing rookie season, Evan Turner is set to rebound in his sophomore season. With Elton Brand, Lou Williams, and Thaddeus Young, the sixers should have enough talent to capture the last playoff spot in the east. They also have a valuable trade asset in Andre Iguodala, who has run his course in Philly.

9. Milwaukee Bucks

Brandon Jennings is capable of going for 40 on any given night…the only problem is those nights are few and far between. More consistent play from Jennings and Andrew Bogut’s health is the key to Milwaukee’s success.

10. Washington Wizards

Get ready for a break out year from former #1 pick John Wall. There’s nothing about this guy that you can’t like….well maybe that dumb dance he named after himself…and that song – let me rephrase that – There’s nothing about his game that you can’t not like.

11. New Jersey Nets

The Nets had an opportunity to get back to being relevant, first with the acquisition of All-Star point guard Deron Williams. But now the crap has hit the fan. With the injury to center Brook Lopez, not only did the Nets lost their second best player, they also lost their bargaining chip to get Dwight Howard to New Jersey. The chances of D-Will signing long term in soon to be Brooklyn look more and more slim.

12. Detroit Pistons

13. Toronto Raptors

These teams have no chance.

14. Cleveland Cavaliers

It’s no secret that the Cavs are in full rebuilding mode. With #1 pick Kyrie Irving causing some excitement in Cleveland, they are still a few years away from contending.

15. Charlotte Bobcats

The team is run by the greatest player to ever live…to bad that doesn’t help this terrible team. Kemba Walker is the lone bright spot and will be fun to watch. The rest…painful.

MVP

Kevin Durant – Oklahoma City Thunder

Defensive POY

Dwight Howard – Orlando Magic…or wherever he ends up

Coach of the Year

Scott Brooks – Oklahoma City Thunder

Sixth Man of the Year

Jamal Crawford – Portland Trailblazers

(only because I think Lamar Odom and James Harden will start by seasons end)

Most Improved POY   TIE

John Wall – Washington Wizards

Derrick Favors – Utah Jazz

Rookie of the Year

Derrick Williams – Minnesota Timberwolves

(I don’t want to say Jimmer so I can pull a Rick Reilly when he does win it)

Eastern Conference Finals

Chicago Bulls over Miami Heat

Western Conference Finals

Oklahoma City Thunder over Dallas Mavericks

NBA Finals

Oklahoma City Thunder over Chicago Bulls

Worst Named Bowl Games

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – By far the worst bowl name of the year. I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of anything more prestigious than playing in a bowl game located in Boise, Idaho…in December. Not to mention it being named after Idaho’s only contribution to society ever – the potato. I would have wanted to be in the room when they made the logo...let's make the football a potato, oh!, and put sour cream on it - brilliant!

Beef ‘o’ Brady’s Bowl – Honestly I had no idea what Beef ‘o’ Brady’s was. I googled it and found that it is described on their own website as a family restaurant and sports bar. Nothing like a family night out so daddy can get wasted and watch the game. 

Chick-fil-a Bowl – Who doesn’t love a chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-a? Just don’t name a football game after it. Those acrobatic, painting, EAT MORE CHIKN cows will be happy though.

Little Caesars Bowl – STOP! No more food names!

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl – This bowl will not be remembered for the on the field action as much as it will be for the announcers saying the outrageously long name “San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl” over 500 times.

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl – We don’t just help you with your taxes…we SLAY them! Come to think of it, when did we start using the word “slay?”

Godaddy.com Bowl – The cruelest bowl of all time! Spend every commercial break looking at Danica Patrick and friends in bikinis, telling you to go to godaddy.com for more, then actually go to godaddy.com only to find out it’s about…web hosting. Tricky Bastards.

That's just a few of the terrilbe bowl names this year, and just think of who might pony up their money next year...Victoria's Secret Bowl? Preperation H Hemriod Bowl? There's no telling who the NCAA will accept to make an extra buck.

Is It Really All About Tebow?

 

I have to start this by saying that I am a Broncos fan. Having said that, Tim Tebow blows. He is a terrible quarterback.

Now before Tebow fans get upset and stop reading this article, I don’t mean that he is a terrible football player or a terrible person, it’s the opposite in fact. He is an amazing human being who has a strong faith that he firmly believes in, without hypocrisy, which is hard to find in people nowadays in the world. He credits God for everything he has, and everything he has accomplished, he does charity work, he speaks at prisons to help people better their lives. The man is one of a kind. However, that doesn’t mean he is a good quarterback or the reason the Broncos are winning.

“He just wins!” If I hear that one more time I just might lose it. Here is a list of Tebow’s wins:

10/23 @ Miami                 18-15 OT              QB: Matt Moore

11/6 @ Oakland                38-24                   QB: Carson Palmer

11/13 @ Kansas City        17-10                    QB: Tyler Palko

11/17 vs New York Jets    17-13                    QB: Mark Sanchez

11/27 @ San Diego           16-13 OT             QB: Phillip Rivers

12/4 @ Minnesota             35-32                   QB: Christian Ponder

12/11 vs Chicago              13-10 OT             QB: Caleb Hanie

Not a single win - not one - comes against a team with an elite quarterback, let alone a future playoff team (maybe the Jets…maybe).

“Tebow Time” is what they call the 4th quarter (well I should say the last 5 min of the 4^th quarter). What about the first 3 quarters? Where is he then? Is Tebow putting the Broncos in a situation to win or is he the reason they are in a situation that requires a miraculous comeback to win the game?

What people should be talking about instead of Tebow Mania is the Broncos defense, because they have been playing lights out. In 5 of the 7 Bronco wins since Tebow was named the starter, the defense has given up 15 points or less. If the Broncos had a quarterback that could move the ball for a full game, they wouldn’t need the 4^th quarter comebacks.

Do you know why Rodgers, Brady, Brees, and Roethlisberger aren’t known for 4^th quarter comebacks?... because they usually aren’t behind!

The NFL is a quarterback driven league and every elite team has an elite quarterback, for example: Packers (13-0) Aaron Rodgers, Patriots (10-3) Tom Brady, Saints (10-3) Drew Brees, Steelers (10-3) Ben Roethlisberger. Each of them have a completion percentage above 64%. Tebow’s is 48.5%…dead last. That’s lower than Blaine Gabbert (50.3), Rex Grossman (58.0), Colt McCoy (57.2), Tavaris Jackson (60.7), and wait for it – Curtis bleeping Painter (54.3).

Matt Prater is the most famous kicker since Adam Venatieri. Is there a kicker in the league that deserves more credit for their team winning than Prater? He hit a ridiculous 59 yarder against the Bears to send the game to overtime, where he put one through the uprights from 51 yards when the Broncos couldn’t move the ball to win the game.

Head coach John Fox deserves to be coach of the year the way he has handled his first year in Denver. The Broncos have won a lot of games, despite of what Fox has to work with. He has taken his entire philosophy, strategies, and playbook and thrown them out the window to mold an offense from scratch to fit its leader. The Broncos new option system will win games for now, but without a consistent pass attack, it won't win Super Bowls.

Tebow can run the ball, as a matter of fact he should be a running back. The man can play football, he’s got the heart of a lion, and faith stronger than the pope’s, and somehow, someway the man keeps winning. He is a natural born leader, and his teammates respond to him, but it’s the Denver Broncos, not the Denver Tebows. So, next time the Broncos win, or even when they lose - don’t forget his teammates, and the guy in the headset.

An Ugly Scene at Xavier

There is nothing better in sports than a rivalry game. Yankees vs Redsox, Celtics vs Lakers, North Carolina vs Duke, Alamaba vs Auburn, Steelers vs Ravens just to name a few of the biggest throughout the nation. But when does a rivalry take things too far?

It went too far on Saturday when Xavier hosted Cincinnati. It may not be the biggest rivalry throughout the country, but for these two teams the rivalry is fierce. Students camped out for 3 days to get into the game in the freezing December in Ohio temperatures. Players took shots at each over twitter leading up to the game to add fuel to the fire.

There was typical jawing back and forth the whole game, including a small scuffle and the end of the first half, but nothing compared to what happened with about 9 seconds remaining in the game.  Xavier, who went into the game ranked 8^th in the nation was clearly the superior team, but instead of settling things on the court, ego and insecurity took center stage. 

Up by 23, Xavier’s Tu Holloway provoked a bench clearing brawl by shoving a Cincinnati player to the ground, which lead to ugliness by both sides, but especially by red-shirt senior Yancy Gates as seen in the video below.

 "That's what you're going to see from Xavier and Cincinnati, We got disrespected a little bit before the game, guys calling us out. We're a tougher team. We're grown men over here. We've got a whole bunch of gangsters in the locker room -- not thugs, but tough guys on the court. And we went out there and zipped them up at the end of the game." – Xavier guard Tu Holloway

What is wrong with that quote? EVERYTHING! Every single word. That kid needs a reality check.

I don’t know about you, but it’s probably not the best thing to refer to your basketball team as “a bunch of gangsters” or say “That’s what you’re going to see from Xavier and Cincinnati.” Hopefully we never see something like that ever again,  and we can only hope that college athletes will start acting like student athletes and grown men, like Tu Holloway said they are.

Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin’s comments at the postgame press conference were spot on. It was embarrassing, but he could not have handled it any better. He reminded not only his players, but all of us, what college athletics are all about – having the privilege of being a student athlete, and receiving a free education from a prestigious university. Along with that goes representing the university with pride, something that was not done on Saturday afternoon.

Winners and Losers at MLB Winter Meetings

Winners

Miami Marlins

Key Acquisitions: SS Jose Reyes, SP Mark Buehrle, RP Heath Bell

The Marlins are not known for spending money, but this week they spent a lot of it. They finished last in the NL East with a 72-90 record, however, they are showing everyone that they plan on moving out of the basement and contending in 2012. You know what you’ll get with Buehrle and Bell, two of the more consistent players in the game, but Jose Reyes is a bit of a gamble. He signed for $100+ million and has a reputation of being injury prone. Right now they look great on paper and we’ll see how it translates to the field, along with the ongoing drama queen that is Hanley Ramirez.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Key Acquisitions: 1B Albert Pujols, SP C.J. Wilson, RP LeTroy Hawkins

Did anyone see this coming? New GM Jerry Dipoto certainly has made a statement with only 2 months on the job by signing the top free agent hitter and pitcher available in Pujols (10yr $254 million) and Wilson (5yr $77 million). With one of the worst offenses in the American League in 2011, the Halos will be glad to see Pujols in the 3 hole everyday providing some much needed power. Southern California native C.J. Wilson gets set to join Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana to make up the best rotation in the American League without a doubt. These moves don’t guarantee a World Series title or even a division title for that matter, but one thing is for certain, they got a LOT better. Did they overpay? Yes. Will it be worth it? We’ll see. Why did they do it?….because it’s Albert freaking Pujols.

St. Louis Cardinals

Key Subtractions: 1B Albert Pujols, RP Octavio Dotel

How are the Cardinals winners!? Very simple, they didn’t pay Albert Pujols $250+ million. This isn’t the NBA where one player can make or destroy a franchise (see LeBron James) they had to let him walk. The deal makes sense for the Angels because they were is desperate need of a big bat, but the Cards are the defending world champs and are still a very good team and will be ok without Pujols. They now have more money to spend on future free agents and they have a great young core in Matt Holliday, Allen Craig, World Series hero David Freese, and their ace Adam Wainwright is set to return to the starting rotation in 2012. Maybe they use that money to sign Prince Fielder?

Losers

Chicago Cubs

Key Acquisitions: 3B Ian Stewart

The Cubbies went into the winter meetings with new GM Theo Epstein and was one of the front runners to sign Albert Pujols to help them end their World Series drought. Then they traded for Third Baseman Ian Stewart. When your only acquisition was a guy who batted .156 and played his home games at Coors Field, resulting in being demoted to AAA for the rest of the season…you are a loser. Now, this could all change if they can sign Prince Fielder -- that is if the Cardinals don’t get to him first.

New York Yankees

Key Acquisitions: None

They did nothing. Literally. For a team that has seemingly an unlimited amount of money and that desperately needs a starting pitcher to help CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova in the starting rotation, the Yankees did nothing to make their team better.

What the BCS Matchups SHOULD Be

What the BCS Matchups SHOULD Be

Rose Bowl – Oregon vs Wisconsin

Nothing wrong with this matchup. These are two teams that at the beginning of the season were thought to be playing against each other for the national championship.

Wisconsin lost a heart breaker on a 44-yd hail mary pass by Michigan State’s Kirk Cousins to Keith Nichol as time expired. The Badgers then followed that up with a loss to a mediocre Ohio St. team, but were able to avenge their loss to Michigan St. beating them in the inaugural Big Ten title game.

Oregon could have been in the National Championship Game discussion until their late season loss to USC. They would have had a chance to get revenge in the Pac-12 Championship, but instead we had to suffer through that UCLA joke of a matchup (thanks a lot Reggie Bush.)

Oregon doesn’t play defense, but Chip Kelly’s offense is one of the most exciting in the country ranking 3^rd  in PPG with LeMichael James’ lightning quick speed running all over the field. Wisconsin is a more balanced team ranking 4^th in PPG and 6^th in Points Allowed and have a scary tandem in once Heisman hopeful QB Russell Wilson and Heisman candidate RB Montee Ball, who has 32 TDs this season.

Discover Orange Bowl – Clemson vs West Virginia

Can’t do anything about this one with the ACC champion Clemson playing Big East Champion...gulp…West Virginia.

This will easily be the most boring and frustrating of all the BCS games featuring two teams that are mediocre at best.

Clemson started the season on fire, but then had a bad stretch losing 3 out of 4 with a very bad loss to North Carolina State. They did beat Virginia Tech twice, and handily I might add. That shows what the alternative could have been, an overrated Va Tech that didn’t play anyone good all year.

West Virginia has 3 losses, 2 of them to unranked teams (Syracuse, Louisville) and is a prime example of why there shouldn’t be automatic qualifiers in the BCS because it leaves you with a team and a matchup like this one. Sorry Arkansas.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – Boise St. vs Kansas St.

Here’s where it gets controversial.

Boise State’s schedule sucks and we all know it. They beat SEC finalist Georgia the first game of the season and then played nobody until TCU, which they lost by a missed field goal after an incredible Kellen Moore drive to get them in field goal range (again!?...see Reno, NV 2010.) If it wasn’t for 2 missed field goals and a one point loss to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl, Boise State would have had four…yes FOUR! Undefeated seasons in a row. Kellen Moore and the Broncos deserve and should be in this game.

Kansas State should be in this game for one reason…Collin Klein. The guy is just exciting to watch, if you want proof go back and watch the Oklahoma St. game they narrowly lost 52-45 with a chance at the goal line to get to OT, and the next week when K-State beat Texas A&M 53-50 in 4 OTs. The guy puts points on the board scoring 50+ points 4 times this year. He has thrown for 1700+ yards and 12 TDs, but what makes him exciting is his ability to run the football with 1000+ rushing yards and 25 TDs with his legs.

Kellen Moore vs Collin Klein. Let the scoring begin.

Allstate Sugar Bowl – Stanford vs Alabama

Andrew Luck vs Alabama’s defense

Stanford could have been in the National Championship against LSU had they taken care of business against Oregon at home, but that slight misstep puts them in the Sugar Bowl. People have been arguing who will win the Heisman all season long and the top 2 candidates (sorry Robert Griffin III is 3rd) would play in this game to show who truly is the best player in college football.

Alabama’s strength is Trent Richardson and their defense, in that order. Critics are skeptical about their defense because horrible quarterback play in the SEC makes them look better than they are. Good news is we will find out just how good they are against the golden boy Andrew Luck. Their only blemish coming against LSU in the “game of the century” which turned out to be the “snoozer of the century” and nobody wants a replay of the mess unless you are from Tuscaloosa.

Allstate BCS National Championship Game – LSU vs Oklahoma St.

This is a scenario where the national championship can be decided on the field. Two teams that won their respective conferences; One whose strength is defense, the other whose strength is an air-it-out offense and would make for a very entertaining matchup to decide the best team in the country.

LSU without a doubt should be going into this game as the #1 team in the country as they are undefeated, and have one of the stingiest defenses in the land ranking 2^nd in points allowed with 10.5. When you only give up 10 PPG that makes up for poor quarterback play.

Experts were predicting Landry Jones and Oklahoma to be in this game halfway through the year, and last week Oklahoma State ran them right off the field. The Cowboys lost a heartbreaker in overtime to Iowa State days after the university was struck with a terrible tragedy, when the women’s basketball coach was killed in a plane crash. If any team deserves a do over it’s the Cowboys. They have been dominant all season and their QB Brandon Weeden has been playing out of his mind.

This matchup would be a very close, hard fought game where the winner would be deserving of a national title. Instead, we will probably see a rematch of LSU-Alabama and if the Crimson Tide win, there will be more controversy than ever about who the real national champion is.