Looking Back on My College Football Predictions

Making predictions has never been my best asset, but still it remains something I hope to get better at. With that said, I would like to look back at the predictions I made at the beginning of this 2009 college football season.

Then: Florida WILL go undefeated and they WILL win the National Championship.
(I keep looking and when I really evaluate this team I do not see them tripping up once.)

Now: It really is strange when you think about how the Tebow Show is over. I was confident the Gators would prevail over the Crimson Tide. All summer and year there was so much certainty that the Gators were going to win the title. I bought into it. Sure the offense was stagnant in some games, but the team kept winning. Tebow would not fall. And then it happened. Alabama hit Florida in the mouth like no one has ever done against Tebow. In 60 minutes of football it was all over.


Then: By the end of October the California Bears WILL no longer be in the dark horse National Championship talk.
(I have been hearing all summer how this Cal team is going to make some noise. I do not see this year being any different from the other years we, the fans, were lead to believe this.)

Now: I could not have been more right about this prediction. I saw this coming from 10 miles away. At 3-0 the Golden Bears traveled to Oregon only to lose 42-3. The next week the team lost their homecoming to USC 30-3. Poof! Two games, two losses, National Title talk dead. After all the hype California finished the season with 4 losses and an invite to the Poinsetta Bowl to play Utah. Ouch.


Then: Ohio State WILL beat USC on September 12th.
(Matt Barkley is 18 years old. He turns 19 on September 8th. He has never started a college game. I do not think in his second game of the year he will be able to pull out a victory in front of 100,000+ screaming fans. I do not care how good he was in high school and I'm sure he will have a fine college career. But at the end of the day I do not think with such little experience he will be able to beat the Buckeyes.)

Now: They had them! Ohio State had USC! The crowd was there, the team was there, but the Buckeyes could not stop freshman Matt Barkley from driving down the field and pulling out an 18-15 victory. Even worse, Terrelle Pryor, the proclaimed savior, turned the ball over on downs with a minute left. Wasn't Pryor brought in to win games like these?


Then: Baylor behind the nation's best kept secret, quarterback Robert Griffin, will pull off a big upset this year, but Baylor will not going bowling this year.

Now: Poor Baylor. Had Griffin not torn his ACL in week three against Northwestern State this team would of gone bowling. Griffin was already putting up some ridiculous numbers. Baylor was 2-1 when Griffin was playing, when he was not they were 1-7. Let's hope Griffin comes back strong in 2010.


Then: Miami Florida's head coach Randy Shannon will be fired at the end of the year as his team will again under perform. The Hurricanes will finish with 5 losses.

Now: What do I really know? Geez I never thought Miami would start the season the way they did. So what if the Hurricanes got screwed out of a quality bowl game, Shannon's crew still finished 9-3. More importantly The U is on the rise behind Jacory Harris.


Then: Michigan will not lose more than 4 games.

Now: Another "great" call by me. I thought I was on track when Michigan started 4-0, including a win over a "good" Notre Dame team. In the team's final 8 games the Wolverines went 1-7. RichRod has one more season to right the ship or he will be unemployed. It's still appalling to think that UM is 8-16 in the past two years! Despite that awful record, freshman QB Tate Forcier does look like the real deal.


Then: Once again Texas will just sneak by Oklahoma State. Much like the Fiesta Bowl, Colt McCoy will lead Texas for a late score at the end of the game to beat the Cowboys.

Now: How am I so bad at predicting? This game was never close. Texas destroyed the Cowboys 41-14. My only salvation is knowing it was only 3-0 Texas after the first quarter. That's not bad, right?


Then: Oklahoma beats Texas. Oklahoma loses two games. Texas goes to the Big 12 Championship and then the National Championship.

Now: This was about a half and half. I was right about Texas winning the Big 12 and heading to the National Championship, but on the other side I was completely wrong. Oklahoma lost five games (not two) and the Sooners did not beat Texas (it was close, but they lost 16-13). Keep in mind there's no telling how this Oklahoma team does if Sam Bradford doesn't get injured the first week.


Then: Notre Dame will be getting a BCS bowl after they finish the season with only 2 losses. And yes they will lose to USC again.

Now: You know when a bad car crash happens you tell yourself not to look, but you still do? That's EXACTLY what these predictions are like. They are so off, but at the same time I can not stop reading them. Short and sweet - I was right about ND falling to USC yet again, but the whole BCS talk is disturbing to think about it. After the USC loss the wheels really started coming off the wagon. The four game losing streak to end the season (Navy, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Stanford) was pathetic. But because of the team's lousy play they were "rewarded" with the hidden gem of the college football world - Brian Kelly.


Then: Alabama will lose at the most 2 games during the regular season. Ole Miss will lose only one when the Bengals come into town. Ole Miss will go to the SEC Championship Game.

Now: FAIL! Alabama never lost a game and the LSU did not beat Ole Miss. Even better Ole Miss never went to the SEC Championship Game. Wow these predictions only get worse. Also I am guilty, I did start to believe Ole Miss was legit.


Then: LSU will have their swagger back this year, but a very hard schedule will keep them out of the SEC Championship Game.

Now: Meh. A tough schedule was a big reason LSU did not qualify for the SEC Championship along with a number of other things such as erratic playcalling, an erroneous missed interception against Alabama, and the ultimate brain fart against Ole Miss. But with all that said LSU could of found itself in a BCS bowl had Les Miles not gone brain dead in the waning seconds against Ole Miss. Okay new subject that still gets me mad.


Then: Rutgers will not win the Big East. Pittsburgh will take the conference and the coveted BCS bowl bid.

Now: I was so close! Rutgers never lived up to expectations so that whole "BCS berth" talk was flushed down the toilet early on. As far as Pittsburgh goes they had a 21 point lead at home on an undefeated Cincinnati team. Even worse they had a six point lead with a minute half left. The one time the defense needed to step up they failed.


Then: West Virginia will have 5 losses this year. Speculation will begin about whether Bill Stewart is the right guy for the job.

Now: This one surprised me. Really thought WV would take a step back with Pat White gone. The team only has three losses going into a Gator Bowl match up with Florida State. If the Mountineers can pull out a victory a 10 win season will silence some critics...for now.


Then: Alabama will beat Virginia Tech 31-14. Tech has a defense, but the offense will not be able to do anything against Alabama's defense.

Now: This game was a lot closer than I expected. It was not until the 4th quarter that the Tide pulled away. Once again Alabama used the first game of the season to send a message.


Then: Texas A&M has another losing season and surprisingly gives Mike Sherman one more year.

Now: A&M finished with a 6-6 record meaning they barely missed out on having another losing season. The Aggies showed great potential against the Longhorns when they nearly pulled off the upset of the year. Having QB Jerrod Johnson back along with freshman running back Christine Michael will give some fans a reason to give A&M a sleeper label for 2010.


Then: Dan LeFevour. He's what some would call the "poor man's Tim Tebow." He will lead Central Michigan to the MAC Title and to go along with that Houston will win the Conference-USA.

Now: Just when I thought I had no hope I pull this one out! LeFevour continued to set records his entire senior year. To cement a great career LeFevour led CMU to a MAC Title over Ohio. On the other hand I was awfully close with Houston, but East Carolina beat them in the CUSA Title game 38-32. So close!


Then: Sorry Archie Griffin, but you no longer have the record by yourself. Tim Tebow will win the Heisman trophy.

Now: At the beginning of the year it seemed destined for the trophy to go to either Sam Bradford or Tim Tebow, instead Alabama's Mark Ingram stole the show. Ingram won the closest race ever by beating Stanford's Toby Gerhart by only 28 points.

Then: Oregon looked pretty impressive in their bowl victory against Oklahoma State so I will have to take the Ducks. Look for Oregon to end Boise State's 49-game regular-season home winning streak. It will be decided by one score.

Now: You know what would of been funny? Had I predicted a fight at the end of the game. Sadly I didn't. Even worse I was dead wrong about this prediction. Boise State dominated Oregon 19-8.

Enjoy the bowl season, and yes, I too am very excited for the San Diego County Credit Union Bowl. And by the way how far away are we from having a very awkward bowl name? For instance, the Viagara Bowl, the Good Housekeeping Magazine Bowl, the Playtex Bowl, or (drum roll)the Beggin' Strips Bowl.

Trust me we are not that far away!

Tim Tebow's Latest Jaw-Dropping Act of Greatness

With his senior season coming to close more and more great things continue to pop up about Tim Tebow. The latest report is one that will surely leave the public amazed. In a sit down interview on November 5, 2009 Gainesville resident Gus T. Henneshaw gives a real time account of what took place between Tim Tebow and him. As Henneshaw explains he was waiting in a long line to get a sip of water at a public drinking fountain. “I was hot outside. Too hot if you ask me,” Henneshaw exclaimed.

That’s when the magic of Tim Tebow happened.

“I was waiting behind eight or nine people and man I was thirsty. Then I could see at the front of the line that Tim Tebow was next in line and then he did it. He looked right at me and said, ‘Mr. Henneshaw would you like to cut in line and quench your thirst prior to mine?’ It was surreal.”

Multiple reports indicate that indeed Tebow did give out this offer and that indeed Henneshaw took it.

“It was remarkable. Absolutely remarkable,” Gainesville resident Heidi Thames explained. “Tim Tebow had yet again raised the bar of greatness to new heights!”
According to the bylaws of Heisman Trophy protocol the NCAA declares that “a great act of kindness outside of football can be implemented into a person’s Heisman standing only if the person’s last name rhymes in some crazy way with the word ‘elbow’.”

With this hidden clause it is clearly evident that indeed the front runner for the Heisman Trophy is yet again Tim Tebow.

“He plays with more heart than any human being that has ever touched the earth,” University of Florida Beta Iota Phi President James Douglas stated. “Stand back Genghis Khan, there’s a new king in town!”

Since the announcement of Tebow’s latest great act of bravery numerous cities have been said to have had ceremonies to honor No. 15.

“Today we spill ‘happiness’ T-E-B-O-W!” Detroit Mayor John Ritzberg yelled in front of a crowd of 30,000 residents.

Indeed we do Ritzberg, indeed we do…

(This article was done in good fun. Do not take it too seriously.)

2009 College Football Bold Predictions

This is it. After what has seemed like 10,000 days of waiting college football is back. Thursday night meaningful games will finally kick off, but before that day comes let me lay out my predictions for the season.

Florida WILL go undefeated and they WILL win the National Championship.
(I keep looking and when I really evaluate this team I do not see them tripping up once.)

By the end of October the California Bears WILL no longer be in the dark horse National Championship talk.
(I have been hearing all summer how this Cal team is going to make some noise. I do not see this year being any different from the other years we, the fans, were lead to believe this.)

Ohio State WILL beat USC on September 12th.
(Matt Barkley is 18 years old. He turns 19 on September 8th. He has never started a college game. I do not think in his second game of the year he will be able to pull out a victory in front of 100,000+ screaming fans. I do not care how good he was in high school and I'm sure he will have a fine college career. But at the end of the day I do not think with such little experience he will be able to beat the Buckeyes.)

Baylor behind the nation's best kept secret, quarterback Robert Griffin, will pull off a big upset this year, but Baylor will not going bowling this year.

Miami Florida's head coach Randy Shannon will be fired at the end of the year as his team will again under perform. The Hurricanes will finish with 5 losses.

Michigan will not lose more than 4 games.

Once again Texas will just sneak by Oklahoma State. Much like the Fiesta Bowl, Colt McCoy will lead Texas for a late score at the end of the game to beat the Cowboys.

Oklahoma beats Texas. Oklahoma loses two games. Texas goes to the Big 12 Championship and then the National Championship.

Notre Dame will be getting a BCS bowl after they finish the season with only 2 losses. And yes they will lose to USC again.

Alabama will lose at the most 2 games during the regular season. Ole Miss will lose only one when the Bengals come into town. Ole Miss will go to the SEC Championship Game.

LSU will have their swagger back this year, but a very hard schedule will keep them out of the SEC Championship Game.

Rutgers will not win the Big East. Pittsburgh will take the conference and the coveted BCS bowl bid.

West Virginia will have 5 losses this year. Speculation will begin about whether Bill Stewart is the right guy for the job.

Alabama will beat Virginia Tech 31-14. Tech has a defense, but the offense will not be able to do anything against Alabama's defense.

Texas A&M has another losing season and surprisingly gives Mike Sherman one more year.

Dan LeFevour. He's what some would call the "poor man's Tim Tebow." He will lead Central Michigan to the MAC Title and to go along with that Houston will win the Conference-USA.

Sorry Archie Griffin, but you no longer have the record by yourself. Tim Tebow will win the Heisman trophy.

Oregon looked pretty impressive in their bowl victory against Oklahoma State so I will have to take the Ducks. Look for Oregon to end Boise State's 49-game regular-season home winning streak. It will be decided by one score.

Well that's all I have. In all honesty I'm the "Jeff George" of making predictions. Average, but nothing more.

Geaux Tigers!







Email me MM

The Unthinkable is Now a Reality: Part 3 (of 9)

October 6
#9 Florida

This game could of easily been called the Game of the Century had Florida not lost to Auburn the previous week 20-17, nonetheless I still think the game lived up to the hype. Urban Meyer had never lost 2 consecutive games while at Florida. Could LSU beat an even more pumped up Florida team on what would become the biggest crowd in Tiger Stadium history? Gameday was present so the magnitude of this game was beyond comprehension. Florida jumped on LSU early. The Tigers did not have Early Doucet who was out with an injury. That was huge considering LSU missed some early first downs that lead to Tebow immediately getting the ball back. LSU was down 10-0 before fans could get into their seats. Late in the second quarter Tebow rushed into the end zone to put the score at 17-7 Florida. LSU would drive down the field and missed a crucial 43-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter.

During that first half I can specifically remember talking to my friends how Tim Tebow just won the Heisman by the way he played in the first 30 minutes of the game. He was deadly in the pocket and even more dangerous when running. No one ever tackled #15 on their first try. He was picking LSU apart.

Tebow's "Call Me" Gesture Back Story: For those of you who watched the game I am sure you saw Tebow make the gesture of "call me" to the LSU Student Section. Allow me to give you some details on the whole story. Facebook is a social networking website many college students use. Tim Tebow used his username and wrote a comment on a Florida girl's Facebook page. After leaving his comment Tebow left his phone number as well.

And as you might guess someone found out about him putting his number on this girl's Facebook page and just like that LSU Faithful were calling up Tebow and leaving intense trash-talking messages. Tebow was simply playing along when he taunted the student section, which is perfectly fine.

But there was one problem.

Do not taunt an opposing team's student section then cry after the game. I am sorry, but you would not tease a person and then cry if they teased you back.

Best quote following the game against Florida: "Tim Tebow drinks milk on Fridays, I think drink his tears on Saturday."

In the second half LSU got the ball right off the bat to march down and cut the score to a margin of 17-14, but before the offense could rest Tebow found an absolutely wide-open Gator.

24-14. Gulp and the 4th quarter was upon us.

In the 4th quarter LSU cut the lead to 3 when Lesticles opted to go for it on 4th down inside the Florida 5. Perrilloux to the Byrdman.

24-21. Hope was still alive.

LSU would get the ball back with about 8:30 left in the game. LSU would end up scoring a TD on a drive that took over 8 minutes. Incredible. 2 for 2 on 4th down the Tigers were on that drive. The one at midfield and the one deep in Gator territory. Both were because of amazing second efforts by Jacob Hester. When Hester finally did get into the end zone on 3rd and Goal, I think my heart stopped.

I am sure I was not the only one who experienced that.

This was the single most nerve-racking game I have ever experienced in Tiger Stadium. When it was announced USC had lost to Stanford the place went nuts. So nuts the decibels in the student section reached 129.8, close to a jet engine (130). After the game, Lee Corso talked about how that game had everything you want in an epic college football showdown. The home team was trailing, field goals where missed, big turnovers happened, gutsy fourth downs were called, and a dramatic come from behind win was lead by the Tigers.

It seems like so long ago when that game happened but just to get that feeling back I had in that stadium after LSU pulled off the impossible, wow, it was just indescribable.

It is what Tiger Stadium is all about.

I still get goosebumps thinking how LSU was down by 10 with 10 minutes remaining and they hung together and pulled out the victory when all hope seemed lost.

Play of the Game: Again, many plays took place in that game for the Tigers that I could claim as the "Play of the Game." The one that sticks out the most was the final of the five fourth downs LSU converted. Tigers could of kicked a field goal to tie the game, but Les Miles wanted the win. On 4th and 1 deep in Gator territory LSU went for it. It looked like Hester got stopped in the backfield and in the student section I was sure he did, but in a last ditch effort #18 dove and just made the first down. Unbelievable.

As painful as it is to remember, the next game I will talk about will be the heartbreaking loss at Kentucky in triple overtime...