YES! My friends, it is here! Okay, it is ALMOST here...College Football Season! I am already gearing up for another bang-up season, but this year I am adding a new twist: The Desert Hot Air College Football Fanatic Predictions for 2012. I urge any of you who are betting fans to pay close attention to my rankings, then bet accordingly (for the opposite teams, if you are wise!).
I have a different ranking system that that used by the Bowl Championship Series, I must confess; but who can figure out the BCS ranking system anyway? I am sure that my ranking system radically differs from that of most college football coaches as well. Probably my ranking system differs from almost anyone else as well, particularly if a given ranking system is based on stats, past performance, future potential coaching trends, and the like. I don't have the time for those unreliable ranking measures anyway. I have my GUT FEELINGS to guide me! Who needs reliable stats?! So, get your pens or keyboards ready and take note of the first annual Desert Hot Air College Football Fanatic Predictions!
First, the National Champion. Here I need little analysis or dull football stats from last season. My prediction for the National Championship Team is of course the Louisiana State University Tigers. I know, you are saying, "No, Jim Silver! The winner will be USC!" Save your breath, for you are wrong, my friend. USC will finish somewhere in the top four, yes, BUT the predictors missed the boat on the Number One slot. That is because they did not consult with my Gut. If they had, they would have known what my Gut knows: USC may show up for a showdown with the Tigers, but the Honey Badger and Co will just be too, too much for the Trojans and for anyone else they play this year.
GEAUX TIGERS!
For Number Two, which some predicted would be LSU, my prediction is the Crimson Tide of Alabama. The Tide will surprise SOME fans, but not THIS fan. And they will definitely surprise USC by taking the Trojans' spot at the BCS Championship game. If you are Crimson Tide fans, this will be your year! Oh, except for those pesky Tigers...
At Number Three look for the University of Southern California Trojans. I know the writers and fans are looking for the Big One this year. Once again, they did not go with my Gut. But, Trojans fans, third place is not too bad. Maybe next year.
Number Four...I have to say that the scene here is a little murky, but here again my large Gut comes into play. Oregon, Oklahoma University, and Ohio State are all vying for this spot. I am going to step out on a limb here, but with good reason, and go with Ohio State. It is what my gut tells me.
For Number Five, I give my "nod" to Oregon because Gut tells me that OU is OU-verated by the predictors.
Number Six - I grudgingly insert OU here. The Sooners are a good team, I have to admit. But they are elevated by many just because they are OU. The Sooners will have to actually play good football to move higher than Number Six. Gasp, you say? Just wait til December....
Coming in at Number Seven in the Desert Hot Air survey are the Wolverines of Michigan. They are a good team but have not been quite up to their usual par over the last couple of seasons. Look for a good year this time around.
One of my favorite teams, the Florida State Seminoles, takes the Number Eight Slot. The national predictors are putting them at Nine right now, but I think that is a little low for this team. They will have some struggles but they will overcome. And if I were wrong, with the Gators coming in at Six or Seven, I would have been incorrect, but not disappointed. The Florida Gators have long been one of my favorite collegiate teams.
Number Nine goes to the Georgia Bulldogs. The "know it alls" (with their stats and expert analysis) placed the Bulldogs at Number Eight. I think they missed it here, though not by much. The Bulldogs are not always so easily predicted as far as performance, and none of the teams ranked above them should underestimate this team on game day.
At Number Ten we find the South Carolina Gamecocks. Spurrier is still the head coach there. Enough said.
So that rounds out the Top Ten in the Desert Hot Air College Football Predictions for 2012. You can rest at ease knowing that I took all the stats of these teams and the predictions of coaches and sports writers into due consideration. I then promptly ignored their findings and came up with the above, bona fide predictions. You can count on them (but you may lose your shirt in the football pools).
Ah, but my Football Predictions are not over yet, my friends, not by a Hail Mary! For instance, the Texas Longhorns, West Virginia, the Arkansas Razorbacks, and the Cornhuskers of Nebraska are predicted by some to finish in the order listed here. My prediction is ...yawn. None of these are my favorites, although I believe the Mountaineers of West Virginia will be the best of these four teams.
At Number Fifteen we find the Clemson Tigers. Wrong! They will finish at Number Eleven, just in front of West Virginia.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Stanford Cardinals, and the Horned Frogs of TCU are all underrated for this season, based on last year's performance by the respective schools. I see the Cowboys taking Number Sixteen nationally, while the Horned Frogs and the Cardinals will finish at Seventeen and Eighteen, respectively.
At Numbers Nineteen and Twenty I place Wisconsin and Michigan State.
There is the Top Twenty, according to Desert Hot Air. Now comes the really fun part, although I have to admit that predicting the Top Twenty for 2012 was certainly great fun. But the predictions I am now about to make call on my guttiest Gut for accurate predictions. I am not predicting all the positions from Number Twenty One to the bottom. Instead I will provide predictions for only my favorite teams. I hope you find many of your favorites in this listing as well.
The Florida Gators. Those that know have this team ranked at Number Twenty-six for 2012. The 'Noles is never a team to be influenced or defined by their poll ranking. This team can be explosive at times, and very unpredictable. I think this team will break into the Top Twenty by about week four of the coming football season. In any case, I will switch channels and miss a "better" game to watch the Seminoles play.
Auburn is another one of the Tiger teams, along with LSU and Clemson. This season Auburn goes into the game ranked at Number Thirty. I think this is low, and I look for the Tigers to break the Top Twenty-five.
Texas A & M. The Aggies do not realistically have a chance to move into the Top Ten, much less win a national championship, but they are always fun to watch. I look for the Aggies to be a spoiler team this year. They will go on to bigger things next year, but must settle for less in 2012. Number Thirty Two.
Tennessee, Number Thirty-seven. The Volunteers, like the Aggies, will provide ten good and exciting games this year, but will not rise into the Top Ten. Nonetheless, anytime they play, the Vols are fun to watch. And they are full of surprises. Just ask LSU!
Number Forty. Baylor enjoyed a great year last season with RGIII as their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback. For this season, Baylor fields a good team, but nothing like what we saw last year. Baylor will be a team worth watching, but don't look for them to break the Top Twenty-five or to win their conference this season. Art Briles is a truly a magician, but this year there may not be a rabbit in the old silk hat.
The Miami Hurricanes are one of my favorite teams of all time. Perhaps I tend to rate them higher than this team might merit, but it is just because the Hurricanes are an unpredictable lot. The 'Canes are predicted this year to do no better than Number Forty-eight. Maybe, but again, this team tends not to stay where they are ranked in pre-season. No championship for the Hurricanes this year, but some good, popcorn-eating football games.
My favorite team, Texas Tech, has seen better years. With Coach Leach gone, it also seemed like the Red Raiders had finished their great quarterback run as well. Coach Tommy Tuberville, a nice guy and an okay coach, nonetheless is in the "hot seat" this year, as the Red Raiders are edging ever closer to the .500 mark. A break-even season this year will probably be a show-stopper for Coach Tuberville. But I will turn off another game just to watch the Red Raiders play, win or lose. I am the die-hard Texas Tech Red Raider Fan!
Other teams I love to watch include Navy, Air Force, Marshall, the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest, and the Houston Cougars. On any given Saturday, any of these teams can suddenly and unexpectedly put the screws on some unsuspecting higher-ranked team, making for a long football game.
Finally, there are two underdog teams that I will be watching this year. The University of Texas at El Paso Miners debuted the college football scene with a Big Bang down in South Texas several years ago. Since then, though, they have mostly sputtered and smoldered on the grass. But good things have been happening there this spring. Hopefully it will carry on into the coming football season and translate into a least a break-even year.
The University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners, with Larry Coker at head coach, are set to have another good year after their debut last season. I have never seen this team play, and may not this year, as they are a fledgling team in a small conference. Good luck to the Roadrunners for 2012.
So there you have it, the first annual Desert Hot Air College Football Fanatic Predictions. I am eager for the 2012 football season to begin, not because I believe my predictions will be chillingly accurate (I believe they will) but because I just enjoy these exciting college games so much. And if you win a few dollars based on my predictions, don't forget to spread a little "cheer" this way.
Geaux Tigers!!
Touch Down Red Raiders!!
I have a different ranking system that that used by the Bowl Championship Series, I must confess; but who can figure out the BCS ranking system anyway? I am sure that my ranking system radically differs from that of most college football coaches as well. Probably my ranking system differs from almost anyone else as well, particularly if a given ranking system is based on stats, past performance, future potential coaching trends, and the like. I don't have the time for those unreliable ranking measures anyway. I have my GUT FEELINGS to guide me! Who needs reliable stats?! So, get your pens or keyboards ready and take note of the first annual Desert Hot Air College Football Fanatic Predictions!
First, the National Champion. Here I need little analysis or dull football stats from last season. My prediction for the National Championship Team is of course the Louisiana State University Tigers. I know, you are saying, "No, Jim Silver! The winner will be USC!" Save your breath, for you are wrong, my friend. USC will finish somewhere in the top four, yes, BUT the predictors missed the boat on the Number One slot. That is because they did not consult with my Gut. If they had, they would have known what my Gut knows: USC may show up for a showdown with the Tigers, but the Honey Badger and Co will just be too, too much for the Trojans and for anyone else they play this year.
GEAUX TIGERS!
For Number Two, which some predicted would be LSU, my prediction is the Crimson Tide of Alabama. The Tide will surprise SOME fans, but not THIS fan. And they will definitely surprise USC by taking the Trojans' spot at the BCS Championship game. If you are Crimson Tide fans, this will be your year! Oh, except for those pesky Tigers...
At Number Three look for the University of Southern California Trojans. I know the writers and fans are looking for the Big One this year. Once again, they did not go with my Gut. But, Trojans fans, third place is not too bad. Maybe next year.
Number Four...I have to say that the scene here is a little murky, but here again my large Gut comes into play. Oregon, Oklahoma University, and Ohio State are all vying for this spot. I am going to step out on a limb here, but with good reason, and go with Ohio State. It is what my gut tells me.
For Number Five, I give my "nod" to Oregon because Gut tells me that OU is OU-verated by the predictors.
Number Six - I grudgingly insert OU here. The Sooners are a good team, I have to admit. But they are elevated by many just because they are OU. The Sooners will have to actually play good football to move higher than Number Six. Gasp, you say? Just wait til December....
Coming in at Number Seven in the Desert Hot Air survey are the Wolverines of Michigan. They are a good team but have not been quite up to their usual par over the last couple of seasons. Look for a good year this time around.
One of my favorite teams, the Florida State Seminoles, takes the Number Eight Slot. The national predictors are putting them at Nine right now, but I think that is a little low for this team. They will have some struggles but they will overcome. And if I were wrong, with the Gators coming in at Six or Seven, I would have been incorrect, but not disappointed. The Florida Gators have long been one of my favorite collegiate teams.
Number Nine goes to the Georgia Bulldogs. The "know it alls" (with their stats and expert analysis) placed the Bulldogs at Number Eight. I think they missed it here, though not by much. The Bulldogs are not always so easily predicted as far as performance, and none of the teams ranked above them should underestimate this team on game day.
At Number Ten we find the South Carolina Gamecocks. Spurrier is still the head coach there. Enough said.
So that rounds out the Top Ten in the Desert Hot Air College Football Predictions for 2012. You can rest at ease knowing that I took all the stats of these teams and the predictions of coaches and sports writers into due consideration. I then promptly ignored their findings and came up with the above, bona fide predictions. You can count on them (but you may lose your shirt in the football pools).
Ah, but my Football Predictions are not over yet, my friends, not by a Hail Mary! For instance, the Texas Longhorns, West Virginia, the Arkansas Razorbacks, and the Cornhuskers of Nebraska are predicted by some to finish in the order listed here. My prediction is ...yawn. None of these are my favorites, although I believe the Mountaineers of West Virginia will be the best of these four teams.
At Number Fifteen we find the Clemson Tigers. Wrong! They will finish at Number Eleven, just in front of West Virginia.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Stanford Cardinals, and the Horned Frogs of TCU are all underrated for this season, based on last year's performance by the respective schools. I see the Cowboys taking Number Sixteen nationally, while the Horned Frogs and the Cardinals will finish at Seventeen and Eighteen, respectively.
At Numbers Nineteen and Twenty I place Wisconsin and Michigan State.
There is the Top Twenty, according to Desert Hot Air. Now comes the really fun part, although I have to admit that predicting the Top Twenty for 2012 was certainly great fun. But the predictions I am now about to make call on my guttiest Gut for accurate predictions. I am not predicting all the positions from Number Twenty One to the bottom. Instead I will provide predictions for only my favorite teams. I hope you find many of your favorites in this listing as well.
The Florida Gators. Those that know have this team ranked at Number Twenty-six for 2012. The 'Noles is never a team to be influenced or defined by their poll ranking. This team can be explosive at times, and very unpredictable. I think this team will break into the Top Twenty by about week four of the coming football season. In any case, I will switch channels and miss a "better" game to watch the Seminoles play.
Auburn is another one of the Tiger teams, along with LSU and Clemson. This season Auburn goes into the game ranked at Number Thirty. I think this is low, and I look for the Tigers to break the Top Twenty-five.
Texas A & M. The Aggies do not realistically have a chance to move into the Top Ten, much less win a national championship, but they are always fun to watch. I look for the Aggies to be a spoiler team this year. They will go on to bigger things next year, but must settle for less in 2012. Number Thirty Two.
Tennessee, Number Thirty-seven. The Volunteers, like the Aggies, will provide ten good and exciting games this year, but will not rise into the Top Ten. Nonetheless, anytime they play, the Vols are fun to watch. And they are full of surprises. Just ask LSU!
Number Forty. Baylor enjoyed a great year last season with RGIII as their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback. For this season, Baylor fields a good team, but nothing like what we saw last year. Baylor will be a team worth watching, but don't look for them to break the Top Twenty-five or to win their conference this season. Art Briles is a truly a magician, but this year there may not be a rabbit in the old silk hat.
The Miami Hurricanes are one of my favorite teams of all time. Perhaps I tend to rate them higher than this team might merit, but it is just because the Hurricanes are an unpredictable lot. The 'Canes are predicted this year to do no better than Number Forty-eight. Maybe, but again, this team tends not to stay where they are ranked in pre-season. No championship for the Hurricanes this year, but some good, popcorn-eating football games.
My favorite team, Texas Tech, has seen better years. With Coach Leach gone, it also seemed like the Red Raiders had finished their great quarterback run as well. Coach Tommy Tuberville, a nice guy and an okay coach, nonetheless is in the "hot seat" this year, as the Red Raiders are edging ever closer to the .500 mark. A break-even season this year will probably be a show-stopper for Coach Tuberville. But I will turn off another game just to watch the Red Raiders play, win or lose. I am the die-hard Texas Tech Red Raider Fan!
Other teams I love to watch include Navy, Air Force, Marshall, the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest, and the Houston Cougars. On any given Saturday, any of these teams can suddenly and unexpectedly put the screws on some unsuspecting higher-ranked team, making for a long football game.
Finally, there are two underdog teams that I will be watching this year. The University of Texas at El Paso Miners debuted the college football scene with a Big Bang down in South Texas several years ago. Since then, though, they have mostly sputtered and smoldered on the grass. But good things have been happening there this spring. Hopefully it will carry on into the coming football season and translate into a least a break-even year.
The University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners, with Larry Coker at head coach, are set to have another good year after their debut last season. I have never seen this team play, and may not this year, as they are a fledgling team in a small conference. Good luck to the Roadrunners for 2012.
So there you have it, the first annual Desert Hot Air College Football Fanatic Predictions. I am eager for the 2012 football season to begin, not because I believe my predictions will be chillingly accurate (I believe they will) but because I just enjoy these exciting college games so much. And if you win a few dollars based on my predictions, don't forget to spread a little "cheer" this way.
Geaux Tigers!!
Touch Down Red Raiders!!
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