College Football Is Soon Upon Us

August has arrived which means...Football is finally back. The Hall Of Fame Game between the Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears is tonight, marking the first game of the football season. Yes I'm excited football is back. As a high school football coach, I love this time of year. 2-a-days begin in a few days and we passed out equipment this morning. My team looks to be pretty good this year so hopefully it'll be a fun year for my Panthers this season.

But this blog isn't about the NFL or High School Football (hmmm...high school football in Texas...I feel another blog coming at a later date.) This blog is about College Football, which next to High School Football is my favorite. Yes I love the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL, but nothing compares to College Football.

I'm a big Texas Longhorns fan so naturally I think the Longhorns have a shot at the Big 12 championship this year. But that's not just me being a homer. Look around the Big 12. Texas Tech will be the same...a lot of passing offense and not enough defense to stop anyone. Baylor is still a young team so they will make too many mistakes, but being year 2 of Coach Matt Rhule I think they will be a lot better. Oklahoma lost a lot of guys to the NFL so we just aren't sure what they will be like. Oklahoma State will be similar to Oklahoma after Mason Rudolph was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Iowa State and Kansas...bottom feeders as usual. Kansas State...will be ok, but I don't see them having enough talent to win the conference. So that leaves Texas. They had the 3rd best recruiting class in the country this year and they will be going into year 2 of Coach Tom Herman. This should be the year the Longhorns are back on top of the Big 12.

But who will be the in the NCAA Playoffs? Even if Texas goes undefeated this year and wins the Big 12, I don't see the selection committee picking them unless they completely dominate everyone they play. So who do I think will be in the National Championship playoffs? Well first...the playoffs should be extended to 8 teams. But that's another blog and another debate for another day. Here's my college football playoffs prediction:

(1) Alabama vs. (4) Michigan

(2) Clemson vs. (3) USC

National Championship: (1) Alabama vs. (3) USC - Alabama winning the national championship.

Now if you know anything about me at all, then you know how much it is hurting me physically to make this prediction. I can't stand Alabama or Nick Saban. After Texas, I'm an LSU fan so to admit that I think Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide will be hoisting the national championship trophy at the end of the year makes me sick to my stomach. But it's so hard to not pick them. Look at their history since Saban became their coach. Year after year he seems to be able to just plug a new kid into a position after the starter left for the NFL and they keep trucking along. That's insane to me. How in the world does Alabama keep winning year after year after year after year? Doesn't make sense, but it's hard to not pick them. This is one prediction I'll be very happy to say I was wrong about if Alabama either loses the National Championship or doesn't even make it to the playoffs.

Needless to say...I really hope they do not make it, but I can't make a prediction without them. 

OU??? Really???

I’ve never claimed to be a big time basketball guy. I like the NCAA Men’sTournament, but I don’t watch a whole lot of college basketball, or basketball in general. But this basketball season I’ve paid closer attention to college basketball.

 I’m trying really hard to understand something, but so far I can’t wrap my mind around this one. On Thursday (3/15) the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament will begin and the Oklahoma Sooners are a 10-seed in the tournament and will be taking on 7-seed Rhode Island. How on God’s green Earth did Oklahoma make it to the tournament? It makes absolutely no sense. They finished 9^th in the Big 12, only ahead of Iowa State. But schools ahead of them (Baylor, Oklahoma State) didn’t make the tournament. Oklahoma finished 8-10 in Big 12 play, were swept by Texas, and lost 8 of their last 10 including an 11-point loss to Oklahoma State (71-60) in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.

Selection committee: please explain to me just how can you justify Oklahoma being in the NCAA Tournament? It makes no sense whatsoever. Baylor or Oklahoma State should have been in before Oklahoma. The Sooners were not deserving and will get their butts kicked and out of the tournament after round one. Normally I don’t have an issue with the selection committee on who gets into the tournament, but you guys really screwed this one up.

Sorry Oklahoma and OU fans, but you don’t deserve to be in the tournament. Well…not the NCAA Men’s Final Four Tournament anyway.