Rants and Predictions

Rant #1: There will be sports.

With both the NFL and the NBA experiencing lockouts this summer, sports fans across the country can be assured of two things: there will be a college football and a college basketball season. Despite all the complaining we do about the BCS and its crap, despite all the complaining we do about how many teams are in the NCAA basketball tournament in March, despite great programs cheating left and right removing themselves from national title contention, there will be college football and college basketball. So before I rant some more, keep that in mind.

Rant #2: I hate inconsistency in sports.

In 2010, of the six power conferences in NCAA football, three had conference championship games, three did not. Last summer, there was so much conference flip-flopping that I really thought we were headed for more consistency in college football. Nebraska joining the Big Ten, bringing its numbers from 11 to 12, means this season we will see a Big Ten conference championship game. Alas, Colorado also left the Big 12, meaning the Big 12 now has 10 teams and will not have divisions, nor a championship game.

The Pac-10, now Pac-12, will also institute a championship game, bringing us to four with a conference championship and two without. Why? Just why?

Rant #3: Bigger punishments for cheaters, please.

I feel like 2003-2012 will go down as the cheating era of college football, similar to the steroid area in baseball from say 1985 until 2004. I am very tired of hearing about teams vacating wins and championships from five years ago. If a team is cheating, they should be caught in the year they're cheating and be forced for forfeit the games for that season, not for five seasons ago. The damage of not having USC or Ohio State in a record book is nothing compared to the damage of making them cancel a season. Sure, they're ineligible for bowl games and all that nonsense, but they still get to sell-out their stadiums six times a year.

To me, there might not be a punishment that is too big for cheating in college sports. Sports have become something less than pure. Every morning when I check ESPN for sports news, I see another athlete has been arrested for DWI, possession of drugs, assault, or something. College programs, especially in football and basketball, where minor league systems are lacking, need to focus more are developing their kids into solid people, not just solid athletes.

And if cheating is put up with in any way shape or form, then college programs are not only feeding the problem, they're planting the problem, giving it water and forcing it to grow. I have a very hard time respecting athletes who choose to go to programs after they've been caught in a cheating scandal.

Rant #4: The Big Ten's division names are idiotic.

Seriously, Legends and Leaders? That's awful. What's perhaps worse is Ohio State are in the Leaders group when they are arguably the most legendary team in Big Ten lore (I'd say Nebraska is more legendary, just not in Big Ten lore), but they are cheaters! Who names a group of cheaters leaders?

That being said, the balance of the divisions is pretty solid. I might have swapped Illinois with Minnesota, but not bad.

Prediction #1: Andrew Luck will win the Heisman and the national championship.

Neither of this is really going out on a limb. I know that. Here's a fun statistic about Andrew Luck: he threw 1 interception at home last season. One. Stanford's schedule is very heavy toward the end of the season as their last five games of the regular season go at USC, at Oregon State, Oregon at home, Cal at home, Notre Dame at home. Stanford's only loss last season was at Oregon. I think the Cardinal and Luck have a really solid chance to have a perfect season.

Prediction #2: Nebraska vs. Wisconsin.

On October 1, Nebraska comes to Camp Randall. I think Wisconsin will prevail in the best football game we will see in the regular season, outscoring the Cornhuskers 38-34. But Nebraska will have a chance for revenge in the Big Ten conference championship game on December 3, taking down the Badgers, 24-20, and advancing to the National Championship Game against Stanford, where they will ultimately lose.

Prediction #3: Boise State will not go undefeated.

Boise State put together a lovely schedule for themselves this year. At Georgia will be a good first test. At home vs. Nevada, Air Force, and TCU are all winnable games, but they are all also losable games.

Prediction #4: TCU will go undefeated again, but not have a shot at the title.

TCU's defense was other worldly in 2010, allowing only 12 points per game and defeating a very good Wisconsin team to win the Rose Bowl. Expect the exact same story for the Horned Frogs in 2011 — undefeated, so close to the National Championship Game, not given a chance, beating Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.

Prediction #5: College quarterbacks becoming pros.

Tim Tebow will show improvement with the Broncos, but never be an All-Pro nor win a Super Bowl. Cam Newton will be the John Daly of the NFL ... awesome at times, terrible at others, always inconsistent. He'll never win a playoff game. Andrew Luck will be drafted by the Bengals after they hit rock-bottom in 2011. He will turn them around, helping them advance to the AFC Championship Game in 2015, but no sooner.