NFL Playoff Predictions - Round 1

http://www.sportsbettingacumen.com/fantasy/nfl/office-football-nfl-playoff-bracket

The NFL playoffs are a ways off, but I wanted to make some early predictions based on what I think. 

The number one seed in the AFC will be the Chiefs because they have a pretty good quarterback, Alex Smith.   They possibly have the best runningback in the league which is Jamaal Charles.  Both are pretty fast and make the offense tough to defend.

I think the number two seed in the AFC will be the Patriots.  The Patriots have Tom Brady on offense and have Rob Gronkowski as a tight end.  Between the two of them, it is hard to stop them from getting in the endzone.

The number three seed would go to the Steelers (yes, I said the Steelers). This decision is based on the fact they have Le'Veon Bell and Big Ben. Le'Veon Bell is perhaps the best player in the league.  

Ben Roethlisberger has a pretty good arm so he can throw to Antonio Brown who can catch the ball well.

I think the Texans will be number four despite their first two losses.  They struggle on offense but they have  JJ Watt leading the defense. As they say, defense wins championships...or at least get them into the playoffs.

The number five team for the AFC will be the Broncos.  They have Peyton Manning - enough said.

The last spot is still up in the air, as I don't think any of the rest of the AFC teams deserve it. These teams struggle to put up points on the scoreboard.  

Now for the NFC - I have big hopes for these guys!

I believe...As a Bears fan, I can't believe I am actually going to say this, but the Packers have to be number one.   They have Aaron Rodgers on offense and the flowing blonde hair of Clay Matthews on defense.  

The number two team is the Seahawks, despite their losses their first two games.  They have Russell Wilson as their quarterback and Marshawn Lynch as a running back which allows them to run the ball down the field. Russell also has a good tight-end, Jimmy Graham, who can catch the ball well. 

Now, the Cowboys have a chance to be the number three team, even though they lost Tony Romo and Dez Bryant which are their two best players.  Somehow, I think they can still make it to the playoffs with the number three spot.

In my opinion, the Falcons are number four for the NFC because they have Matt Ryan and Julio Jones on offense. Anyone with the real name of Quintorris Lopez, better known as Julio Jones, can catch the ball.  Matt Ryan is also an offensive threat because he can run the ball too.

The fifth team in the NFC playoffs will be the Bears. #YEA Even though they lost Jay Cutler, I think he will come back in a couple of weeks.  Even if he doesn't, they still have Matt Forte who can run the ball and he is super fast.

The final team for the NFC playoffs will be the Rams.  Despite the fact that they have been terrible the last couple of seasons, I think this will be their breakout year because 1) they have already beat the Seahawks which is the number two seed in the NFC and 2) they beat the Seahawks 34-31 and I have never seen the Rams score so many points.

These are my thoughts for the first round of the NFL playoffs.  What are your thoughts?

Three Iowa Teams - NCAA Seedings

This year, three Iowa teams will be heading to the NCAA tournament. This is only the second time this has ever happened.  Iowa, Iowa State, and UNI all finished in the top three in their conference, with Iowa tying for third.  The three teams had a combined conference record of 40-14.  I am going to make my predictions on how they will be seeded in the NCAA tournament.  

University of Northern Iowa

Last Sunday, the eleventh ranked UNI Panthers clinched the MVC tournament.  With that win, they are guaranteed a place in the big dance.  It is their 9th time making it into the NCAA tourney.  Being ranked eleventh and winning the conference title, I think they will earn a four seed.  The experts think they deserve a four seed or better.  Some are saying a three seed, but their conference is not as strong as the Big 12 or Big 10.  With their record of 30-3 and their wins against Iowa and Wichita State, I think they deserve a four seed.

Iowa State University
On Saturday, March 14, Iowa State beat the Kansas Jayhawks to win the Big 12 Tournament.  Iowa State has been getting better every game they play but have struggled to come out strong at the beginning of the game.  Luckily, they are the comeback kids - the last five games, they have been down by ten or more and have come back to win. Joe Lunardi thinks Iowa State should be a three seed, but I think that is a bad prediction. He still thinks Kansas deserves a two seed but with Iowa State winning last night, they deserve the two seed and Kansas should be the three seed.

University of Iowa

Iowa got beat in their first game of the Big 10 tournament but luckily for them the seedings also go by how they do during the regular season.  The Hawks won six in a row before getting beat the other day but I think they are not consistent or strong enough to get an eight or a nine seed.  I think they don't deserve anything better than a ten seed.

What are your thoughts about the seedings?

Big 12 Tourney

I haven't blogged in a long time so I thought I better blog with the Big 12 Tournament coming up.  I will focus on my predictions of the Big 12 matchups for the tournament.

Game 1: Kansas State vs. TCU
Kansas State is going to win because they are way taller and they can block TCU's offense and shoot over them.  I don't think TCU has the depth to keep up with Kansas State. I think the score will be 72-67.

Game 2: Texas vs. Texas Tech
I think Texas will win because they have good small guards that can make 3-pointers and easy layups but they also have big guys that on defense can block and dunk on the offensive side.  My prediction is a blowout and the score will be 87-63.

Game 3: Baylor vs. West Virginia
My prediction is this will be a tough matchup but West Virginia will pull it out with a win.  They are really good three point shooters and are quick with steals.  Even though they lost to Baylor twice this year, I think they will pull of the victory with a score of 78-76.

Game 4: Kansas vs. Kansas State
Kansas State beat Kansas earlier this season, but Kansas will be ready for some revenge.  I think the reason Kansas will win is because they will have rest, home court advantage and Bill Self will have his team ready to play.  I think the score will be 83-78.

Game 5: Iowa State vs. Texas
I think this game could go either way easily, as it depends on which Iowa State team shows up.  If the three pointers fall, Iowa State will pull this off easily.  If not, I think it will be a much closer game. Iowa State needs to make the easy buckets and box out, which they have struggled with all year.  I think the score will be 81-73.

Game 6: Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State
Surprisingly, Oklahoma State will win because they are going to shoot a lot of three pointers and make a lot of breakaway layups. Oklahoma will struggle having their buckets fall.  The score to this game will be 79-75.

Game 7: West Virginia vs Kansas
This will be a great matchup for a semi-final game.  Both teams are red-hot right now and cannot miss.  West Virginia is going to come out with an upset victory over Kansas as Perry Ellis may not be back yet and if he is, he will not be 100% healthy.  I think the score will be 83-71.

Game 8: Iowa State vs. Oklahoma State
This will be a good game, but I think Iowa State will pull off a victory. Iowa State has a strong offense, but rely on the quick uptempo game.  Jameel McKay will be key to this victory with a lot of dunks and his defensive play.  He was the first Iowa State player to become the MVP defensive player of the year.  I think the score will be 83-74.

Game 9: Championship - West Virginia vs. Iowa State
This championship matchup will be tough and since I am a huge Iowa State fan, I think Iowa State will take home the championship trophy.  Iowa State was unable to shut down Juwan Staten during their early matchups of the season, but they will learn from those mistakes.  Iowa state will struggle finding a rhythm and force outside shots that will not fall in the first half, but Fred will get them going at half time.  Georges Niang will lead the team to victory but will get in foul trouble early so Monte Morris will be the backbone of the team for the rest of the game.  Naz Long will be unstoppable from the three point line.  I have to go with my heart and pick Iowa State, even though West Virginia has been playing well lately.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming tournament?

Good Luck Charms for Baseball

For the past four years, my family and I have taken trips to major league ballparks.  Three of the four teams we have watched in person has made it to the playoffs that year.

2011 was the first year where the Brewers went to the playoffs.  We watched them play the Rockies during the regular season.  We went back in 2012, but they didn't make the playoffs.  In 2013, we switched up the ballparks and watched the Cardinals play the Padres.  The Cardinals went on to the World Series. This year, we watched the Kansas City Royals take on the Indians.  The Royals are also now in the World Series against the Giants.

It seems as if we might be good luck charms for the baseball teams.  Any team out there that wants to make it to the playoffs or the World Series, should just send us tickets.  I am sure we are the biggest impact on the game.

2014 World Series Prediction

The World Series teams have been decided after last night's game against the Cardinals and the Giants.  The Giants won so they will be facing the Royals in the World Series.  I think the Royals are going to win the whole thing in six games.

Alex Gordon, the Royal's left fielder, and Billy Butler, the Royal's DH/1st baseman, will need to have a good series to be successful.  I think Tim Baumgartner and the rest of the pitchers for the Giants will struggle against the Royal's batters.  Nori Aoki and Eric Hosmer will explode with the bats during the series.

I think the first game, the Royals will win 5-3.  The second game will be won by the Giants 7-5.  I think the Giants will take the lead with a game three victory with a score of 2-0.  The Royals will win the next two games - the first game will be 9-7 and the second one will be 6-5.

The Royals are going to win the sixth and final game 5-3.  The Royals will take the world championship for the American League.   I am normally a National League fan, but am not a Giant's fan which is another reason I am rooting for the Royals.

Baseball is Starting

This Spring, my dad and I created a fantasy team in a league called Can of Corn.  When we decided our picks, my dad and I took turns picking our players.  When deciding who we wanted, we looked at who had the most home runs, RBI's, and stolen bases.  Even with that strategy, we are not off to a good start.  When the draft started, we were in 6th place and fell to last after one day.  Currently, we are in tenth place out of twelve teams.

I have confidence that we will improve because we had some injured players, such as J.J. Hardy but he is back now.  Our guys have started off slow but I think Casey McGehee will get us a lot of points with his RBI's.  Robinson Cano was our first round draft pick and he is off to a slow start.  I hope he starts playing better and get us some points.  

Who would your first round draft pick be besides the obvious picks of Mike Trout and Miguel Cabrera?

The Short Game

The Short Game is a documentary about golf.  It isn't about old guys playing golf, but it is about people my age playing golf in a big tournament in North Carolina.  If you have Netflix, you can watch it.  During the documentary, the camera men follow the most popular 7 and 8 year old golfers around and you get to know them on a personal level.

This documentary shows how hard it is to make it to the top levels of golf, but you can relate that hard work to other sports.  You do not have to even like golf to enjoy this movie, as it is more about getting to know the golfers.

My favorite golfer was Sky Sudberry, the smallest golfer on the course.  As I watched the movie, I was rooting for her the whole time.  To find out if she takes the crown, watch The Short Game.