Texas looks like the real deal

Seeing the UT-Mizzou game in person this past weekend painted a realization in my mind...Texas is for real. They not only earned an impressive road win in Columbia, but they demolished the Tigers. The longhorns gained a lot of momentum heading into this week's showdown against Oklahoma State in Stillwater. If they defeat the Cowboys, Texas will have a stranglehold on the Big 12, and look ahead to their ultimate goal of winning a national championship. UT's QB Colt McCoy showed Saturday why he is a top Heisman candidate, and certainly has the chance to cement his spot to New York next week in Stillwater.

In the wake of the BCS polls, one thing is obvious: Everything is up for grabs. With only Florida, Alabama, and Texas being able to control its own destiny, the rest of the country is left chasing. Conceivably, if Texas runs the table, they would play the winner of Florida-Alabama, assuming both teams make the SEC championship game. However, Texas only beat OU by three points in the Red River rivalry. Any win in this rivalry game is usually acceptable, but with OU's Heisman winner Sam Bradford leaving the game on their second drive to injury, it isn't very impressive. Florida also didn't show it is the dominant team in the country, as they edged unranked Arkansas with an extremely late field goal. However, these two teams benefit from two things: a tough schedule/conference and preseason rankings. If you have a tough schedule and were highly ranked coming into the season, you have the best chance at helping manage your ranking and what type of bowl you can make. This is not the case for BCS number four Boise St. and number five Cincinatti. With soft schedules the rest of the way, they need serious help in order to make the national title game, which is unlikely. Look for USC (number seven in the BCS) to make a run at the top four, if not the national championship game, despite having one loss.

Get Out Your Brooms

The redbirds made me look like an idiot! My World Series pick not only lost but got swept. In fact, three of the four division series were sweeps. Not that they weren't competitive, but the neutral fan base wants to see some series go the distance, or at least close to the distance. However, good news ensues, as the championship series should be full of drama, not to mention great storylines. Can the Phillies become the first repeat champion since 2000? Will Manny lead the Dodgers to the World Series, and will he face his former bitter rival in the New York Yankees? Can the Yanks bring another illustrious title to the city of New York? Since the Cards got rocked out of the playoffs, I will have to deem the Yanks as the next champions. My ALCS and NLCS predictions are as follows:
Yankees over Angels in 6
Dodgers over Phillies in 7

Birds Flying High

It is now time for the baseball postseason, and a sensational 1 game playoff for the AL Central went beyond its hype. Down 3-0 early, the twins rallied to beat the Tigers 6-5 in 12 innings, in a game that featured great plays, coaching, and a dramatic finish. Winning 17 of their last 21 games of the season, the Twins seized the AL Central, and what is their reward? They will face the Yankees, who hold the best record in baseball. New York, who remarkably hasn't won the World Series since 2000, will make the World Series, but not win it. That luxury will belong to the St. Louis Cardinals. Earlier in the season, I made a bold claim that the redbirds would win it all, when they were only up 1 game in their division. Since then, they've added hot bat Matt Holiday and veteran John Smoltz. That should help them get over the top, along with their amazing 1-2 pitching combo. 

My first rounf predictions are as follows:

Philly over Colorado in 5

NYY over Minnesota in 4

Stl over LAD in 4

LAA over Boston in 5

Collins[worth] listening to

After another disappointing Cowboy game in which they blew another lead, I didn't have much hope for watching the Sunday Night game. However, Cris Collinsworth changed that. Providing good insight, inside information, and slick one-liners, he made the game interesting and fun. As far as the game went, San Diego had to make a desperate comeback late, that featured the Chargers scoring 21 scintillating 4th quarter points, but to no avail. The Super Bowl champ perhaps saved their season, and improved to merely 2-2. However, in the end, I believe the defending champs will be one of the final four in the AFC, along wth Baltimore, New England, and Indianapolis. Baltimore is my pick to reach the Super Bowl, and they will meet the New Orleans Saints. Check back later this month for the winning prediction. 

Cytron Out.