Nine bold predictions for 2018 that actually make sense

2017 is almost in the books and 2018 is on the horizon. The sports world saw some surprises in 2017 such as the Falcons blowing a 28-3 lead, South Carolina making the Final Four and the breakthrough seasons from quarterbacks Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, but 2017 also saw some of the expected; Cavs/Warriors in the NBA Finals, Baker Mayfield winning the Heisman, the Patriots and Steelers dominating the AFC. You never know what will happen in 2018, but here are nine bold predictions in the sports world that actually make sense. In no particular order

                                     Skylar Thompson wins the Heisman

If you haven't heard of Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson, you are missing out. The dude is a dang treat to watch. The freshman from Independence, Missouri came into the season as the third stringer, but injuries to Alex Delton and Jesse Ertz prompted Thompson to play in seven games, while Thompson's numbers were not particularly sexy, he has tremendous upside and will most certainly be the starter for the Wildcats next year. Thompson is reminiscent of Collin Klein and the Big 12 could be wide open next year given that the league's two best quarterbacks; Baker Mayfield and Mason Rudolph will be gone.

Iowa wins the Big Ten West

I am the least confident in this one, but its not that far-fetched. Not too many expected Iowa to win the West in 2015, but they did it. The 2015 team lost lots of key pieces from the year before just like the 2018 team will. The Hawkeyes will lose their top two running backs in Akrum Wadley and James Butler, but they've liked what they've seen from Toren Young and Iowa always produces solid running backs. Nathan Stanley will have a year of experience under his belt after throwing for over 2,500 yards and 27 touchdowns with just six interceptions as a sophomore. Noah Fant has flourished into one of the best tight ends in the nation and they return four of their five starting offensive lineman.The Hawkeyes lose a chunk on the defensive side including; Bo Bower, Nathan Bazata, Josey Jewell and Josh Jackson, but expect to see improvement from Matt Nelson, Anthony Nelson, Parker Hesse and Jake Gervasse. Iowa's schedule is also favorable as their two toughest match-ups are; vs. Wisconsin at Kinnick Stadium and on the road against Penn State.

 Houston Rockets, 2018 NBA Champions

This one is bold in the sense that it is anyone except the Cavaliers or Warriors. Eventually someone else will come along and win, or at least I'm hopeful. The Rockets have made no secret about the fact that they've built themselves to compete with the Warriors. They are currently tied for the Warriors with the best record in the NBA and have wins over Cleveland and Golden State for what that's worth. The Rockets have a ring-chasing Chris Paul, who is doing exactly what they went out and got him for, Eric Gordon who is having his best year since 2012 and a hungry James Harden, who wants to prove to everyone that he should also be considered with the likes of Lebron, Durant and Westbrook.

Jim Harbaugh leaves Michigan... to become Colts head coach

Michigan fans will not want to hear this, but it is a real possibility. Michigan fans will also say that he would never leave his alma mater, but coaches have done that before. Loyalty ceases to exist in sports anymore. Michigan has underachieved in Harbaugh's four seasons, they've been a year away from winning the national title for the last four years and still haven't been able to get over the hump. Harbaugh has been a nomadic coach, never coaching anywhere longer than four years. His divorce from the NFL wasn't pretty and you have to think that he still feels like he can win in the NFL. The Colts would be the ideal job for Harbaugh. He played in Indianapolis, he coached Andrew Luck and they play in a weak division. Their roster isn't great, but it's a pretty similar situation to what he took over in San Francisco. 

Giancarlo Stanton breaks the single-season home run record

Giancarlo Stanton does not have any trouble hitting home runs, so putting him in the easiest ballpark to hit them in should be interesting. Stanton joined the Yankees this off season to create Murderer's Row 2.0, teaming up with Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez. The trio combined for a total of 144-homers in 2017. Stanton had the best year of his career in 2017, knocking 59 dingers en route to his first National League MVP Award. Stanton is now on a winning team, in a cupcake ballpark. The key for this prediction is whether or not Stanton stays healthy. He played in 159 games in 2017, the most of his career. It will be a task for him to hit 74 home runs, but it's possible.

Chase Elliott wins NASCAR title

Chase Elliott has already won a championship in NASCAR, but it was in the Nationwide Series. I think Chase Elliott has the potential to win the Monster Energy Cup Series Title in 2018. Elliott has yet to win a race in NASCAR's premiere level, but he's been close on many occasions, picking up a runner-up finish seven different times. Elliott appeared to be on his way to a berth in the championship four, but an accident with Denny Hamlin at Martinsville prevented him from racing for the title. Elliott will get his first career win in 2018 and will keep the wins coming after that en route to the title at the tender age of 23 years old, making him NASCAR's youngest champion.

Two Big 12 teams will make the Final Four

Two teams from the same conference making the Final Four is not as rare as you might think. It's happened 11 times since 2000, as a matter of fact the Big 12 has done it twice (2002 and 2003) The Big 12 might be the best conference in college basketball, with every team playing really well in non-conference play, but it gets overlooked because nobody in this conference strikes you as a great team. Which is what makes this conference dangerous. TCU is off to their best start in school history and might not have what it takes to make a deep run, but you never can tell with Jamie Dixon coached teams, Trae Young is an absolute beast and could be capable of putting Oklahoma on his back and carrying them deep into the post-season, this is not one of Bill Self's greatest Kansas teams, which means it might be a Final Four team given their recent history.

Jaguars win the AFC

I won't go as far as saying Jacksonville will win the Super Bowl, but the Jaguars should be considered as a legitimate contender in the AFC. It's no secret that the AFC runs through Pittsburgh and New England, but Jacksonville already manhandled Pittsburgh once this year. I know that it's difficult to beat a team twice in a year, but the Jaguars are a team that is built to do that, they are also built to beat New England. Teams that beat New England do so by putting pressure on Tom Brady and running the ball down their throat, Jacksonville is capable of doing both. Many people will argue that Blake Bortles isn't capable of taking the Jaguars to the Super Bowl, but they must have forgotten that Rex Grossman and Trent Dilfer started in Super Bowls. Many people also do not believe that Bortles can go into New England and win, but the only two quarterbacks who have beat the Patriots in Foxboro in the playoffs in the Brady/Belichick era are Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez. Not exactly elite territory.

Jimmy Garoppolo, 2018 NFL MVP

 

Jimmy G is a straight G, or at least it looks that way. The former Patriots backup was traded to San Francisco just prior to the trade deadline. He has started the last four games for the 49ers. In those four games, the 49ers are 4-0, Garoppolo has thrown for 1,200 yards and four touchdowns. It appears at this moment as if the 49ers nailed this one. The 49ers should franchise tag Garoppolo in 2018. Kyle Shanahan is a quarterback expert, the 49ers are a very young team and could possibly break through in 2018. If the 49ers are a playoff team next year and Garoppolo is putting up numbers similar to what Carson Wentz had before he went down, then Garoppolo will certainly be considered for league MVP.

 

 

 

Ranking the Power Five College Football Head Coaching Hires

Eleven power five programs made head coaching changes this offseason, seven of those programs because they fired their previous coach. Four schools were forced to find a new coach after their previous head coach had left for another head coaching gig. Let's take a look at which programs got their head coaching hire right and which programs did not.

DISCLAIMER-This is only Power Five schools (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC). I also did not include Ole Miss promoting interim head coach Matt Luke, because he had been there all year.

#11 Arizona State-Herm Edwards

Resume-Head Coach with New York Jets (2001-2005, 39-41) and Kansas City Chiefs (2006-2008,15-33)

Previous Head Coach-Todd Graham, fired after six seasons. (46-31).

This hiring makes no sense at all. Edwards has spent the last eight years as an analyst at ESPN and has not coached at the collegiate level since he was an assistant at San Jose State in 1987. There is no indication whether or not Edwards is capable of recruiting at the level it will take to be competitive in the Pac-12. The Sun Devils have stated that Edwards' role will be more of a CEO type and that his coordinators will have a large say, the problem is they currently are looking for both an offensive and defensive coordinator. This hire is almost guaranteed to blow up in Arizona State's face. I don't see Herm or the AD that hired him lasting more than three years.

#10 Tennessee-Jeremy Pruitt

Resume-Defensive Coordinator at Florida State (2013), Georgia (2014-2015) and Alabama (2016-2017)

Previous Head Coach-Butch Jones fired after five seasons (34-27).

To be fair, I think Jeremy Pruitt has the potential to be a successful head coach. However, given the mess that the Tennessee coaching search was it would have taken Jim Harbaugh, Nick Saban, Bill Belichick, Urban Meyer or bringing Bear Bryant back to life and hiring him to make this hire rank high on my list. I don't see how Vols fans look at Pruitt as a better candidate than Greg Schiano was, but Pruitt has built good defenses wherever he goes and has spent the past two season guiding Alabama's defense. Pruitt will know what it takes to beat Alabama but will be expected to win and win quickly in Knoxville or he will face the same fate as his predecessor, Butch Jones.

#9 Oregon State-Jonathan Smith

Resume-Offensive Coordinator at Washington (2014-2017)

Previous Head Coach-Gary Andersen resigned after two and a half seasons (7-23).

Jonathan Smith is the perfect hire for Oregon State, he is number nine on this list because I do not know enough about him to put him any higher, but this is a heck of a lot better hire than the two ranked below it. Smith spent the last six years under the tutelage of Chris Petersen, one of the most underrated coaches in the nation. Smith was a four-year starter for the Beavers from 1998-2001. He led the Beavers to a Fiesta Bowl, so his hiring is a homecoming in Corvallis. Smith already hired Mike Riley to serve under him and possibly guide him in his first head coaching gig. The big task for Smith is going to be trying to compete with Oregon. Speaking of that. 

                                          

                                               #8 Oregon-Mario Cristobal

Resume-Head Coach at Florida International (2007-2012, 27-47), Assistant Head Coach at Alabama (2012-2016) and Co-Offensive Coordinator at Oregon (2017)

Previous Head Coach-Willie Taggart took the Florida State job after one season (7-5).

Remember when Oregon was cool and on the brink of a national title? They are now on their fourth head coach since 2013. Hiring Cristobal is a good football hire, but not the splash that you might expect from Oregon. The Duck's decision to keep the coaching hire in-house is an indication that they liked what they saw from Cristobal this year. He took Florida International to their first-ever bowl game and helped produce NFL-talent offensive lineman at Alabama. Cristobal will be expected to turn Oregon's offensive into one of the nation's productive, if not the most exciting. This isn't as sexy of a hire as luring in Kevin Sumlin, but it is a good football move.

#7 Arkansas-Chad Morris

Resume-Offensive Coordinator at Clemson (2011-2014), Head Coach at SMU (2015-2017, 14-22)

Previous Head Coach-Brett Bielema fired after five seasons (29-34).

Morris' record does not look impressive, but SMU went 1-11 the year before they hired Morris. He turned SMU around by going 5-7 and 7-5 in his last two seasons. He made the Mustangs a "fun to watch" football team averaging just over 40 points per game in 2017. Morris deserves credit for helping put Clemson on the map. Morris guided Clemson's offense to the Orange Bowl twice before he left. Morris has shown that he can recruit the Texas area which will be pivotal for Arkansas if they want to be able to compete with Alabama and LSU. His teams at SMU struggled to play defense, allowing 35.5 points per game in 2017. That type of defense doesn't breed success in the SEC, but at Arkansas, the main objective should be to bring a fun, entertaining brand of football. Which Morris should be capable of doing in Fayetteville.

#6 Mississippi State-Joe Moorhead

Resume-Head Coach at Fordham (2012-2015, 38-13), Offensive Coordinator at Penn State (2016-2017)

Previous Head Coach-Dan Mullen took the Florida job after nine seasons (69-46).

This hire would be ranked higher if Moorhead had experience as a head coach at a major program. He has had success just about everywhere he goes. Moorhead took a Fordham team that went 1-10 the year before he arrived and turned them into a perennial contender. Losing just 13 games in four seasons including five in his first. Moorhead then left Fordham to become offensive coordinator at Penn State and was the mastermind behind the success of Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley. You could even argue that he saved James Franklin's job last year. Moorhead will finally have the chance to prove that he should have been considered for more major jobs. 

#5-Florida State-Willie Taggart

Resume-Head Coach at Western Kentucky (2010-2012, 16-20), South Florida (2013-2016, 24-25) and Oregon (2017, 7-5)

Previous Head Coach-Jimbo Fisher took the Texas A&M job after eight seasons (83-23).

This is Taggart's third head coaching job in the last three seasons, but it is definitely the best one he has had. Taggart succeded with very little at Western Kentucky, turned South Florida back into a winning a program and took Oregon from an abysmal 4-8 to a respectable 7-5 record. Taggart is from Florida and knows what it takes to be successful in the Sunshine State. He recruited the state while at South Florida and will have more resources at Florida State. Taggart never really has had the chance to play with a full deck yet. This could be it. He will be expected to win and win now or else his stint in Tallahassee may be short.

#4 Texas A&M-Jimbo Fisher

Resume-Head Coach at Florida State (2010-2017, 83-23)

Previous Head Coach-Kevin Sumlin fired after five seasons (51-26).

You would think that hiring a coach who has won 78 percent of his games and a national championship would be the best hire, but I don't think it is. Jimbo won a title at Florida State and kept the Seminoles relevant but there were seasons where they underachieved or disappointed. Much like Texas A&M did under Sumlin. Fisher has experience recruiting in Texas and also had success recruiting against Florida schools for in-state prospects much like he will have to recruit against the Texas schools for home-grown recruits. Fisher left Tallahassee due to a rift between him and the athletic department. Texas A&M has placed lofty expectations on itself since joining the SEC and if Fisher fails to live up to those expectations he could face a similar situation to what he faced at Florida State.

#3 Nebraska-Scott Frost

Resume-Offensive Coordinator at Oregon (2013-2015), head coach at Central Florida (2016-2017, 18-7)

Previous Head Coach-Mike Riley fired after three seasons (19-19).

Nebraska finally got a head coaching hire right, or at least it looks that way. The Cornhuskers did not overthink this hire and brought Frost back home. Frost built an exciting brand of football at Central Florida and took the Knights from winless to undefeated in just two seasons. Frost has played or coached under the minds of Tom Osborne, Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Jon Gruden and Chip Kelly. He knows what it takes to be successful at Nebraska having previously done so as a player. Frost will need to be given time however as Riley left the program in utter disarray. Thinking that Frost will turn things around in anything less than three seasons is far-fetched. 

#2-Florida-Dan Mullen

Resume-Head Coach at Mississippi State (2009-2017, 69-46)

Previous Head Coach-Jim McElwain fired after three seasons (22-12).

This is a home-run hire for the Gators. Mullen was the offensive mastermind that led the Gators to two national championships as its offensive coordinator from 2005 to 2008. Mullen turned Mississippi State into a respectable program and will have any more resources at Florida than he did at Mississippi State. Florida should be expected to compete for the SEC East title immediately if they can fix their mess of a quarterback situation. Mullen developed Alex Smith, Tim Tebow and Dak Prescott at the college level and has always had decent quarterback play, so he should be expected to do the same in Gainesville.

#1 UCLA-Chip Kelly

Resume-Head Coach at Oregon (2009-2012, 46-7), Philadelphia Eagles (2013-2015, 26-21) and San Francisco (2016, 2-14)

Previous Head Coach-Jim Mora fired after six seasons (46-32)

UCLA hit a home run that Mike Trout would be proud of. Say what you want about Chip Kelly. Yes, he failed in the NFL, sure he's a jerk and different, but the dude won at the collegiate level and made Oregon cool. Kelly is renowned for his offensive innovation. UCLA has long been seen as the little brother of USC. UCLA hiring Kelly puts the Bruins on the map and gives them the opportunity to contend. At Oregon, Kelly proved that he was capable of recruiting the Los Angeles area and his name alone could be enough to help UCLA bring in some homegrown talent. I am going to go ahead and make the bold prediction that UCLA will make the playoffs under Kelly in the next five years.