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.