This is a Great Weekend to be a Sports Fan

This is a Great Weekend to be a Sports Fan

 

Tonight the Championship Series in the American League will begin in Baltimore when James Shields takes the mound for the Royals to take on Chris Tillman and the Orioles. No matter how this series turns out, either the longest or second longest pennant-less streak in baseball will end. Baltimore is the favorite to win the series but I don’t see it that way. Baltimore has a power advantage but Kansas City is a much better contact team. Kansas City has a deeper rotation and a better bullpen as far as I’m concerned and most importantly, Kansas City has the clutch hitter of the playoffs in Eric Hosmer. Also, Kansas City has an outrageous advantage in speed and if their guys get on they are going to take off at will. This will create more run scoring opportunities and the Kansas City offense will take full advantage. Both home stadiums should provide raucous atmospheres due to the length of time each fan base has gone since being in this moment. I see this series going six and Kansas City reaching the World Series.

Over in the National League, the Championship Series begins on Saturday with the all world pitching matchup of Madison Bumgarner against Adam Wainwright. For the 5th year in a row one of these teams will represent the National League in the World Series but I don’t see this as evenly matched as the American League is. I feel St. Louis can dominate this series with much better hitting and a better all-around pitching staff. After Wainwright the Cardinals can turn to Lance Lynn, possibly the most underrated pitcher in the game, and John Lackey, one of the premiere big game pitchers. San Francisco is too hit or miss offensively to stay with the Cardinals, and we will have an all Missouri World Series. Cardinals in five.

Last Saturday was one of the craziest days in college football history. Starting with Arizona’s win in Oregon on Thursday, ranked teams started dropping like flies, and lower ranked teams seized the moment and took out their higher ranked counterparts. This Saturday will be right up there with it as far as action, suspense, and potential upsets. There are two matchups of undefeated teams, and another undefeated team heads on the road to one of the most hostile environments in college football.

Auburn has looked from top to bottom like the best team in the country. Nick Marshall has improved tremendously and is not nearly as dependent on the run game as he was last season. The defense hasn’t lost a step and Auburn is looking to crash the national championship game once again. First though, they are going to have to travel to Mississippi State and face the surprising Bulldogs. Mississippi State is coming off a dominating performance against Texas A&M, handing them their first loss of the season. Auburn won the last meeting but this is not the same Dak Prescott or Bulldog team. Prescott has improved dramatically and I believe with the home crowd behind him will lead Mississippi State to victory.

Next up is a Big XII showdown between two top five undefeated teams. The Red River Shootout this is not. Neither Texas nor Oklahoma are the undefeated teams doing battle in this matchup. No, that distinction belongs to TCU and Baylor. TCU is a big surprise this year and is coming off a nail biting victory over Oklahoma who was ranked #4 at the time, while Baylor has been playing steadily and avoided the upset that has hit so many teams. TCU is going to need a big game from star QB and all around threat Trevone Boykin if they want to come away with a victory. Bryce Petty will need to rebound from a mediocre game against Texas as well to give Baylor a chance. I’m going to give the edge to TCU here despite Baylor being at home. TCU comes away with the shootout victory and puts themselves in the driver’s seat in the Big XII.

Finally in the other highly anticipated matchup of the weekend, Ole Miss travels to Texas A&M and takes on the Aggies and the 12th Man. Led by one of the top defenses in the country and veteran QB Bo Wallace, the Rebels are on a roll. Coming off a huge win for the program against Alabama with College Gameday in attendance at The Grove, they now travel to one of the most infamous atmospheres in all of college football. Led by freshman Kenny Hill, Texas A&M hasn’t lost a step despite losing Johnny Football. This could very well be the game of the day, and I’m giving the edge to the Rebels. Hill has played very well but being a freshman and facing a defense unlike one he has seen so far will lead to some mistakes. The Rebels will take advantage and keep their magical season going.

This Sunday the NFL doesn’t offer as much intrigue as Saturday in college does but there are still some games that can pique the interest of those in need of a Sunday football fix. The Patriots travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills in a divisional matchup, the Bears look to rebound from their collapse against Carolina by traveling to the Georgia Dome and taking on the Falcons, and in the laughingstock game of the day, Peyton Manning and the Broncos travel to MetLife Stadium to dismantle the pathetic Jets and their even more pathetic secondary. We will now take a look at the three games of the day and what they will mean in the long run.

The first game we will look at is one that will make all of you laugh as far as being featured anywhere, but the Jacksonville Jaguars travel to the Music City to take on the Titans. Now why on God’s green earth would anyone consider this to be a feature game? Let me explain. This game will be the showcase for Jaguars fans to see what they have in their future. Blake Bortles has looked more than competent, which is more than can be said about Tennessee as a whole. With Charlie Whitehurst starting and coming off a collapse of epic proportions against Cleveland, Tennessee is all but dead. The Jaguars know this is a very winnable game and will come out hungry and aggressive. Bortles will have a great game and the defense will force some turnovers, leading to Blake Bortles first victory in the NFL.

Next up, we travel to the Emerald City as the surprise Dallas Cowboys take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks. Despite being a surprise team thus far, Dallas’ four game win streak will all but likely end. Seattle is a terrible matchup for this team and Seattle should be able to take away the one thing Dallas does very well, which is run the ball. Despite having the best offensive line in football and one that has had its way with every defensive front thus far, Dallas will be brought back down to earth by the Seahawks. Now that my reverse jinx is in effect, my Cowboy fandom has to kick in and say let’s shock the world boys.

Finally, in the game of the day, or should I say night, the New York Giants head to Philadelphia to face the Eagles. The Eagles are tied for first in the NFC East at 4-1 but have not played at all like a 4-1 team. If it wasn’t for defensive or special teams touchdowns, there’s no telling where this team would be. Lesean McCoy has had a terrible year thanks to Philly needing to use a patchwork offensive line and Nick Foles realized the clock struck midnight on his fairy tale so the interceptions are starting to come. The Giants on the other hand are coming in hot and playing as well as any team in the league. They’re hurt by the loss of Rashad Jennings but Andre Williams has played well since Jennings went down. This game will be close due to its rivalry nature but I’m going to give the edge to the Giants. Come Monday morning we should be waking up to a three way tie at 4-2 in the NFC East.