My 2012 Sports Predictions
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
At the start of 2011, I made some predictions that were serious and some that were for fun. Some I got correct, some I didn't.
Let's start off with what I got right … I need the ego boost.
I started off the column last year by saying the Seattle Seahawks would make the playoffs at 7-9, which they did. I said they would lose in the opening round, which they didn't. Then I said Favre would stay retired, which he did. I was on a roll in January by saying Auburn would win the BCS National Championship.
The Cincinnati Reds did win on Opening Day (I covered it), and the Bengals drafted the best wide receiver available in the first round of the NFL draft and not a quarterback … they got their QB in the second round.
Here is what I got wrong … time to bring myself down.
The New England Patriots didn't win the Super Bowl, and Jim Harbaugh didn't go to Michigan to coach football, but he did take his heart to San Francisco. Greg Biffle didn't win the Daytona 500, but he thanked his sponsors nonetheless, and I was completely wrong about the NCAA Basketball tournament … really, Butler in the championship two years in a row? Who can actually predict that? UConn winning the whole thing after just making the tournament? I give up.
The Boston Celtics didn't win the NBA title, which I said they would, and the Reds didn't make the playoffs, which was disappointing. The first pro baseball club made me look silly as I had faith in them and said they would make it to the NLCS. I said the St. Louis Cardinals wouldn't make the playoffs …. well, they won the World Series. This is why I don't gamble on pro sports.
One of my worst predictions was saying Ohio State football would go 5-0 to start the college football season … it is easy to say I was more off-target than a Todd Boeckman pass. Worst of all … I didn't repeat as a fantasy football champion (I got second place … I hate second place.)
There were more, but those were the worst ones … now I need to redeem myself, so here are my 2012 sports predictions. Don't take my predictions to Vegas, though.
JANUARY
• The 2012 BCS National Champions will be … the Tigers of LSU. I'll even give you a score: LSU 27, Alabama 17. The only rolling the Crimson Tide will be doing is back to Al-a-bama without a crystal football.
• My NFL conference championship games will be for the NFC: Green Bay Packers vs. New Orleans Saints; AFC: Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers.
• The winner of the Rose Bowl will be crowned on Jan. 2 this year … which will be Oregon. Wisconsin isn't tricking me again, neither is the Big Ten. Mark it down … the Big Ten will be 3-6 in bowl games.
FEBRUARY
• The 46th Super Bowl champion will be the New Orleans Saints. (In August, I picked the Ravens, but I have no faith in Joe Flacco and his mustache anymore.) I will grow extremely tired of the words "Who" and "Dat" by the end of the month.
• The winner of the 2012 Daytona 500 will be Carl Edwards. He will celebrate with the Aflac duck and a Subway sandwich. When he does his celebratory flip from his car, my prayers will be answered when he falls on his face.
MARCH
• At least three (maybe four) teams from Highland County will be playing at the Convocation Center at Ohio University. I just haven't made up my mind on who the three teams will be, but I'm starting to get an idea.
• My Final Four in men's college basketball is Ohio State, Kentucky, Syracuse and North Carolina.
APRIL
• The NCAA Men's Basketball champion will be … Syracuse.
• Andrew Luck will be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, and Roger Goodell will be booed once again. Luck will be making his summer and fall residence in Indianapolis.
• Do I dare say Tiger Woods wins the Masters? I think I just did … and the comeback will be complete.
MAY
• During this month, the Fairfield Lady Lions softball team will win a lot of games because that's what they do.
• I will get asked at least once "why don't you cover such and such sport" while I am covering said sport.
• The Cincinnati Reds will be in first place after losing just five games in the month of April.
• This is a long shot, and I have no idea if the horse will even be entered, but the horse I'm betting on who will be the the winner of the '12 Kentucky Derby is … Sabercat. Sounds like an '80s cartoon or a defunct Arena League football team.
JUNE
• The American Legion Post 129 baseball team will get on a winning streak following a slow start of the season. It has happened the past two years, so I'm going with house money on this one.
• The Reds and St. Louis Cardinals will be first and second in the NL Central … with the Milwaukee Brewers in third.
• King James and the Miami Heat will be the new NBA Champions … they will beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. Somewhere in Cleveland, Dan Gilbert will be sitting alone flipping the lights on and off repeatedly.
JULY
• Speed walking will be on my sports radar during the Olympics.
• The name "Brett Favre" and "coming out of retirement" will be plastered all over ESPN. I can't wait, and Skip Bayless will act like he actually cares one way or another.
AUGUST
• In the dog days of summer, the Cincinnati Reds will slip into second place. This will be "that month" that all MLB teams go through during a season. People will call for Dusty Baker's toothpicks to be put into a bonfire.
• The reign of Urban Meyer will begin as the Ohio State Buckeyes will be in summer practices … watch out, he may get bored and retire for a third time.
SEPTEMBER
• A new era of Penn State football will begin. I hope it starts better than the last one ended. I don't see more than five wins at most for the season, but it still won't be as bad as the previous campaign. Nothing can be worse than that.
• I'm calling my shot … the Reds will win the '12 NL Central Division by four games.
OCTOBER
• The '12 Sprint Cup Champion will be … Kevin Harvick. Grab Some Buds.
• The World Series championship trophy will be headed to the trophy case of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim but will get lost on the way because do they take it to Anaheim or Los Angeles?
• The Clinton-Massie Falcons will clinch the SCOL football championship again.
NOVEMBER
• Michigan will be crowned Big Ten football champions, one week after they gain a win over the Buckeyes in the same amount of years.
• Basketball preview events will prove to be once again … a waste of time.
DECEMBER
• The Cincinnati Bengals will clinch a playoff berth by winning the AFC North.
• I will look at this list in 12 months and realize how wrong this list is, and try again in 2013.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com.[[In-content Ad]]
Let's start off with what I got right … I need the ego boost.
I started off the column last year by saying the Seattle Seahawks would make the playoffs at 7-9, which they did. I said they would lose in the opening round, which they didn't. Then I said Favre would stay retired, which he did. I was on a roll in January by saying Auburn would win the BCS National Championship.
The Cincinnati Reds did win on Opening Day (I covered it), and the Bengals drafted the best wide receiver available in the first round of the NFL draft and not a quarterback … they got their QB in the second round.
Here is what I got wrong … time to bring myself down.
The New England Patriots didn't win the Super Bowl, and Jim Harbaugh didn't go to Michigan to coach football, but he did take his heart to San Francisco. Greg Biffle didn't win the Daytona 500, but he thanked his sponsors nonetheless, and I was completely wrong about the NCAA Basketball tournament … really, Butler in the championship two years in a row? Who can actually predict that? UConn winning the whole thing after just making the tournament? I give up.
The Boston Celtics didn't win the NBA title, which I said they would, and the Reds didn't make the playoffs, which was disappointing. The first pro baseball club made me look silly as I had faith in them and said they would make it to the NLCS. I said the St. Louis Cardinals wouldn't make the playoffs …. well, they won the World Series. This is why I don't gamble on pro sports.
One of my worst predictions was saying Ohio State football would go 5-0 to start the college football season … it is easy to say I was more off-target than a Todd Boeckman pass. Worst of all … I didn't repeat as a fantasy football champion (I got second place … I hate second place.)
There were more, but those were the worst ones … now I need to redeem myself, so here are my 2012 sports predictions. Don't take my predictions to Vegas, though.
JANUARY
• The 2012 BCS National Champions will be … the Tigers of LSU. I'll even give you a score: LSU 27, Alabama 17. The only rolling the Crimson Tide will be doing is back to Al-a-bama without a crystal football.
• My NFL conference championship games will be for the NFC: Green Bay Packers vs. New Orleans Saints; AFC: Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers.
• The winner of the Rose Bowl will be crowned on Jan. 2 this year … which will be Oregon. Wisconsin isn't tricking me again, neither is the Big Ten. Mark it down … the Big Ten will be 3-6 in bowl games.
FEBRUARY
• The 46th Super Bowl champion will be the New Orleans Saints. (In August, I picked the Ravens, but I have no faith in Joe Flacco and his mustache anymore.) I will grow extremely tired of the words "Who" and "Dat" by the end of the month.
• The winner of the 2012 Daytona 500 will be Carl Edwards. He will celebrate with the Aflac duck and a Subway sandwich. When he does his celebratory flip from his car, my prayers will be answered when he falls on his face.
MARCH
• At least three (maybe four) teams from Highland County will be playing at the Convocation Center at Ohio University. I just haven't made up my mind on who the three teams will be, but I'm starting to get an idea.
• My Final Four in men's college basketball is Ohio State, Kentucky, Syracuse and North Carolina.
APRIL
• The NCAA Men's Basketball champion will be … Syracuse.
• Andrew Luck will be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, and Roger Goodell will be booed once again. Luck will be making his summer and fall residence in Indianapolis.
• Do I dare say Tiger Woods wins the Masters? I think I just did … and the comeback will be complete.
MAY
• During this month, the Fairfield Lady Lions softball team will win a lot of games because that's what they do.
• I will get asked at least once "why don't you cover such and such sport" while I am covering said sport.
• The Cincinnati Reds will be in first place after losing just five games in the month of April.
• This is a long shot, and I have no idea if the horse will even be entered, but the horse I'm betting on who will be the the winner of the '12 Kentucky Derby is … Sabercat. Sounds like an '80s cartoon or a defunct Arena League football team.
JUNE
• The American Legion Post 129 baseball team will get on a winning streak following a slow start of the season. It has happened the past two years, so I'm going with house money on this one.
• The Reds and St. Louis Cardinals will be first and second in the NL Central … with the Milwaukee Brewers in third.
• King James and the Miami Heat will be the new NBA Champions … they will beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. Somewhere in Cleveland, Dan Gilbert will be sitting alone flipping the lights on and off repeatedly.
JULY
• Speed walking will be on my sports radar during the Olympics.
• The name "Brett Favre" and "coming out of retirement" will be plastered all over ESPN. I can't wait, and Skip Bayless will act like he actually cares one way or another.
AUGUST
• In the dog days of summer, the Cincinnati Reds will slip into second place. This will be "that month" that all MLB teams go through during a season. People will call for Dusty Baker's toothpicks to be put into a bonfire.
• The reign of Urban Meyer will begin as the Ohio State Buckeyes will be in summer practices … watch out, he may get bored and retire for a third time.
SEPTEMBER
• A new era of Penn State football will begin. I hope it starts better than the last one ended. I don't see more than five wins at most for the season, but it still won't be as bad as the previous campaign. Nothing can be worse than that.
• I'm calling my shot … the Reds will win the '12 NL Central Division by four games.
OCTOBER
• The '12 Sprint Cup Champion will be … Kevin Harvick. Grab Some Buds.
• The World Series championship trophy will be headed to the trophy case of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim but will get lost on the way because do they take it to Anaheim or Los Angeles?
• The Clinton-Massie Falcons will clinch the SCOL football championship again.
NOVEMBER
• Michigan will be crowned Big Ten football champions, one week after they gain a win over the Buckeyes in the same amount of years.
• Basketball preview events will prove to be once again … a waste of time.
DECEMBER
• The Cincinnati Bengals will clinch a playoff berth by winning the AFC North.
• I will look at this list in 12 months and realize how wrong this list is, and try again in 2013.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com.[[In-content Ad]]