2011 Super Bowl Pick
Last Week's Record: (2-0)
Last Week's Record: (2-0)
Regular Season Record: (179-86)
Back to this season. Although the Cougars also went undefeated through their regular season and climbed all the way up to #7 in the BCS polls, they ended up losing to a much lower ranked Southern Miss in the Conference Championship game. Because of the loss, they ended up facing Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas on January 2nd. On a selfish level, this ended up being a great thing because my dad and I were able to make the trip up to Dallas to see the game before I had to be back at work after the Christmas break. My dad and I have been to so many amazing sporting events together, but I would have to say that this was definitely one of my favorites. There is always something awesome about packing a suitcase, getting in the car, and going on a long road trip to see a sporting event. And the game did NOT disappoint. The weather was perfect, the seats were great, and the Cougars won. It was such a great two days that I will always be so thankful for!
Well, the most obvious reason why this season was so exciting has to be the Houston Texans. The Texans have been an average team (at best) since their inaugural season in 2002. But with several great draft picks over the last several years, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and the addition of a defensive coordinator who knows what they are doing, the Texans finally became a good football team. They made it to the playoffs for the first time, and were able to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round before getting beat by the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round. The Texans ended up finishing the regular season with a (10-6) record, which in one game worse than I had predicted after the four preseason games. But, with all the injuries they had to endure by losing Matt Schaub, Matt Leinart, Mario Williams, and Andre Johnson for significant portions of the season, you have to feel that their regular season record and playoff win is a HUGE accomplishment!! Things look good for the "Boys on Kirby" next year!
And the last reason I have had such a great time watching football this year is the fact that you are reading this post. After failing to sign up for a fantasy football league, I knew I would need some way to get my football fix beyond just watching the games on tv and playing Madden on my XBox. I could have never predicted that my winning percentage would have ended up being as high as it is, and I will definitely have my work cut out for me as I try to outdo myself next year. Speaking of next year, I hope that I can get some of you to join me in making some picks every week. I'm trying to think of some sort of prize I can get for the person who ends up with the best winning percentage after an entire season of making picks if I can get five or six people involved. Getting more than six people making picks every week would be awesome, but let's start small. :) Thank you for following my picks as I try to live out my alter-ego as a sports writer.
Well, here it is. The "Big Game" that ends the most entertaining football season I can remember. I am sure that may not be true for everyone, but this really has been the most interesting and exciting football season I've ever been lucky enough to watch. And I am not just talking about the NFL!! This year was a great year for the three teams that I ever have any interest in.
Starting from the bottom up, the Sam Houston State Bearkats had an undefeated regular season and made it all the way the FCS National Championship game! I didn't get the opportunity to watch many of their games simply because I was too busy to make it up to Huntsville on any of the game days, and only two of their games were broadcast on tv. But, it was very cool to see my school get some national love on ESPN. It was also great to hear from some of my friends who are still in Huntsville that it actually started to feel like a "football school" by the end of the season!
Secondly, this was such an amazing football season because the other college team that I ever have any real interest in, the University of Houston Cougars, also had an undefeated regular season led by QB Case Keenum. Some of you probably have no clue why I follow UofH, but my dad is a UofH alum and has had season tickets for as long as I can remember. I remember going to UofH games in the Astrodome when I was growing up and watching the games there. This fun because we'd usually sit in the upper deck and have an entire section to pick from where we wanted to sit. . . Or play around if I got bored.
As a side story for you. . . I'll never forget the moment I realized how passionate my dad was about UofH football. My dad had taken me and my cousin, Tyler, to a game at the Astrodome. Tyler and I were about 8 or 9 and we noticed that there were tv cameras in our area. We thought that if we screamed loud enough, we would get heard by the tv audience and be "famous" for about 5 seconds. The only problem is that we decided it would be more fun to root for the opponent of the Cougars in that game, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. We screamed all game long and then my dad was done hearing from us. So, he said, "Okay, you guys can screaming as loud as you want for the Tar Heels if you can tell me what the mascot of UNC is." Well, all we knew was the Tar Heel, so, that was our answer. He then pointed out that the mascot was actually a ram, and that we clearly didn't know anything about UNC, so therefore we had no right to be cheering for them. Tyler and I were not allowed to say another word about UNC for the rest of the game. Now, as I go to games with my dad and continue to see his passion for his Coogs, I almost want to warn any fans of the opposing team in our area that they might not want to be too vocal in support of their team!! :) Love you, dad!
Back to this season. Although the Cougars also went undefeated through their regular season and climbed all the way up to #7 in the BCS polls, they ended up losing to a much lower ranked Southern Miss in the Conference Championship game. Because of the loss, they ended up facing Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas on January 2nd. On a selfish level, this ended up being a great thing because my dad and I were able to make the trip up to Dallas to see the game before I had to be back at work after the Christmas break. My dad and I have been to so many amazing sporting events together, but I would have to say that this was definitely one of my favorites. There is always something awesome about packing a suitcase, getting in the car, and going on a long road trip to see a sporting event. And the game did NOT disappoint. The weather was perfect, the seats were great, and the Cougars won. It was such a great two days that I will always be so thankful for!
Well, the most obvious reason why this season was so exciting has to be the Houston Texans. The Texans have been an average team (at best) since their inaugural season in 2002. But with several great draft picks over the last several years, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and the addition of a defensive coordinator who knows what they are doing, the Texans finally became a good football team. They made it to the playoffs for the first time, and were able to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round before getting beat by the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round. The Texans ended up finishing the regular season with a (10-6) record, which in one game worse than I had predicted after the four preseason games. But, with all the injuries they had to endure by losing Matt Schaub, Matt Leinart, Mario Williams, and Andre Johnson for significant portions of the season, you have to feel that their regular season record and playoff win is a HUGE accomplishment!! Things look good for the "Boys on Kirby" next year!
And the last reason I have had such a great time watching football this year is the fact that you are reading this post. After failing to sign up for a fantasy football league, I knew I would need some way to get my football fix beyond just watching the games on tv and playing Madden on my XBox. I could have never predicted that my winning percentage would have ended up being as high as it is, and I will definitely have my work cut out for me as I try to outdo myself next year. Speaking of next year, I hope that I can get some of you to join me in making some picks every week. I'm trying to think of some sort of prize I can get for the person who ends up with the best winning percentage after an entire season of making picks if I can get five or six people involved. Getting more than six people making picks every week would be awesome, but let's start small. :) Thank you for following my picks as I try to live out my alter-ego as a sports writer.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Super Bowl Prediction
Finally! I'll make this short and sweet. I think the Giants are on fire right now, and I think the Patriots have not played their best football over the last few weeks. The defense of the New York Giants has just been on going crazy and hasn't been letting opposing offenses get anything going. I think it is amazing that they had to win in Week 16 against the Dallas Cowboys to clinch their playoff spot, and now they have a chance to win the Super Bowl. To me, the two offenses seem to be about even. Eli Manning is playing great right now which pulls him even to Tom Brady in my mind. The Patriots have been an elite offense over the last few years, but I just don't see that this year. Hoping to do better with my Super Bowl pick than I did last year, I think the Giants win again. I don't like picking scores, but let's say Giants win 24-20.
Giants - W
And just for fun. . . A few prop bets that I will likely not be able to keep up with the results on. Bets copied from Yahoo Sports. I'll put my picks in Green just to make it easy to read. If I can follow some of these, I'll come back and edit my wins and losses.
How long will it take Kelly Clarkson to sign the National Anthem?
Over 1:34
Less than 1:34
Will Kelly Clarkson forget or omit a word during the National Anthem?
Yes
No
Will Kelly Clarkson's bare belly be showing when she sings the National Anthem?
Yes
No
How many times will Peyton Manning be shown on TV during the game?
Over 3 1/2
Under 3 1/2
How many times will Gisele Bundchen be shown on TV during the game?
Over 1/2
Under 1/2
What color will the Gatorade (or liquid) be that is dumped on the Head Coach of the winning team?
Clear/Water
Orange
Yellow
Red
Green
Blue
What will happen with the Dow Jones the day after the game?
Up
Down
Who will the Super Bowl MVP thank first?
Teammates
Coach
Family
God
Owner
Does not thank anyone
