Before anyone makes more predictions, they should review the ones that they already have made. It is for this reason that after every sport season for which I make predictions, I go back and review those predictions. To see what I got right and what I got oh so horribly wrong. I will start out there with my two sets of college football predictions and then go into my 1st bit of talking about the NFL Draft. Buckle up, because it is the accountability thread. You get to say you told me so, if you told me so that is...
For college football, I did two prediction posts. There was one full of ACC predictions and one for the entire country. Both sets of predictions were filled with a lot of accurate statements, some 1/2 true statements, some inaccurate statements, and some categorically false statements. Let's start with the good....
Derwin James is/was FSU's best player on defense. It has been widely acknowledged. Unfortunately, for him and for my predictions, he got injured for the duration of the season in week 2. While that slighlty affected many of my predictions, my overall one about the ACC Atlantic rang true. There were three really good teams in the ACC Atlantic. FSU finished 8th with a New Years 6 bowl win, Clemson won the national championship, and Louisville spent most of the season in the Top 5 until a late season collapse. That Louisville team was the most dangerous for FSU early for numerous reasons and they took FSU to the woodshed. I was correct in saying that game would be FSU's most likely loss. I also called Lemar Jackson as a serious Heisman contender and said that he would be named player of the year. Deondre Francois was the top newcomer for the ACC also as he won the ACC Rookie of the Year. I hit on 5/11 1st team All ACC Offense predictions. There were also 5/11 correct on the defensive side this year.
Nationally, I did not do as well as I did in the ACC, but I still had some success. My 5 darkhorse teams were all hits. The worst one of the group was a 7-6 team that knocked off Louisville. Every other darkhorse team won at least 9 games and all exceeded expectations. Wisconsin was tops with an 11 win season and New Years 6 bowl win, but Oklahoma State also had 10 wins. The big 12 missed the playoffs as predicted. I was correct that the SEC East favorite, Tennessee, would not win the division. Washington made the playoff and were my one correct prediction there. While I missed them in the playoff, I said Alabama and Clemson had a better chance to win the championship than most the teams I had in and that proved true. All 10 of the teams I had predicted to have a great shot at the title were contenders at one point as well, with the exception of LSU. Clemson v. Florida State and Florida State v. Ole Miss were both thrilling matchups as predicted. I had one Heisman finalist correct (Baker Mayfield) even though that finalist shouldn't have been really invited. On offense I hit on 3/11 AP All American selections. Defensively, I only had Alabama standout Jonathan Allen correct. Now, for things I can justify getting wrong.
The easiest one to justify is both FSU's record and Derwin James' postseason awards. First in regards to the record, I said Clemson would be a major challenge and that the ACC was loaded. Derwin James injury in week 2 changed the complexion of the season. He is that special of a talent. Because he was injured for basically the entire season, he was unable to collect any postseason awards.
LSU's season I have no justification for, but Leonard Fournette didn't have the season he was expecting because he didn't have the same volume he has had in the past. 6.5 yards a carry is incredible, but he had 171 fewer attempts this season than last season.
Now the predictions I just can't justify they were just bad....
LSU winning the SEC! What the heck was I thinking. Bama owns the SEC. LSU lost to one of my darkhorse teams in week 1 (Wisconsin) and struggled. They would ultimately fire their coach.
Only 1 All-American correct prediction on defense. Embarrassing! Will have to watch more film next season.
Texas fired their coach and lost to Kansas! Yikes! They did not take a step forward as expected and Charlie Strong ultimately lost his job because of it.
Alabama v. USC was not a good game. Alabama dismantled USC in a way that most Tide fans didn't even expect to happen.
John O'Korn was not a Heisman darkhorse candidate. He was not even the starting QB at the end of the season for Michigan. This is one of the worst predictions of all-time. At least I had him as a darkhorse candidate and not a finalist though.
Miami actually exceeded my expectations too. They finished ranked and 9-4. I predicted 7-5 and for them to be a disappointment. They were not. Richt did a fine job.
My predictions were pretty solid despite only hitting on 1/4 playoff teams. Most of them were at least partially true or I had solid justification for them. Now onto the draft!!!
There will be a lot more about the draft to come, but let me get it started by just briefly talking about the top Seminoles on the board.
Dalvin Cook RB
Projection: Top 10 Pick
I project that Dalvin Cook will be a top 10 pick and the 1st RB off the board. He is one of the most complete backs to come out in a long time. Cook is the whole package. He can run, has elite speed, has hands, and can block. This guy is a special player and a game changer. I hope he lasts until the Bucs as a Tampa fan, but don't see it happening. More to come on Dalvin in later entries.
DeMarcus Walker DE
Projection: Late 1st
DeMarcus Walker did himself well returning to school as he was the Seminoles team leader on and off the field. It also did not hurt that he led the nation in sacks. This guy is a classic example of the fact that it can benefit a player to return to school. His draft stock soared following his senior season. I just hope the guy gets into the best situation for him. Walker led the first Seminoles class to go 4-0 against both Miami and Florida. This guy is a winner, and his work ethic could really help a lot of teams for the 2017 season....
- Noland
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