Super Bowl Time

It's been a long two weeks but the Super Bowl is nearly here. In a shock to most it is the San Francisco 49ers against the Baltimore Ravens. That's right... No Tom Brady. No Peyton Manning. No Aaron Rodgers. No Eli Manning. It's Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh, Flacco against Kaepernick, and defense against defense. It's going to be hard fought, bloody, dirty, messy, and a whole lot of fun. And even though most say this game is a coin flip, Greg and I have made our picks below. Here is an updated look at our overall standings for the year:

Pick Standings:

Andrew – 1488 Points (169-96-1)

Greg – 1477 Points (166-99-1) – Winner of Conference Championships

NOTE: The Super Bowl is worth 30 points in the Standings.

Greg's Pick:

The moment that the AFC Championship game finished I knew what my Super Bowl pick would be. I have not wavered, I have not faltered, I have not second guessed (for the most part, though I am picking this game with my gut feeling rather than my brain which tends to be a poor decision making process for me). I have done everything in my power to confuse Andrew and make him second guess his pick over and over and over again in hopes that I can take the Super Bowl victory and make it a clean football season sweep in points for me (College and Pro).

The matchup this week is great. Two great defenses. Two great middle linebackers. Ray Lewis finishing his career in a Super Bowl. Two brothers coach against each other in the Super Bowl for the first time ever. Two emerging quarterbacks whose styles could not be more contrasting. East Coast vs West Coast. I love this game, and this matchup, but my initial feeling will be my final pick. I say the magic and mystique of Ray Lewis' retirement announcement carries the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory in a tight, well played football game. Anquan Boldin will take home Super Bowl MVP honors with 3 TD catches and the Ravens blemish the Niners' super bowl record (5-0) for the first time. 

Baltimore Ravens 27, San Francisco 49ers 23

Andrew's Pick:

Picking this game has made me sick. I have actually picked against both of these teams in every playoff game each has played. I admitted on this blog last week that I was wrong about Kaepernick. And I was clearly wrong about Baltimore too because I was convinced Denver would be playing in this game. But it shouldn't be all that shocking considering we had Baltimore and San Francisco near or at the top of our Power Rankings earlier in the year. Nonetheless, I am struggling with this pick because the teams are similar.

They are both well coached teams that throw the ball okay, run the ball good, and play defense great. They are led by big hitting linebackers on defense, and quarterbacks trying to prove something on offense. Both teams are also undefeated in Super Bowl play (49ers 5-0, Ravens 1-0) and both play away from home very well. So how can I decide?

I came to my final decision based upon their postseason performance and who I trust more at quarterback. Baltimore took out the two Super Bowl favorites (in my opinion) on the road in their last two games. Those teams had two of the best QB's of all-time on them and it didn't faze them. The defense they displayed against the Patriots was shockingly good. Joe Flacco has been terrific and is backing up his statements that he is elite. He has always been good in the playoffs and is doing it once again. And even though I was wrong about Kaepernick, I still don't trust him as a rookie over Joe Flacco. Ray Lewis will go out as a champ, but Flacco will be the MVP of this game.

Baltimore Ravens 27, San Francisco 49ers 24

By: The Sports Guys

Waste Management - Pick 5

It's another golf tournament and another edition of the Pick 5 Challenge. The rules are simple: pick 5 guys you think will do well according to the categories we provide. Before we get into this week's categories, here was last week's results and the overall standings:

1st: Tiger Woods- 20 Points (Andrew)
2nd: Brandt Snedeker- 18 Points (Split between Greg & Andrew)
3rd: Rickie Fowler-16 Points (Greg)
4th: K.J. Choi-14 Points (Andrew)
5th: Nicolas Colsaerts-12 Points (Greg)
6th: Dustin Johnson-10 Points (Greg)
6th: Phil Mickelson-10 Points (Andrew)
8th: Bo Van Pelt-8 Points (Andrew)
9th: Keegan Bradley-6 Points (Greg)

Placing Standings:
Andrew: 61
Greg:53

Money Standings:
Tiger Woods:1.098MM
Brandt Snedeker:536,800
Rickie Fowler: 204,350
K.J. Choi:146,400
Nicolas Colsaerts: 18,004
Dustin Johnson: 14,125
Phil Mickelson: 14,125
Bo Van Pelt: 10,919
Keegan Bradley: MC

Money Points:
Andrew:$1,659,990.40-20 Points
Greg:773,369-15 Points

Total Points after 1st PGA Tour Event:
Andrew: 81 Points
Greg: 68 Points

This week's event is the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Of your five picks you must pick 1 European player, 1 foreign non-European player, 1 USA Ryder Cup player from last year, 1 USA non-Ryder Cup player from last year, and 1 guy that's over 40. If you can pick a guy that fits two categories (like the over 40 guy), then you can pick anyone you want for the last one. Standings are two fold: where they finish and what they earn. Here are out picks... join us in the comment section.

Greg's Picks:

Ross Fisher
Geoff Ogilvy
Jason Dufner
Rickie Fowler
Mark Wilson

Andrew's Picks:

Martin Kaymer
Mike Weir
Phil Mickelson
Bill Haas
Bubba Watson

By: The Sports Guys

Tiger at Torrey

So Tiger Woods won a golf tournament this past weekend! He won at Torrey Pines for the 8th time in his career this weekend - 7 Farmer's Insurance wins, and 1 US Open. Is this a big deal? Is he "back again"?

There are two sides to this discussion. The first is why this win IS important. There are many reasons. First, he broke the winless drought last year and won three times. None of them, however, occurred late in the year. Many people thought he was in another slump and can no longer get it done on the weekends. He proved them wrong pulling away in the third round and coasting to a four shot win to essentially start his PGA season.

He also won in style, just like the Tiger of old. He shot in the sixties for the first three rounds (including a great 65 on Friday), and did his best once again as a frontrunner. He hit the ball very well, and his short game and putting was probably the best in the field. He dominated the par 5's too. Sound familiar? That's what he used to do tournament after tournament.

The other side of the discussion is why this ISN'T a big deal. Simply put, this wasn't done in a major. Tiger Woods is measured at this point by the number of majors he wins. Since his comeback, he has won some events and increased his world ranking (currently 2). But he has yet to win a major.

Last year, he was in position to win multiple majors before collapsing on the weekend. He even held the lead before falling apart. I know his game is coming together more and more, but until we see it on Sunday in a major, can we really say he is back?

I tend to side with the latter group. He isn't back until he wins another major. He isn't back until he takes out the world's best (including Rory) and begins to gain on Jack's record again (he's four back of 18). I do believe he'll win a major this year. In fact, he may win multiple majors this year. Of course, I thought he would last year too. Only time will tell I guess...

Andrew

NCAA Top 25

It’s been a brutal week or two stretch for the top teams in America. Conference play brings out the best in teams, which means that all opponents are dangerous, especially if they are playing at home. Just ask Duke who got throttled by 30 at Miami, or look at Villanova who hosted and beat two top five teams this week, or look at Minnesota who have now dropped a number of Big Ten games in a row, including one at Northwestern! Below are the rankings as of now, but if we have learned anything, we’ve learned that these will change a lot by the end of the year!

Top 25 – January 28, 2013

NOTE: Previous ranking in parenthesis (from two weeks ago). Current record noted next to each team.

1. (4) Michigan Wolverines: 19-1

They are tied atop the Big Ten standings and are playing more consistent than any team in the country. Trey Burke is the runaway winner for National POY at this point, and they have better depth than nearly anyone. I am pumped for their showdown at Indiana this weekend. #CollegeGameday

2. (5) Kansas Jayhawks: 18-1

Kansas may be playing better than any team in the country right now when you consider how well they bring on both ends of the floor. McLemore continues his amazing season on the offensive end, and Withey is doing the same thing on the defensive end.

3. (2) Indiana Hoosiers: 18-2

Since losing a home game to Wisconsin, they won their third Big Ten road game and took out first place MSU yesterday. This week they play their rivals (Purdue) on the road and then they host Michigan on Saturday. Can’t wait!

4. (10) Florida Gators: 16-2

With so many top teams falling this week, the Gators continue to roll their opponents and are on an 8 game winning streak. Their two losses in December were by a combined 7 points, so they are that close to being perfect.

5. (6) Syracuse Orangemen: 18-2

They lost a game at Villanova, but still lead the Big East at this moment. They are still playing without Sutherland so they have room to improve if he returns. That would be scary for the rest of the league.

6. (3) Duke Blue Devils: 17-2

Ryan Kelly’s injury has shockingly made this team look ordinary. I still can’t get the bad taste out of my mouth from their 30-point loss at Miami. Coach K teams just don’t play like that… ever.

7. (24) Oregon Ducks: 18-2

It’s about time this website gives Oregon some credit for what they have done this year. Led by two freshmen guards, they have taken out everyone so far in the Pac-12, including Arizona and UCLA, and stand at 7-0 in conference play. Combine that with a decent non-conference resume (win over UNLV) and they are sitting pretty.

8. (9) Arizona Wildcats: 17-2

Despite their great record before January, they have struggled a bit of late losing to both Oregon and UCLA. They still possess a ton of talent and are capable of beating any opponent, but they are behind the mark in the conference race.

9. (8) Gonzaga Bulldogs: 19-2

If not for losing at Butler on a last second floater, Gonzaga would be ranked in the top 5. They are the best “mid-major” team and have stars all over their roster. I truly believe this is Mark Few’s best team he’s ever had.

10. (11) Butler Bulldogs: 17-3

The A-10 leaders pulled off another improbable victory last week when they hit a buzzer beater to beat Gonzaga. They responded in their next game by losing to La Salle. The good news though is that the loss was without Rotnei Clarke and he has since returned. They will be at full strength moving forward.

11. (NR) Miami Hurricanes: 14-3

If we were doing weekly rankings, Miami would have jumped in last week for sure. But now they are really on the rise after beating Duke by about 30 on Wednesday. They are 5-0 in the conference and two games up on anyone else in the ACC.

12. (17) Michigan State Spartans: 17-4

The Spartans were briefly on top of the Big Ten, which isn’t that surprising actually. They recently beat Ohio State, won at Wisconsin, and pushed Indiana at Assembly Hall. Gary Harris is becoming the player everyone knew he could be, and the team is finally gelling like all Izzo teams do.

13. (1) Louisville Cardinals: 16-4

The Cardinals began falling last week, but now over the course of two weeks they have lost three straight games. They need to find someone outside of Russ Smith to make plays on the offensive end. After this past week, they are way behind Syracuse in the Big East.

14. (12) North Carolina State Wolfpack: 16-4

The preseason ACC favorite took out both their rivals from down the street (Duke and UNC) and showed us why they can be so good. Between those games though they lost at Maryland and Wake Forest. Even though it was by a combined 3 points, they need to find consistency. They need it this week, as they take on Miami.

15. (14) Ohio State Buckeyes: 15-4

Ohio State still might not have consistent scoring options behind Thomas, but in most games they don’t need one because he has been so good. They can be happy with a 5-2 start in the Big Ten, but the schedule gets tougher over the next two weeks (Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana).

16. (13) Creighton Bluejays: 18-3

Doug McDermott continues to produce, but they have dropped a couple of conference games already. They were both on the road, and it seems teams across the nation can’t win conference road games, but losses in the Missouri Valley will hurt their postseason ranking.

17. (NR) Wichita State Shockers: 19-2

Wichita State took out Creighton and currently leads the conference at 8-1. The win though was at home and somewhat expected. Winning on the road will really show me something.

18. (NR) Ole Miss Rebels: 17-2

The Rebels are shockingly on top of the SEC along with Florida. Are they for real? Games against Kentucky and Florida this week will prove their legitimacy.

19. (18) Marquette Golden Eagles: 14-4

Marquette is tied atop the Big East in the loss column, and their only loss came in OT at Cincinnati. This is yet another team that most didn’t see coming. But with Buzz Williams in charge, is this really that surprising?

20. (7) Minnesota Golden Gophers: 15-5

Minnesota has suddenly fallen on hard times. I know the Big Ten is rough but they have lost 4 in a row. Nebraska and Iowa are on tap this week so they have the chance to get back on track.

21. (15) Kansas State Wildcats: 15-4

The Wildcats lost against rival Kansas, and then fell at Iowa State. In order to truly be relevant again in the Big 12, these are the big games they need to win.

22. (16) San Diego State Aztecs: 16-4

They are right behind New Mexico in the tight Mountain West standings, but they just beat them by about 20. I think this team is on the verge of taking off.

23. (21) New Mexico Lobos: 17-3

The Lobos are coming off a bad showing against SD State, but they do lead the conference with a 4-1 record. I love how they bring it defensively each night, but they need to improve offensively before the postseason begins.

24. (23) Cincinnati Bearcats: 16-4

The Big East is even more congested than the Mountain West I just talked about, and the Bearcats are right in the thick of things. They have been playing well of late and have a number of winnable games ahead of them.

25. (NR) Pittsburgh Panthers: 17-4

The Panthers have rebounded from their sluggish conference start and have now won four in a row. Dates with Louisville and Syracuse are on tap this week, which will make or break their chances of winning the conference.

Dropped from Rankings: Illinois, Connecticut, Notre Dame, UCLA

Other Notables: Georgetown, Missouri, Wisconsin, VCU, UNLV, Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Memphis, Virginia, Louisiana Tech

By: The Sports Guys

Best MLB Outfield

So if you follow baseball at all, you heard about the Atlanta/Arizona trade bringing Justin Upton to the Braves. That re-united him with his brother BJ, who signed there earlier this year, and the Braves still have budding star Jason Heyward. That's quite an outfield, but is it the best in baseball?

After discussion between Greg and myself yesterday, we believe the best outfields in baseball are the Angels, Braves, and Dodgers (shout out to Nationals, Cardinals, Brewers). But in what order?

All three teams have beefed up their lineups with recent moves. Obviously, the Braves deal is the newest (Upton, Upton, Heyward). But the Dodgers traded for Carl Crawford last year putting him out there with Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. The Angels brought in Josh Hamilton earlier this offseason to play with Mike Trout and Peter Bourjos (assuming Trumbo is the DH). Those are three loaded outfields.

The first thing that strikes me is the reward each outfield can bring, but each comes with some uncertainty. In Atlanta, each of their players are as prone to slumps and strikeouts as they are to production. With the Dodgers, their potential is tied in large part to Carl Crawford and his recovery from injury. And the Angels are praying that Trout doesn't regress at all, and that Bourjos can become an every day player sooner rather than later.

While the teams in LA have the best outfielders in the league (Trout and Kemp, but also Josh Hamilton), they also have the worst outfielders mentioned in the article (Ethier and then Bourjos by a large margin). Atlanta is much more balanced across the board, but don't possess the one guy that could win MVP (although Justin was close a couple years ago).

Defensively there are some great gloves mentioned. Heyward was a Gold Glove winner last year and Justin just missed that honor. We know Trout can defend with the best of them in LA and so can Matt Kemp.

After some thought, Greg says the Angels have the best outfield. He obviously loves Trout, but also loves Josh Hamilton as their second best outfielder. Those two more than cover up for Bourjos. Trout for MVP!

I'm going with Atlanta. I know they are my favorite team, but who can say they have three five-tool players in the same outfield? No one but them! I also think that the Upton's have struggled with attitudes and consistency, but putting them together will rejuvenate them and bring out the best in them.

Of course Greg and I will surely be wrong, but that's what we think. What do you think?

By: The Sports Guys

Farmer's Insurance - Pick 5

Farmers Insurance Open

Last week we saw the golf season begin with the focus mainly on Tiger and Rory on the European Tour. They both missed the cut. Phil also made the news, but for non-golf reasons. He complained about Obama's stupid taxes basically. This week though the first big PGA event starts and the year truly begins. Let's play some golf!

Like normal, Greg and I will be doing "Pick 5" again this season, and this week we start at the Farmers Insurance Open. Sorry we are posting on Thursday, because that basically eliminates the chance of anyone playing along with us. But I guess it will simply be a blogger's battle. We didn't set any special categories this time, we just picked five guys we believe will do well. Here are our picks:

Greg's Picks

Brandt Snedeker
Rickie Fowler
Dustin Johnson
Keegan Bradley
Nicolas Colsaerts

Andrew's Picks

Tiger Woods
Phil Mickelson
Brandt Snedeker
Bo Van Pelt
KJ Choi

As you can see, we had one pick the same (Snedeker) but the rest were all different. Next tournament we'll try to include our readers, plus give more specific categories. Enjoy the event!

By: The Sports Guys

NBA Catch-Up

The NBA season has been just as we expected in some areas, but very shocking in others. Today, we wanted to see how our preseason picks are looking at this point in the year:

Preseason:

Projected Eastern Conference Standings

Andrew:

1. Miami Heat

2. Indiana Pacers

3. Boston Celtics

4. New York Knicks

5. Brooklyn Nets

6. Atlanta Hawks

7. Philadelphia 76ers

8. Chicago Bulls

9. Cleveland Cavaliers

10. Milwaukee Bucks

11. Washington Wizards

12. Detroit Pistons

13. Toronto Raptors

14. Charlotte Bobcats

15. Orlando Magic

Greg:

1. Miami Heat

2. Boston Celtics

3. Chicago Bulls

4. Brooklyn Nets

5. Indiana Pacers

6. Washington Wizards

7. Philadelphia 76ers

8. Atlanta Hawks

9. New York Knicks

10. Toronto Raptors

11. Detroit Pistons

12. Milwaukee Bucks

13. Cleveland Cavaliers

14. Charlotte Bobcats

15. Orlando Magic

Projected Western Conference Standings

Andrew:

1. San Antonio Spurs

2. Oklahoma City Thunder

3. Los Angeles Lakers

4. Los Angeles Clippers

5. Dallas Mavericks

6. Denver Nuggets

7. Memphis Grizzlies

8. Minnesota Timberwolves

9. Utah Jazz

10. Golden State Warriors

11. Portland Trailblazers

12. Sacramento Kings

13. Houston Rockets

14. Phoenix Suns

15. New Orleans Hornets

Greg:

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

2. Los Angeles Lakers

3. San Antonio Spurs

4. Los Angeles Clippers

5. Minnesota Timberwolves

6. Memphis Grizzlies

7. Denver Nuggets

8. Dallas Mavericks

9. Golden State Warriors

10. Utah Jazz

11. Houston Rockets

12. Portland Trailblazers

13. Sacramento Kings

14. New Orleans Hornets

15. Phoenix Suns

We'll start in the East where things are pretty much as expected. We both were right on about Miami, although they have been struggling on the road recently. Andrew was more accurate on the Pacers and Knicks, but Greg was correct in saying that Chicago would be okay without Rose. We both missed that Milwaukee would be relevant and Philly would not, and we both over-seeded Boston. They are old!

So how will things shake out? The focus for me is on players returning from injury. Three of the best players in the East should return in the coming months: Rose, Granger, and Bynum. All three would provide huge impacts, but I think Rose and Granger are the bigger factors here because their teams are already in good positions. Both have real shots at the two seed behind Miami.

The Knicks are currently in that spot and injuries have played a role there too. Amare and Anthony have been injured already this year, so can they stay healthy and play well together? We say yes, but that doesn't mean the two seed.

Out West we missed on 3 teams. We both had the Lakers, Timberwolves, and Mavericks in the playoffs. The three teams who are in there instead are the Warriors, Jazz, and Rockets. Based on our rankings, we're most confused by the Lakers' failures and the Rockets' success. The funny thing is that the explanation lies within the trades they made.

The Lakers don't have chemistry, heart, desire, defense, a bench, coaching, etc. Most thought the moves and trades they made could overcome that (Nash and Howard to be exact), but they haven't. Nash was injured for a while and Howard is obviously still ailing from his back surgery. Even further, they aren't a good team together because they are all used to being the stars. The Heat pulled it together a few years ago when they had the same problem, but I don't think the Lakers can. They need to make a move for depth.

The Rockets hit it big on their moves in the offseason. Lin and Harden form a great backcourt and are making Houston an elite offensive team. That has them in the playoffs for now, but I also think they need to make a move up front. In fact, maybe the Rockets and Lakers should make a deal with each other... The Rockets could use a guy like Gasol in their lineup... and they Lakers could use a lot of the depth of talent that Houston possesses. It won't happen though, so don't get excited.

Continuing enjoying the year!

By: The Sports Guys

Andrew's March Talk

We’re now over halfway through the year, and under two months away from Selection Sunday. I have thoroughly enjoyed the college basketball season, with this past Saturday truly being a highlight. Teams are now collecting signature wins, and conference play is revealing the true colors of teams across the country. Here is how things look at this point:

NOTE: These are not team rankings, but seeding’s based upon each team’s resume up to this point in the year.

1 Seeds

1. Duke – Number 1 in RPI with wins over Kentucky, Minnesota, VCU, Ohio State, Louisville, and Temple.

2. Michigan – 5 in RPI, Big Ten favorites, wins over Pitt, KSU, NCST, and at Minnesota.

3. Kansas – 2 in RPI and will likely win the Big 12 again too.

4. Syracuse – Gets the nod over Louisville here since they just beat them on the road.

2 Seeds

Arizona – Don’t look pretty all the time but they’ve beaten Florida and SD State and have only lost at Oregon. 3 in RPI.

Louisville – Dropped to a 2 seed by losing to Syracuse at home on Saturday.

Florida – SEC Favorites have beaten Wisconsin, Marquette, FSU, and Missouri.

Butler – Gets the nod over Indiana here due to their head-to-head win against them.

3 Seeds

Indiana – Preseason number one has some work to due after losing to Wisconsin.

Gonzaga – Lost a heartbreaker at Butler but still in good shape overall.

Minnesota – Only 3 losses came against top 5 teams (Duke, IU, Michigan).

Michigan State – Solid RPI, no bad losses, and wins against Kansas and Ohio State.

4 Seeds

Oregon – The Ducks are playing the best basketball of any team out west.

Kansas State – Bad RPI but have beaten a number of quality teams.

New Mexico – Leading the Mountain West early, and boast a top 10 RPI.

N.C. State – Handed Duke their only loss of the year.

5 Seeds

Miami – Still don’t know how legit this team is, but they can show me this week against Duke.

Wichita State – Win over Creighton Saturday proves their legitimacy.

Creighton – Their early win over Wisconsin is looking better and better.

Ohio State – Their losses don’t hurt them but only Michigan win helps them.

6 Seeds

Cincinnati – Went though a bad stretch in early January, but fine now.

Missouri – They need Bowers, and it showed in an ugly loss to Florida on Saturday.

VCU – Winners of 13 straight…

Marquette – Solid RPI due to a solid start in the Big East.

7 Seeds

Notre Dame – Terrible RPI but they have a decent resume outside of that.

UNLV – No bad losses but few good wins. Good thing they won at SD State.

Illinois – Tons of resume wins but are fading quickly in Big Ten play.

Oklahoma – In this spot due to their top 15 RPI, but only as a placeholder for now.

8 Seeds

Connecticut – Have endured a pretty tough schedule, but need to start winning again.

Mississippi – Terrible RPI because they haven’t played tough competition.

Oklahoma State – When ranking these teams, their win over NCST stands out.

Colorado – Impressive resume but they are falling apart. Probably too high here.

Next Four: SD State, UCLA, Wisconsin, Colorado State

Other At-Large Bids (alphabetical): Baylor, Boise State, Georgetown, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Temple, Wyoming