NCAA College Basketball

With college football winding down in early January, and the NFL wrapping up its season by early February, much of the attention of sports fans turns to college basketball. While the NCAA college basketball season begins in November, the sport takes center stage during late winter and early spring, as teams compete for a place in the “dance” of the tournament known as March Madness.

The competition narrows to the Sweet Sixteen which turns into the Elite Eight, the Final Four and then finally, the national championship game. In addition to determining the NCAA’s most supreme college basketball teams and ultimately, the champion, March Madness is known for its bracket. It is popular among die-hard and casual fans alike, as people try to guess winners, allow for upsets and predict the championship team. Regardless of who is playing, there’s rarely a dull moment and usually a few unaccounted for upsets.

Currently, the top 10 ranked basketball teams according to the AP Poll (in descending order) are: Kentucky, Duke, University of Virginia, Wisconsin. Louisville, Villanova, Gonzaga, Arizona, Iowa State and Utah. Kentucky is currently 13-0. Last year’s NCAA Tournament winner was the University of Connecticut Huskies, who defeated Kentucky, 60-54. The 2 teams were ranked number 7 and number 8 heading into the game. The women’s 2014 winner was also UConn, defeating Notre Dame, 79-58. This was the school’s 9th NCAA Women’s Basketball Title.

While fans are used to seeing traditional programs such as Duke, UConn and Syracuse often excel and advance, in recent years, there have been many surprises such as Florida Gulf Coast University advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in 2013. On Saturday, Seton Hall shocked Villanova, beating the number 6 ranked team, 66-61 in OT. Villanova was previously undefeated. Cal (UC) also beat number 21, Washington 81-75 last Friday. With upsets like this, weeks before March, this year’s tournament is sure to be another interesting one, full of surprises in both rankings and matchups.

The tournament officially begins March 15, Selection Sunday, and progresses through early April with the Final Four games taking place on April 4th and the championship game occurring on April 6th at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Florida State Seminoles

The Florida State Seminoles remained undefeated this year, closing out their season 13-0 after beating Georgia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship Game last Saturday, 37-35. The game was not a runaway though, as Georgia Tech fought hard and the score was tied at multiple points throughout the game; however, Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston threw for 309 yards and 3 touchdowns, completing 21/30 passes. With this victory, Florida State proved that they belong at the top again this year.

While some of the Seminoles’ games were definite successes (beating NC State 56-41; Wake Forest 43-3 and Citadel 37-12) this season, the team faced many close calls throughout, including against opponents such as Clemson (23-17 in OT), Miami (30-26) and Boston College (20-17). Despite these battles and multiple off-field controversies surrounding Winston over the past year, the Seminoles remained resilient and victorious, continually fighting in the second half of games to win late and show why they were National Champions last year.

In the inaugural season of the College Football Playoff, Florida State ranks number 3 in the final four teams, and will face off against the number 2 ranked Oregon Ducks on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl. Oregon is considered an offensive powerhouse team this season, winning their last 8 games by 42 or more points. Ducks’ quarterback Marcus Mariota is one of the finalists for the Heisman trophy this year. Winston was the Heisman winner in 2013, becoming the youngest winner in history of the prestigious football award. While Oregon is known for rerouting their opponents’ game plans by breaking out with an early lead, Florida State is known for being a closer in high-pressure, down to the wire games, so this should provide for an exciting matchup.


The winner of the Rose Bowl will face off against the winner of the Sugar Bowl (Ohio State (4) vs. Alabama (1)), in the National Championship Game in Dallas, Texas on Monday, January 12th.

Alabama Crimson Tide

The number one ranked Alabama Crimson Tide Football team will face off against number four Ohio State on Thursday, January 1, 2015 in the AllState Sugar Bowl. This will bring the nation one step closer to determining who will play in the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship game.

The Crimson Tide smoked the Mizzou Tigers 42-13 in the SEC Championship game two weekends ago, making it clear they were ranked number one for a reason. The team finished its regular season 12-1, including 7-1 in SEC games. Alabama’s only loss came in early October, as the team fell 23-17 to Ole Miss, who finished the season ranked 11th overall.

Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper was one of three finalists for the Heisman Trophy. The winner (Oregon’s Marcus Mariota) announcement and award presentation was made last Saturday in New York. Cooper was named the SEC Player of the Year by the Associated Press and also leads the nation in receiving yards at 1656.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban is known for not only being a mind full disciplinarian, but also a defensive guru. Saban has been Alabama’s football coach since 2007 and led the team to national championship victories in 2009, 2011 and 2012. Ohio State’s Urban Myer has been credited with offensive expertise. Watching these two coaches who together have 5 national championship titles, face off against one another again should be an exciting matchup.

There is insurmountable pressure to attaining the rank of number one, and once you have it, keeping it. The Crimson Tide had last week off from football and players commented that Saban had the team’s best interest in mind, knowing they needed to recharge. The team headed back to practice Tuesday, December 16th. The team will focus on fundamentals this week, getting back into the right mindset and regaining the intensity they had which led to eight consecutive victories to close their regular season.

The Sugar Bowl is sure to be an entertaining matchup regardless of who you’re rooting for. Two teams with historic college football programs and two successful and decorated coaches, with nationwide loyal fans, will face off to seek entry into the first CFP championship game, looking for college football’s most coveted title.

Oregon Ducks

The Oregon Ducks will compete against the Florida State Seminoles on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl. The Ducks are ranked number two and the Seminoles are ranked number three. The winner of this game will face off against the Sugar Bowl’s winner in the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship game on January 12th.

The Ducks finished their regular season 12-1, only suffering one loss to Arizona back in early October. The Ducks went on to dominate the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Championship game in the first week of December. Oregon got out to an early start and continued to climb from the second quarter through the game’s completion. The score was 44-7 before the 4th quarter began and Arizona’s quarterback Jerrard Randall managed to score another touchdown, for a final score of 51-13, Oregon.

Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota received the Heisman Trophy last Saturday in New York. Mariota is considered a complete quarterback and versatile enough to fit any playing system. While he is not one of the most vocal players of the game, Mariota is described by sports reporters and other media as polite, humble and sincere.

Not only will the Ducks face off against the Seminoles, but Mariota will compete against FSU quarterback, Jameis Winston, who was the 2013 Heisman winner. Both quarterbacks while drastically different on and off the field, are considered to be the top two quarterback prospects for the 2015 NFL Draft. Neither has yet declared for the draft although it is widely predicted both will after college playoffs conclude.

While Oregon has continued to get off to an early lead and a fast start throughout the season, FSU has shown repeatedly that they’re capable of delivering in high-pressure situations, as they’ve struggled to fend off some of their lesser opponents, yet managed to remain victorious and undefeated all season. This matchup is expected to be fast-paced and high action.

Ohio State University

The 12-1 Ohio State University Buckeyes finish their season in first place in the Big Ten Conference, after destroying the Wisconsin Badgers in a 59-0 shutout last Saturday in the conference championship game. This was the Badgers’ first shutout since 1997.

The Buckeyes scored 14 points in both the first and fourth quarters and scored their remaining 31 points in the second and third, including 24 before halftime. Quarterback Cardale Jones threw 3 touchdowns and threw for 257 yards. Jones was named MVP of the game which was also his first career start. Wide receiver Devin Smith caught four passes and scored three times.

Ohio State has had an impressive season, losing just one game in the second week of the season to Virginia Tech, 35-21. In late October, the Buckeyes had an intense matchup against Penn State resulting in double overtime, however, the team managed to emerge victorious, winning 31-24. The team also defeated its big rivals: Michigan State, 49-27 and Michigan, 42-28.

The Buckeyes have suffered multiple losses this season, including injuries to quarterbacks J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller, as well as the recent death of offensive lineman Kosta Karageorge. Despite these tragedies the team has faced, the Buckeyes proved on Saturday that they deserved to advance into the playoffs.

This is head coach Urban Meyer’s third season at Ohio State University. Prior to joining the Buckeyes, Meyer was the head coach at the University of Florida from 2005-2010, leading the team to two national championships in 2006 and 2008. Meyer is also an Ohio native.

2014 marks the first year of the College Football Playoff, for which the top four teams will face off in two major bowl games to determine who will play in the championship game. Ohio State is ranked number four and will play number one ranked Alabama in the All State Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. Oregon (2) and Florida State (3) will also face off on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl. The winners of these games will play in the National Championship Game on Monday, January 12th at AT&T stadium in Dallas, Texas.

Buffalo Bills

Now well into the home stretch of the regular season, the Buffalo Bills are 7-5, and in 2nd place in the AFC East after the New England Patriots. This weekend, the Bills will take on Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium.

While running back C.J. Spiller is still rehabbing his collarbone injury, rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins has returned to play. Since the Bills’ bye week in week 9, Watkins has accumulated 105 receiving yards although he has not scored any touchdowns. The expectations for the rookie are high as he has been instrumental in some of the Bills’ earlier wins this season. It was reported that Watkins said he must get back into the groove and get back to fundamentals. Spiller returned to practice earlier this week but remains on the Injured Reserve list and is not expected to play until week 16.

In regard to their division rivals of the AFC East, the Bills have had mixed results. Buffalo beat the Miami Dolphins in week 2 but lost to them in week 11. The Bills destroyed the Jets in late October and repeated the same results against them just shy of a month later. The team lost to the Patriots in October and will close out regular season play in week 17 on the road against them once more.

Buffalo managed to edge out the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings in 2 close games earlier this season, but struggled against the San Diego Chargers and Houston Texans. They also lost a close game to the Kansas City Chiefs.

While many sports analysts and critics doubt their contention, the playoffs are not out of sight for the Bills yet. If they are able to win their remaining games and depending on what happens with the Patriots’ remaining games, as well as what results in other divisions, they may be eligible for a wildcard spot.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 7-4 this season after beating the Tennessee Titans 27-24 in Monday Night Football this past week.

Pittsburgh, not unlike other teams this season has been plagued with some tough injuries. Rookie linebacker Ryan Shazier has missed 6 games as a result of multiple injuries. Cornerback Ike Taylor is recovering from a broken arm injury that occurred in September. Taylor is awaiting clearance from team doctors to return to play. Safety Troy Polamalu hopes to return for the Steelers’ next game after suffering a knee injury in week 9 against the Baltimore Ravens. The team was victorious in score, winning 43-23 but the victory came at the cost of some of their strongest defenders.

Besides a 3 week winning stretch in late October into early November, the Steelers appear to have little consistency this season, alternating between wins and losses on a weekly basis. The Steelers are currently in 2nd place in their division, the AFC North after the 1st place Cincinnati Bengals. This is not a runaway lead by the Bengals, however, the division is definitely up for grabs. If the Steelers can gain consistency with their victories and avoid additional injuries, they may be able to claim 1st place.

Most recently, following their Monday night game, the Steelers released running back LeGarrette Blount on Tuesday, after he reportedly left the field before the end of Monday’s game. It has also been reported by some sources that the Steelers had already decided to go in this direction, relying more heavily on RB Le’Veon Bell. Since Blount’s release from the Steelers, he has already signed a 2 year deal with the New England Patriots. The deal is said to rely heavily on incentives. The Steelers have also signed RB Josh Harris from their practice squad.

Following their victory over the Titans, the Steelers will enjoy a bye week before facing off against the Saints at home on November 30.