College Football: Fiesta Bowl – #4 Boise State versus #6 Texas Christian University

In my soon to be released article entitled “Surprises and Disappointments of the Bowl Season” I will expand upon my disgust for what the BCS selection committee did in choosing these two teams to play each other. For now I will limit myself to this; more and more people want a playoff system and this game where the BCS has isolated its “mid-major” threats to protect the BCS “major” conferences should make everyone want a playoff system more.

In terms of the game, although robbed of the national stage with which to show they are just as good as the best of the “major” conferences, this will still be an exciting matchup between two high scoring undefeated teams. WAC Champion Boise State will look for revenge after Mountain West Champion TCU just edged them out of an undefeated season last year, 17-16 in the Poinsettia Bowl. TCU’s defense is one of the best in the nation though, leading many to see TCU as the favorite by around 8 points.

This marks the first time that two undefeated teams played in a BCS Bowl other than the National Championship and will act as the “mid-major” National Championship. It is only too bad that the winner doesn’t get to face the winner of the “major” National Championship between Alabama and Texas. Though it should be a close and exciting game, expect fewer points than usual from each team as TCU for the second year in a row stops Boise State from perfection.

January 5^th

NBA: Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers

Usually the best team in the NBA versus the eleventh best (seventh best in the west) is not a reason to be included on What to Watch, but this matchup is different. After taking the Lakers to seven games in last year’s playoffs, the Rockets let Ron Artest leave and signed as his replacement the Lakers then starting Small Forward Trevor Ariza. In November of this season, the Rockets took the Lakers to overtime, eventually losing by one in Houston. Eleven days later, they pulled off the unthinkable, beating the Lakers by ten at the Staples Center. Additionally, Ariza, who is six years younger, has averaged more points, rebounds, steals, blocks, free throws, and minutes per game than Artest. Expect a close one but for the Lakers to yet again ruin Ariza’s return to LA. This game is also perfect to watch for those of us who will be bored by the Orange Bowl and craving a sport fix.

College Football: Orange Bowl – #10 Iowa versus #9 Georgia Tech

In what many see as the most boring of the BCS bowl games, the triple-option offense of ACC Champion Georgia Tech will take on the Slow Ten’s second best team, and BCS at-large bid receiving, Iowa. With starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi and running back Adam Robinson well rested and back from injury, Iowa may make a game of it. Possession will be a key to victory in this game. Iowa will need to stop the run and Georgia Tech will have to make sure the “cardiac kids” are not discounted at the end, even if the Yellow Jackets are up big. Expect the Rambling Wreck to run all over the Hawkeyes.

January 7^th

College Football: National Championship – #2 Texas versus #1 Alabama

Easily the most exciting and star-studded matchups of the BCS Bowl games, the National Championship pits two of the most recognizable high-profile programs in all of college football against each other. Big 12 Champion Texas has the winningest starting quarterback in the history of college football in Colt McCoy. SEC Champion Alabama has Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram. Alabama’s defense has stopped every team it has faced this year including the high scoring all-american filled Florida Gators though, leading me to believe that if Texas does not come with a varied game plan on offense they could get embarrassed. That said, Texas had the best defense against the run (Alabama’s bread and butter) in the nation. What gives remains to be seen. Expect a game that lives up to the hype of two undefeated teams from the top two conferences in the nation playing in the National Championship. That said, only one team can win, and my prediction is that after an 18 year wait, Alabama is finally ready to be named National Champions.

January 9^th

UVA Men’s Basketball: at North Carolina State

UVA Men’s Basketball ended the year looking good and giving Cavalier fans hope for the future and faith in Tony Bennett. That said, with the usual set of cupcakes we play behind us, the generally unforgiving ACC regular season schedule begins at North Carolina State. Neither of these teams has really faced that much of a challenge, with UVA being just edged out by Stanford, Penn State, and Auburn while NC State was barely beaten by Florida, Arizona, and Wake Forest. Luckily for the Cavaliers, the Wolfpack do not have a real big man presence and also rely on a lot of threes, making this more of a guard and forward game where the team with the better shooting from beyond the arc will win. If Landesberg can step up again like he did against UAB expect the Cavaliers to start their conference schedule undefeated, if not, may the best 3-point shooting team win.

NFL: Playoffs; NFC Wild-card Round, Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

Unless the Washington Deadskins were involved in this game somehow, I cannot think of a game where I want both teams to lose more. Being a Giants game, I still cannot get over how our season crumbled at the end, how both these teams and the Jets made the playoffs, yet we did not. What a last year at Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands. A repeat of last Sunday’s matchup between the two teams (oddly a recurrent theme amongst three of the four wildcard games) in the same location. After 14 years without a playoff win, I think Tony Romo and the Cowboys will finally do it. Beating the Eagles twice in the regular season was no easy task, and beating the playoffs won’t be either, but all streaks have to come to an end eventually (except for maybe the Cubs not winning the World Series). Expect a closer game than last week but for the Cowgirls to prevail.

NFL: Playoffs; AFC Wild-card Round, New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals

The Jets are the biggest surprise team in the playoffs, but make no mistake the team with the rookie coach, rookie quarterback, the NFL’s best defense, and the NFL’s top rushing offense (led by UVA alum Thomas Jones) will not be backing down without a serious fight. Though not much should be taken of their 37-0 annihilation of the Bengals this past Sunday in the last game at Giants Stadium, it should serve as a confidence booster for the fearless Jets as they head to Cincinnati. Though I do not think the Jets will be this year’s Arizona Cardinals (who last year at 9-7 ended up winning three straight before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl), I am not counting them out in this game. Cincinnati’s achievements should not be passed over though. Going undefeated in the division with the reigning Super Bowl Champions and another Playoff team is no walk in the park. Doing it after a 4-11-1 season is equally if not more impressive. Keep in mind starting quarterback Carson Palmer has had previous injury problems that did not affect him this season and that the team played well below their potential last season. Regardless of the past, all that matters is how each team plays Saturday. The colder it is the more likely the Jets will win with their superior defense and run game. Expect a close one and maybe, just maybe, the Jets will survive to play another week.

January 10^th

NFL: Playoffs; NFC Wild-card Round, Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals

While this season has been all about Brett Favre, the Packers have quietly gotten things done and finished the season only one game behind the Vikings. Aaron Rodgers has put up similar numbers to Brett Favre (with a little more yards, three fewer touchdowns) while getting sacked about twice as much and without the best running back in the league to take the pressure off of him (or 6 more pro-bowl players surrounding him for that matter). It has earned Rodgers a pro-bowl invite to back-up starter Drew Brees and of course, Brett Favre. The Cardinals on the other hand, yet again won the worst division in the NFL, the NFC West. This time though, no one will be sleeping on them, especially not the Packers. Do not be surprised to see a repeat this Sunday of this past Sunday’s crushing of the Cardinals by the Packers in Arizona.

NFL: Playoffs; AFC Wild-card Round, Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots

This game is overshadowed by the fact that Wes Welker, the all-important receiver for the Patriots is out for the playoffs. He is star quarterback Tom Brady’s number one target and will be sorely missed. Given Randy Moss’ string of not-too-inspired performances, this could be just the kind of thing that leads to an upset by the Ravens. The curse of David Tyree continues to haunt Bill Belichick’s Patriots. First it was Tom Brady’s injury, now this. The once almost perfect Patriots are now two years older. The Ravens will look to avenge their week 4 loss in Foxborough and might just get it. Expect a tight game, but if Moss can get his act together, expect the home crowd and Brady to do the rest of the work and at least get one win this playoffs for the Patriots.

Monday November 2

MLB World Series, Game 5: New York Yankees at Philadelphia Phillies

If Jimmy Rollins were a Yankee, his prediction about winning the World Series in five games would come true. Instead, Rollins will be wishing he hadn’t said anything at all. Though tonight the Yankees Achilles heel (A.J. Burnett) is pitching and the Phillies ace Cliff Lee is pitching, it is my most sincere belief that the Yankees will only be going home to a ticker tape parade, not a game six. Although the clutch A-Rod of the first two series has been quieted in the World Series, he looms as a constant threat to change the game with one swing. Not to be continually saying the same thing, but the Yankees lineup, even without injured Melky Cabrera, remains poised to rough up any pitcher including Lee. If you are a history buff you might also be aware that the Yankees have gone up 3-1 in a World Series nine times, winning eight of them and about to win the ninth. The Phillies are better on the road. The crowd has clearly not been an advantage (the Phillies sole win was in New York) and I doubt it will magically be a factor in this game. Expect an exciting game that ends with Philadelphia fans yet again having something to cry about and for all of New York fans to celebrate and then the next day expect championships from their other major sports teams.

NFL: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints

Easily the best NFL game this week, this NFC South division rivalry will pit the explosive pass offense of the Saints against the well balanced in defense and offense Falcons. After this past weekend saw the Denver Broncos lose making the undefeated club have only two members (the Saints and the Colts), Reggie Bush’s ridiculous prediction of an undefeated season stands to be tested tonight. One thing is for sure, win or lose Bush will have little to no impact whatsoever on the game. Though the game is in the Superdome, the Falcons also play their home games in a dome (the Georgia Dome) and will not be affected by the not so loud Saints home crowd. Expect a close that could go either way.

Thursday November 5

#3 UVA Women’s Field Hockey: versus #14 Duke in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals

UVA will play host to the ACC Tournament for Field Hockey this weekend with the quarterfinals being played Thursday, the semifinals being played Friday and the finals being played Sunday. In the ACC there are only six field hockey teams. As of the last rankings for field hockey on October 27, Maryland was ranked first, North Carolina was ranked second, Virginia was ranked third, Wake Forest was ranked sixth, Boston College was ranked ninth and Duke was ranked fourteenth. Yes, you read that correctly; every team in the ACC is ranked in the top 14 in field hockey. With that in mind the ACC tournament this year is almost more impressive to win than the NCAA tournament. Because there are six teams, the top two teams get byes. As Maryland and UNC both beat UVA, they both get byes. The #3 Lady Cavaliers (16-2, 4-2) will play #14 Duke, who they beat this past Saturday 2-1, on Thursday in the quarterfinals with the winner taking on #2 UNC while #6 Wake Forest plays #9 Boston College with the winner taking on #1 Maryland. The UVA Women’s Field Hockey team needs your support so go out and support them this Thursday, Friday and (hopefully) Sunday!

Friday November 6

NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks

No, this is not the best game of the week in the NBA. It is not even close to it. There are way too many basketball games and it is way too early to decide who exactly will be in the playoff picture but it won’t raise any eyebrows to assert that the Cavaliers will be a top three East team and the Knicks will be in the lottery. The reason this game is on this list because I want everyone to take note of how LeBron James plays at Madison Square Garden. He plays so well there. There will be a warm New York welcome for him and as always he will make the press salivate over the possibility he may be wearing a Knicks uniform in less than 8 months. I can assure you Editor in Chief Ben Faust will deny it, but LBJ is coming. It’s one thing to live in the greatest city in the world, but to be the king there, that’s an offer nobody could refuse. Expect King James to drop over 30 and the Cavs to crush the Knicks.

Saturday November 7

College Football: #9 LSU at #3 Alabama

In the chaotic series of upsets that is college football, somehow the seemingly weak LSU tigers have managed to sneak their way up to 9^th in the nation. After barely beating miserable Washington, mediocre Mississippi State and Georgia, and losing by ten at home to #1 Florida, they hit the easiest part of their schedule leading to easy wins over Auburn and Tulane. With their shaky road performances and the first real challenge in a month, I can’t see the Tigers giving the Crimson Tide much of a challenge. Alabama on the other hand is playing for respect and to show both the human and computer rankings that they are deserving of a top 2 spot. After almost getting upset versus Tennessee and having a bye week the reinvigorated Alabama will come out strong and not let LSU get in the game. You can bet that Nick Saban will enjoy locking up the SEC West title against his former team. The question now will be if Alabama has enough to beat Florida. Expect an Alabama blow out.

#10 UVA Men’s Soccer: versus #13 NC State

This is the last game of the season before the ACC Tournament in Cary, NC and then the NCAA tournament. The UVA men’s soccer team has hit its stride, pushing their unbeaten streak to six games this past weekend with a crucial 0-0 tie with #6 Maryland at College Park. The shutout makes UVA’s record 10-3-2 (3-3-1) and was UVA Goalkeeper Diego Restrepo’s eighth of the season. With unranked (as of October 27) American 9-4-2 playing in Charlottesville on Tuesday night, the Cavaliers should continue their streak and at least walk away with a tie. Though American has beaten Virginia Tech at tech and George Washington, between the homefield advantage and the strikeforce, the Cavaliers should be fine. NC State (11-4-1, 2-4-1) will be a bigger challenge and the question will be which Wolfpack team will show up; the one that beat Duke at Duke and tied Maryland or the team that lost to Clemson at home and lost to Virginia Tech? Given their poor recent performance against good competition, I am going to predict a Cavalier win. A Cavalier win guarantees no lower than a sixth place finish in the ACC. A Cavalier win and Wake Forest loss, Duke loss and Boston College loss or tie could launch UVA to 3^rd in a best case scenario. Much like the Field Hockey team, the men’s soccer team needs your support, so go sit in section five and help create a real homefield advantage.

Sunday November 8

Premiership: Manchester United at Chelsea

Whenever there is a clash between two “top 4″ sides in the Premiership it is bound to be a game worth watching. This game is even more crucial as these two sides sit atop the league with 25 points and 27 points respectively through eleven games. If the match ends in a draw both sides will remain one (Chelsea) and two (Manchester United). If Manchester United is to lose and Arsenal to win, Arsenal will slip into second on goal differential. If United is to win, they will go top of the league and Arsenal will remain third regardless of their result this weekend. Two weeks ago I thought United would crush Liverpool especially after their poor recent form; they didn’t so this week I have quite a different prediction. Chelsea has been scoring an unreasonably high amount since losing to Aston Villa in mid-October and Stamford Bridge is as rowdy of a place as any. Manchester United has not been as dominant recently as I have expected them to be. With this in mind expect a high quality, hard fought match but for the Blues to remain top the league.