US Sports: What To Watch For in 2009

Let me first say that I do not pretend to have the ability to see in the future ala Nostradamus.  I honestly have a hard time figuring out what I'm going to do from one minute to the next.

That said, I figured that it wouldn't be too difficult to make some predictions for 2009.  Here we go!

1. Ohio State will get blown out in a BCS game....again.

Okay, this one wasn't too hard.  Despite the year that they had with a true freshmen at the helm, they are in for a rude awakening in a couple more weeks.  Texas feels that they were completely robbed of their chance to play for a National Championship, and it's safe to say that they will have some pent up frustration to release on the football field.

2. An 11 win team will NOT make the playoffs in the NFL.

Now, I haven't officially looked this one up, but I'm fairly certain that this has never happened before....until this year, that is.  Miami will beat the Jets this week, Baltimore will handle Jacksonville at home, and New England will take care of business versus Buffalo. 

With the Colts having already locked up one wild card spot, that leaves you those three teams vying for just two more spots.  From what I can tell, New England looks to be the odd team out. After last year's near perfect season, winning 11 games this year and not making the playoffs would be very painful.

3. The Big 10 will send more teams to the Big Dance than the ACC.

I know this one will raise some eyebrows, but hear me out.  The Big 10 has looked damned impressive with some huge non-conferences wins: Ohio State over Notre Dame, Minnesota over Louisville, Michigan State over Texas, Purdue over Davidson, and Michigan over UCLA and Duke.  The ACC is very top heavy, and will prove fatal to the middle-tier teams of that conference when it comes time to picking teams for the tourney.

4. The Detroit Lions will be the most important team in the NFL come April.

And this is only because they will have the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft.  There will be plenty of franchise-level players to choose from, but I will say this—if the Lions draft Michael Crabtree, the fan base will completely revolt.  Early projections are leaning towards one of the many gifted quarterbacks getting drafted into purgato.....uhh, into service by the Lions.

5. Sidney Crosby will reach the next level of stardom....but will have to wait for the Cup.

The comparisons to Wayne Gretzky will never cease, and one can only hope that he's able to handle that for the rest of his career.  If he does, and can also avert the injury bug, then we're likely to be entertained and awed by Sid the Kid for another 10 plus years.  That said, the cup will still reside in Hockeytown when the dust settles in 2009.

6. The Boston Celtics will finish with 70 wins for the season... and not win the NBA Championship.

Ooh boy, another prediction that could get some heat.  The Celtics are well on their way to having the greatest regular season we've ever seen.  Too bad they will have to face LeBron James in the Conference Finals in the East.  After barely escaping the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games last year, King James will prove to be unstoppable this time around, and will ensure that Beantown does not get to celebrate another NBA title.

7. The Chicago Cubs will completely implode in 2009.

A part of me would love to see the Cubbies win it all sometime soon, so that we can stop hearing about curses.  When I look at their roster, I don't see too many players that I'd bet money on them both staying healthy and productive. 

With several teams making some big moves in the National League, I wouldn't be surprised if the Cubs not only miss the playoffs, but are out of contention for a spot before the trade deadline.  Oh, and Lou Piniella will probably be crazier than ever, which will only make matters worse.

8. The top two men's tennis players will not be the same two it has been for the past three years.

Roger Federer is a future Hall-of-Famer, and when his career is said and done, he should have the title of the greatest tennis player in history.  Many experts believe that he will regain is form and challenge Rafael Nadal to the No. 1 spot. 

I believe that Federer's years of dominating the sport officially came to end this year, and in 2009 another will pass him for good—Novak Djokovic.  With Nadal and Djokovic being as young as they are, they should be able to start a rivalry that has the potential of being as strong as the Andre Agassi-Pete Sampras rivalry was at the international level.

9. MMA will officially overtake Boxing as the #1 combat sport in the USA.

Boxing has been suffering from a slow painful death over the past few years, and the nail in the coffin could come as early as this weekend.  The UFC has put together what could be it's best card in their history.  If just two of the three main event fights become epic, there's a great chance of the public seeing the UFC as an organization bent on putting together the best events possible, while boxing continues to have it's fighters only looking for the biggest possible payday.

10. This list will end with an even number of predictions.

There, I will at least get one of these right!