NFL: What Did We Get Wrong In 2016?
Every year, we as sports journalists make predictions and projections that go horribly wrong. In 2015, we all thought that Kentucky was a lock to win the NCAA Tournament, after going through the regular season with an undefeated record. We predicted that Auburn won't challenge Alabama in the SEC West, but they finished the season with a 7-6 record. We figured the Washington Nationals would win the NL East and have a shot to make the World Series, before they failed to make the postseason. And lastly, we didn't think the New York Yankees would be able to put it all together, but they did so, clinching a spot in the playoffs. Here is our list of what we, and many others, got wrong in the world of sports this past year.
1. Maryland Will Be in the Final Four: Ugh. Melo Trimble, Rasheed Sulaimon, Jake Layman, Robert Carter, and Diamond Stone. This was supposed to be a Final Four team. Maryland opened the season No. 2 overall, and slowly fell down the rankings, entering the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed. On January 25, 2016, I predicted that Kansas, Maryland, North Carolina, and Oklahoma would make it to Houston for the Final Four. Unfortunately, Maryland was eliminated by Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen.
2. Carolina Will Win the Super Bowl: I really did not think there was any way the Broncos could keep up with the Panthers in Super Bowl 50. Carolina was rolling, outscoring Seattle and Arizona 80-39 in the playoffs, after a 15-1 record, that included Cam Newton winning the MVP. On the other side of things, the Broncos had a dominant defense but Peyton Manning was obviously a shell of his former self. I predicted an 11-point win for Carolina on February 1, 2016, but Denver shut down the Panthers, 24-10.
3. Detroit Lions Will Win Between 5-7 Games: During the summer, it felt like everything was going wrong for the Motor City's football team, as their star wide receiver Calvin Johnson announced his retirement and Joique Bell was released and picked up by the division-rival Chicago Bears. Because of that, on June 8, 2016, I said "The Detroit Lions lost one of the greatest wide receivers of all-time in Calvin Johnson and they have some enormous shoes to fill. I do not think they can make up for such a big part of their offense in just one year." I slotted them third in the NFC North, projecting 5-7 wins. However, in mid-December, the Lions are 9-4, the No. 2 seed in the NFC, and have won eight-of-nine games.
4. Arizona Cardinals Are a Super Bowl Contender: On June 8, 2016, I picked Carson Palmer and Co. to win the NFC West by a slim margin over the Seattle Seahawks, and be the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, because of players like Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, and Patrick Peterson. Instead, Arizona has struggled offensively to a 5-7-1 record and are currently No. 10 in the NFC, 2.5 games back from the No. 6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It would be hard to imagine the Cardinals somehow making it to the postseason at this point.
5. Florida State Will Be a College Football Playoff Contestant: It is always a difficult process predicting how 20-year-old men are going to compete over a 4-month period, factoring in coaching decisions, injuries, unexpected impact players, etc., but I selected Florida State as one of my four CFP participants on August 31, 2016. The Noles went on to have a respectable season, finishing 9-3 (5-3), but losses to Louisville, North Carolina, and Clemson kept the Dalvin Cook-led Seminoles from being a potential playoff team. Fortunately for me, I did correctly pick Alabama, Clemson, and Ohio State to make the field.
6. Penn State Is Going To Finish 6-6: The Nittany Lions were expected to be an average team this season, at best, but instead they are headed to California to play against USC in the Rose Bowl. Who saw that coming? Definitely not us. Blake Stoll predicted Penn State would go 6-6 on September 23, 2016, on our Big Ten Conference Preview. In fact, I picked James Franklin's crew to lose to Ohio State, Iowa, and Wisconsin, when in reality, they swept those three teams and finished the season 11-2, awaiting the Trojans in Pasadena.
7. Stanford Will Go Into Washington and Win: On September 27, 2016, we released two articles; Week 5 Predictions and All Eyes on Week 5. I predicted a 24-17 Cardinal victory, boosting Christian McCaffrey back into Heisman consideration. "I personally do not buy into the No. 10 Washington Huskies," Stoll said. "I don’t think they have what it takes to be a true competitor for the College Football Playoff." However, three days later, Washington scored early and often en route to a 44-6 win that vaulted them into national title contention. Just two weeks later, I was projecting them to be in the CFP field.
8. Texas Rangers Will Beat Toronto Blue Jays: Texas was highly ranked in each of our three MLB Power Rankings during the season, and was the No. 1 seed in the AL after dominating the American League West, but that was not enough to defeat Toronto. Blake Stoll and I both predicted on October 4, 2016, that the Rangers would take down the Blue Jays in 5 games, before Jose Bautista and Co. completely and utterly dominated their cross-division rival in a 3-game sweep.
9. Washington Nationals Will Go to the NLCS: I really thought 2016 was the year for the D.C. team. I didn't expect them to win the World Series but on October 4, 2016, I fully expected a trip to the NLCS to face the Chicago Cubs. Yet, once again, the Nationals let us down (at least they made it to the playoffs, though). Similarly to the Rangers-Blue Jays series, we picked a 3-2 series victory for Washington, but instead, Clayton Kershaw came in Game 5 in the bottom of the 9th and shut the door on any hope of the Nationals advancing.
10. Baylor vs. Houston in the Cotton Bowl: On October 12, 2016, I projected each New Year's Six bowl matchup, and while I was correct on all four CFP participants, I was way off on the Cotton Bowl. Baylor, at the time was 5-0, while Houston was 5-1, but the teams finished a combined 5-8. The Bears lost their starting quarterback Seth Russell in the midst of six straight losses and Houston was blown out by SMU before taking a final loss to Memphis during Rivalry Week. Baylor is headed to the Cactus Bowl to take on Boise State. Houston will face San Diego State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Both far cries from my Cotton Bowl prediction.
Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated.
