My 2015 March Madness Picks

Last year’s bracket did fine considering it was a crazy year. Picking Mercer to beat Duke was enough credibility for me to roll my bracket on the internet again.

I have Kentucky winning it all and that sounds boring I know. The Wildcats are just that good. Sure, Kentucky will be tested (I have them playing Wisconsin in the semifinals and Virginia in the title game), but they should pass those tests. This Kentucky team is obviously superior to the team that scrapped past Wisconsin a year ago and came up short in the title game with UConn.

Virginia was the team I struggled with the most as I don’t know how healthy it will be. I just think the Cavaliers have gone too far to have another season end before the Final Four, though Michigan State and even Belmont could give them problems.

To the picks.

My Midwest is crazy outside of Kentucky rolling through. Valpo is a solid team as I have it moving on to the Sweet 16. The Crusaders can defend and shoot 3s and that is a lethal combo. Texas is another surprise team here as the Longhorns are among the leaders in blocks in rebounds. When you look at their losses you see that most came to good Big 12 teams on the road and at Kentucky. Wichita State is the next hidden gem in the region as the Shockers have been waiting for a shot at Kansas for a long time. No way they let this slip.

In contrast the West is more predictable.

The East is about Virginia staying healthy. I added some upsets from the winner of Boise State/Dayton and Louisville having another deep run.

The South can be anyone but I like Utah as it is one of the few squads who can defend and score. This is also Gonzaga’s best chance at a deep tournament run. For a good upset, I’m going with Eastern Washington to shoot the 3 over a bigger Georgetown team.

The Slightly Better Football Teams

I take it “Cal Wins” doesn’t happen very much.

You can’t win a national title in the first week of the season but you can satisfy the expectations of your fan base. For those hoping their football team would just “get better” then you’re in luck if you are a fan of one of these teams from each conference.

ACC: Virginia

Virginia hung in there against UCLA Saturday and that’s a win for a 2-10 team in 2013. Heck, this was a squad that was trashed by Ball State at home last season 48-27 so losing 28-20 to No. 7 UCLA is amazing. The Cavaliers have an experienced team and should break their ACC losing streak this season given how weak the league is. Going to a bowl game will be tough but anything over 2 wins should be a plus.

PAC-12: California

Remember how California lost by two touchdowns to Northwestern in the season opener a season ago in Berkeley? Things changed as the 1-11 Golden Bears won their first game at Northwestern 31-24 in what I thought was the biggest upset of the weekend. Cal has already matched last season’s win total and now gets to host FCS Sacramento State this week.

Big Ten: Rutgers

Big Ten fans are happily claiming Rutgers after its road trip to Seattle where it knocked off Washington State 41-38. The Scarlet Knights did go 7-6 last season but not many were expecting them to do much in the Big Ten. Maybe Rutgers will avoid the Big Ten cellar after all.

Big 12: West Virginia

Going up against Alabama, many thought West Virginia would be cannon fodder but the Mountaineers made a game of it. It was a 33-23 defeat but the Mountaineers trailed by only three at halftime. After a 4-8 season, West Virginia has a chance to win four of its next five games. Its date with Maryland on Sept. 13 will be crucial.

SEC: Tennessee

Tennessee shutdown an explosive offense in Utah State Sunday night, holding it to seven points. Tennessee is looking to improve from 5-7 this season and should be favored in at least five more games this season. The Vols should be going bowling.

American Athletic Conference: Temple

One team in the SEC that did not improve was Vanderbilt, a school that was embarrassed by Temple on Thursday 37-7. Temple was 2-10 in 2013 and is a lock to surpass last season’s win total. Temple really made the new SEC Network look bad as all the “experts” called for a Vanderbilt rout. Nice job Owls.

What. A. Game. #WeTheT pic.twitter.com/3ejSyL8L7u

— Temple Football (@Temple_FB) August 29, 2014

Mountain West: Hawaii

Hawaii only won one game last season but showed improvement in its one point loss to No. 25 Washington 17-16. The Rainbow Warriors should have won this game as they held the Huskies scoreless in the 2nd half. They will get another crack at a PAC 12 school as Oregon State comes to the islands Saturday.

Sun Belt: Georgia State

Georgia State surpassed last season’s win total with a victory over FCS Abilene Christian Wednesday 38-37 meaning it is already an amazing season for Panther fans. Seriously, everything from here on out is bonus money. The Panthers will have a great shot at beating a FBS team for the first time in school history this Saturday as they host the Aggies of New Mexico State.

VIDEO: Go in locker room following last night’s thrilling, last-second @GSUPanthers FBS-opening win. http://t.co/9hWdgJogYN #AllBlueAllIn

— GSU Athletics (@GSUPanthers) August 28, 2014

MAC: Akron

The MAC East is has no clear favorite this season and maybe Akron can sneak in. The Zips blew out FCS Howard Thursday and that is an upgrade from last season. All five of Akron’s wins in 2013 had a margin of victory of a touchdown or less. This could be the year of the Zips. We’re pulling for you Terry Bowden.

Conference USA: UAB

UAB hasn’t even sniffed bowl eligibility in the last few years but that could be changing. UAB broke a three-game losing streak to in-state rival Troy State Saturday. In the rebuilt Conference USA look for the Blazers to do some damage despite a 2-10 record in 2013.

Charging the field at Troy State

There were plenty of scores and highlights that caught my attention Saturday but the Troy State Trojans may have stolen the show. In a battle for Sun Belt bragging rights in the state of Alabama, Troy State rallied to beat South Alabama 34-33.

The Panthers scored two touchdowns in the final five minutes of the fourth to take a 33-27 lead. Troy State countered going 66 yards on five plays to steal the game  on a 20-yard touchdown pass with just seven seconds left.

South Alabama lost despite having 630 total yards compared to Troy’s 434. At 3-3, Troy State still has bowl hopes and also has this awesome first person video of charging the field to show off from the beginning of the game. It is amazing people don’t get trampled when you think about it. Especially the alumni cheerleaders you see at around the 55 second mark. Also note how bad the band sounds when the horns are right in your ear.

The battle for New Mexico
What is the saddest in-state rivalry game? Has to be New Mexico vs. New Mexico State. The Lobos are basketball school and the Aggies are so bad at football the Mountain West Conference did not want them forcing it to go independent. New Mexico won 66-17 Saturday but the problem is the Lobos are a 2-3 team and ranked No. 142 in the Sagarin ratings. The 0-6 Aggies dropped to No. 204 (worst among FBS teams). These two schools should probably stop playing each other, or could drop to the FCS level (bingo). The only chance New Mexico State has at winning a game this season is Oct. 26 when FCS independent Abilene Christian comes to town. Don’t know why, but tickets actually cost $40 for this game.

The sneaky unbeaten
Did anyone know that Missouri is undefeated? It dominated Vanderbilt in Nashville 51-28. The score was 30-7 at halftime! Now that Indiana shocked Penn State, Missouri’s win over Indiana looks stronger than ever. Now comes three straight games against ranked SEC schools (Georgia, Florida and South Carolina). It’s hard to see Missouri representing the SEC East in the conference championship game but you have to give it some consideration if the Missouri can pull off the upset at Georgia.

Poor Virginia
Virginia, a proud member of the ACC, got drilled by a MAC school on a shoestring budget in Ball State 48-27. Saturday’s loss dropped the Cavaliers to 2-3 and will probably make them an underdog the rest of the season. Yea for a 2-10 season! The Virginia football Twitter account pretty much summed it and is the depressing tweet of the week.

Following BSU TD, McGee fumbles after catching pass. Ball State takes over on UVa 39-yd line. #BALLvsUVA

— Virginia Football (@UVa_Football) October 5, 2013