The Independent Variable - Matt Haugland


Tuesday, October 16, 2007

I'm lucky...

... that Google Earth didn't exist when I was a kid. I never would've left the house.


Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Sooners & Padres in Colorado

Colorado is a bad place for my teams. First the Sooners lose a shocking upset to Colorado. Then last night the Padres blow a 2-run lead in the 13th inning to the Rockies and lose their spot in the playoffs.

The Padres will have to wait 'till next season, but I think the Sooners still have a chance at the national championship. It'll be a long shot, but here's why I think it can happen:

They're currently ranked #10. Of the 9 teams ahead of them, at least 3 of them will lose at least one game because 7 of them will have to play each other. Two of those will have to play each other twice. Those 7 also will play at least one or two other games where they have a good chance of losing.

Wisconsin and Ohio State are gonna lose a couple, even in the weak Big 10. Wisconsin barely escaped losing to UNLV, The Citadel (The Citadel!!), and a really bad Iowa team, not to mention Michigan State. And Ohio State hasn't proven anything yet. I'm looking for an upset this weekend at Purdue.

That leaves two more, South Florida and Boston College. I can't believe South Florida is #6 (AP). The Big East is SO overrated this year! Yet I see at least 4 teams on their schedule that I think could beat them. It'll only take one, because they'll drop a lot of they lose. Same with Boston College -- it'll only take one loss, and they're playing at least 3 teams that could beat them.

Of course, none of this will matter if we lose to Texas this weekend. Missouri and Texas Tech might not be so easy either. But I still like our chances. Even if we don't make it to the national championship, we still have a great shot at the Big 12 championship and Fiesta Bowl.