Super Bowl 47 Predictions and Tidbits

In between me being jealous of my media brethren and sisthren partying and occasionally working in New Orleans, there is a game we all want to see Sunday. And if you ask me, it's hard to predict and figure out what could happen.

The red-hot 49ers and their red-hot QB Colin Kaepernick, the 4th Black signalcaller to appear in the Big Game. The surging Ravens powered by an incredible postseason by Joe Flacco and the last game of leader Ray Lewis. Who to choose, who to choose.

Oh yeah, did you hear both coaches are brothers? Don't think I heard that enough yet.

Anyways, picking this game is pretty hard. My inner Cowboys fan wants to say no to San Francisco, the 90's rival I grew up despising and respecting. Yet they have several factors.

Football Wrap Week 6: Ch-Ch-Changes

I'm trying something new this week. I'm going to recap my 5 favorite moments from the NFL and college football in my usual style but also preview 5 things to watch this weekend. That way I can do a little more on here in looking back and forward.

NFL Fab 5

1. Jim Harbaugh - same guy as he was at my alma mater. Passionate, fiery and a winner. Was it excessive? Yes and Jim Schwartz had a right to be upset. But at the same time, it's his style, not a desire to show up.

Speaking of which, it's officially the 90's all over again. The Bills, Raiders, 49ers and Lions are not just good, they are relevant. Yes, I promise this will be discussed more in depth one week. I'm just waiting to see how they develop.

2. Tom Brady vs. My Cowboys. Another comeback win despite him being held in check. It's what he does best. Tony Romo played great but extra credit to our defense playing well most of the game. I didn't like that gutless call going for field goals instead of TD's on the road though.

3. So the Andrew Luck sweepstakes will be between Indianapolis and Miami. They find new ways to lose every week but I think Miami goes 0-16 before Indy. Indy's been fighting close every week since they almost beat the Steelers. Miami just looks like dead fish.

4. Sad to say this. We've seen the end of Donovan McNabb as a starting QB. He was screwed in Washington and tossed out of Philly with no respect. But right now, his talent isn't there anymore. Welcome to the Christian Ponder era.

5. Andy Dalton has a 4-2 record starting for Cincy. But if you dare try to convince me that he's a better QB than Cam Newton, I'll laugh you out of my face. Cincy's D >>>> Carolina's D. Otherwise, Killa's having a better individual season.

NCAA Top 5



1. Trent Richardson. DANG! Best run of the football season. It's one thing to embarrass your opponent by running all over them with 4 TDs but on this 76-yard run, he added insult to injury. THIS is how you make somebody look foolish like playing Madden vs. a child.

2. No LaMichael James? No Darron Thomas for a quarter and a half? No problem for Oregon. Backup QB Bryan Bennett once won a pivotal game as a HS sophomore coming off the bench in Cali and Kenjon Barner/DeAnthony Thomas did what they do best. Oh yeah, nice cameo return by Baby T.I. Cliff Harris.

Your Pac-10 Freshman of the Year race is gonna be between the Black Mamba (Thomas) and Marqise Lee (USC). And who says Cali isn't producing top notch talent anymore.

3. I will not believe in Clemson. I will not believe in Clemson. Sammy Watkins had a grown man day but I will not believe in Clemson. If I keep repeating this, it will make their eventual collapse easier to gloat over. They can't really be this good can they? That comeback win didn't look pretty and gritty did it?

4. The BCS came out this week. No surprises there. It shows up like Kramer so I just roll my eyes and tolerate it for one more year.

5. That said, Boise State's gonna be screwed once again. It'll be the LSU-Bama winner vs. the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State winner unless something happens in the Big 12/SEC title game.

This week's Fab 5 (NFL)

1. Chargers face LaDainian Tomlinson for the first time since he left in free agency. It's not a big deal cause it's  in New York but as I came of age, nobody meant more to San Diego than LT. Yet it's rare than anybody leaves San Diego on good terms.

2. Remember when Packers-Vikings used to be that rivalry game? Yeah, not anymore. Packers go 7-0 easily.

3. Suddenly LSU-Auburn became even more must-see TV. No Spencer Ware or Honey Badger Tyronn Mathieu thanks to a suspension. It's must see TV because I want to see how LSU still finds a way to stomp Auburn. Michael Dyer isn't gonna go off because that LSU D-line is still intact.

4. Wisconsin-Michigan State. 1st off, how in the heck did Wisconsin not play a road game so far? 2nd, we're about to see how good the Badgers are because if they beat Michigan State, they might as well order up tickets to come to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl

5. I'm praying my UCLA Bruins don't get blown out in Arizona on national TV Thursday. And by praying I mean hoping we lose by 20 and keep it respectable against the 2nd best QB in the Pac-10, Nic Foles (You thought I was gonna say Matt Barkley? C'mon son).

And if it matters to fantasy heads, I'm 5-1 in both of my leagues. Bow down.

Why I Root for Jim Harbaugh

Back in 2004 in my junior year at the University of San Diego, I need an athletic spark to keep me watching. The previous football season, we won our division but no playoff because of a tiebreaker. The basketball team, defending West Coast Conf champs, went 4-26 and won only 1 game in conference. The joy of being a beautiful school that's barely a blip on the local radar, let alone the regional radar.

We're a tiny Catholic school with almost no athletic tradition outside of baseball. Football is 1-AA, Basketball is playing 2nd fiddle to Gonzaga and outside of baseball, there isn't much to root for.

We needed something to fire up the sports program. And we got it that previous winter hiring a former NFL veteran with zero head coaching experience named Jim Harbaugh. I knew of his NFL cred - that Hail Mary attempt in the 1996 AFC Title Game was one of my first sports memories - but had no idea how'd he be as a coach. It was a big name hire and just maybe we'd see some improvement, if not some buzz.

His first year we went 7-4 but there was an excitement at the games because we an NFL alum leading us and some great players to build around. Some skinny freshman from Oakland named Josh Johnson had me thinking he'd be a Michael Vick type once he developed into his body a little bit. And then it all came together quickly.

The fall of my senior year (2005), the Toreros went 11-1. We became the first team in school and Pioneer League history to beat an Ivy League program, a win that happened on my 21st birthday. We won the Division I-AA Mid-major national championship and Jim Harbaugh was already a legend in 2 seasons.

Next year, we repeated at 11-1 and mid-major national champs. Josh Johnson became one of the top quarterbacks in the nation as a junior as a 1-AA All-American who led the division in 4 categories. For the first time ever, we had national attention on our program and the man we had to thank was Harbaugh.

He left after that season to go to Stanford. Y'all know how that story went, culminating with a 12-1 season this year and a 40-12 pasting of Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

I always root for Harbaugh because before he molded Andrew Luck into an NFL quarterback, he did the same for Johnson, now the backup in Tampa Bay after being the 1st player drafted in school history. Before he built Toby Gerhart into an angry, hard runner that dominated the West Coast, he won in San Diego with similar guys like Evan Harney, JT Rogan and John Polk. Before he made Stanford into a national power that defeated USC twice at home and became a Top-10 team two years straight, he built my alma mater up and made Saturdays worth looking forward to at my school.

He also was kind enough to be interviewed by a friend after the final game of his 2004 season and treat him with as much respect as any other reporter. I held the camera and it was technically my first experience as part of an interview.

I don't know how he'll do in the NFL. Only Jimmy Johnson has successfully transitioned from college to pros. But with a great team in my hated San Francisco 49ers, I wouldn't be surprised if he did well. This is his dream he earned paying plenty of dues and after helping my school achieve unbelievable dreams, I'll keep on rooting for his success.

Congrats Coach. Thank you for helping me have a lil more Torero Pride to end my college career.