2013 Sports Predictions

For the third consecutive year, I made sports predictions that I sealed in an envelope on New Year's Day and didn't open them until the following New Year's Day. Below are the predictions I made for 2013. Some of them are great, while others are waaaaay off. I scored all 15 predictions out of five, so you can compare my score this year to my 2011 predictions and 2012 predictions.

1. Bobby Petrino will lead Western Kentucky to an 8+ win regular season, a top two finish in the Sun Belt and a bowl victory.

Western Kentucky went 8-4 this year, Bobby Petrino's first season as the Hilltoppers' head coach. However, they finished fifth in the Sun Belt and missed out on a bowl game. The highlights of the season for Petrino came in the Hilltoppers' first and last games. In Petrino's first game, Western Kentucky upset Kentucky 35-26, while the Hilltoppers needed a touchdown with 10 seconds remaining to beat Arkansas State in the final game of the season. Because I predicted the eight wins and Western Kentucky should have earned a spot in a bowl, I'll give myself a two out of five. (2/5)

2. Gus Malzahn will lead Auburn to a 7+ win season and a 4-4 record in the SEC.

I'm pretty sure everyone knows this already, but Gus Malzahn led Auburn to an 11-1 record en route to a BCS National Championship berth. While I nailed the first part of my prediction, the Tigers went 7-1 in SEC play, so again, I'll give myself two points. (2/5)

3. The Toronto Blue Jays will make the playoffs as a wild card, led by R.A. Dickey, who will have a sub-3.00 ERA and 20+ wins.

This prediction looked SO GOOD before the season. Then the season started and it was downhill from there. The Blue Jays went 74-88, finishing dead last in the AL East. In fact, Toronto was the only AL East team with a losing record. They were 23 games out of first place and 17.5 games out of the wild card race. As for R.A. Dickey, he did not make a smooth transition from the National League to the American League. After winning the 2012 NL Cy Young Award, Dickey went 14-13 with a 4.21 ERA in 2013. I wasn't even close with this prediction. (0/5)

4. Miguel Cabrera will have a drop off in numbers and won't lead the AL in any of the Triple Crown categories.

Again, I wasn't even close. Miguel Cabrera made a legitimate attempt at back-to-back Triple Crowns, finishing first in the AL in batting average (.348) and second in home runs (44) and RBI (137). In fact, he was only nine home runs and one RBI behind the Orioles' Chris Davis, who led the AL in those categories. Sadly, I'll have to give myself another goose egg. (0/5)

5. Altee Tenpenny will sign with Arkansas and rush for 900+ yards and 9+ touchdowns as a freshman.

Hang with me on this one. Obviously, Tenpenny signed with Alabama, but Arkansas did score a highly touted recruit in Alex Collins. As a freshman, Collins ran for 1,026 yards and four touchdowns. Although I predicted the wrong player, I did predict the rushing yardage by a freshman running back, so I think one point is fair. (1/5)

6. Led by Tenpenny and Jonathan Williams, Arkansas will finish in the top three in rushing in the SEC.

I didn't have the right players again, but swap Tenpenny out for Collins and I was close. The Razorbacks averaged 208.7 rushing yards per game this season, which was 23rd in the NCAA. However, it was fourth in the SEC, only 3.3 yards per game behind Alabama, which was third in the SEC. Because I was so close, I'll give myself two out of five points. (2/5)

7. Three different horses will win the Triple Crown races.

I nailed this one. Orb won the Kentucky Derby, but finished fourth at the Preakness Stakes and third at the Belmont Stakes. Oxbow won the Preakness Stakes, but finished sixth at the Kentucky Derby and second at the Belmont Stakes. Palace Malice won the Belmont Stakes, but finished 12th at the Kentucky Derby and did not race in the Preakness Stakes. (5/5)

8. The Arkansas women's basketball team will reach the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.

When I made this prediction, the women's team was 12-1 and ranked in the top 25. However, the Razorbacks went 6-10 in SEC play and missed the NCAA Tournament. I can't find any reason to give me any points for this prediction. (0/5)

9. The Arkansas men's basketball team will miss the NCAA Tournament, but will win 2+ games in the NIT.

I was correct when I predicted that the men's basketball team would miss the NCAA Tournament, but the Razorbacks got hosed by not being selected for the NIT. Arkansas finished with a 19-13 overall record and 10-8 record in the SEC. I still don't understand why they weren't picked. I'll give myself a point because they should have made the NIT and had a chance to win two games, like I predicted. (1/5)

10. The Arkansas baseball team will make it back to the College World Series.

I made this prediction before the preseason polls were released, so when I saw the Razorbacks were the preseason No. 1 team in several polls, I was confident. Unfortunately, the season did not go as well as most expected and Arkansas lost to Kansas State in the Regionals. (0/5)

11. A team seeded five or lower will make the NCAA men's basketball Final Four.

Louisville made the Final Four as a No. 1 seed, while Syracuse and Michigan were both No. 4 seeds. Luckily, the fourth team was No. 9 seed Wichita State, which made the Final Four for the second time in school history and first time since 1965. Thank you Shockers! (5/5)

12. Johnny Manziel will be a Heisman finalist, as well as a non-QB, non-RB.

For only the second time ever, six players were invited to New York City as Heisman Trophy finalists. Johnny Manziel was one of them (he finished fifth), but the other five consisted of three quarterbacks and two running backs. In fact, the top 10 in the Heisman Trophy voting consisted of seven quarterbacks and three running backs. With Manziel being a finalist, I'll give myself two points. (2/5)

13. Kevin Durant will finish 2nd in scoring in the NBA, but the OKC Thunder will be eliminated in the 2nd round of the playoffs.

I got pretty specific with this prediction, but I nailed it. Kevin Durant averaged 28.1 points per game during the 2012-13 season, behind only Carmelo Anthony, who averaged 28.7 points per game. In the playoffs, the Thunder were the No. 1 seed in the west, but lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in five games in the second round. You can't get much better than that. (5/5)

14. The Super Bowl Champion will be the last undefeated team during the 2013 season.

The Baltimore Ravens ended up winning Super Bowl earlier this year, but they were not the last undefeated team during the 2013 season. In fact, the Ravens were never undefeated this season, as they got blown out 49-27 by the Denver Broncos on the NFL's opening night (you might remember that game - Peyton Manning threw seven touchdowns). The last undefeated team of the season was the Kansas City Chiefs, who started 9-0, after having the worst record in the NFL during the 2012 season (2-14). No points for this prediction. (0/5)

15. Calvin Johnson will break the 2,000 receiving yards mark.

Despite battling injuries all season, Calvin Johnson still managed to haul in 84 passes for 1,492 yards. Unfortunately for me, that is 508 yards short of the 2,000 mark I predicted. It wouldn't surprise me if he eventually becomes the first wide receiver in NFL history to have 2,000 receiving yards in a single season, but 2013 was not the year. (0/5)

If you're keeping track at home, I scored a total of 25 points out of a possible 75. Compared 2012, I did terrible this year, but compared to 2011, I did pretty decent. You can read my 2011 and 2012 predictions by clicking the links at the beginning of this post.