So we come to it at last: the end of the regular season.
Last week's record: 7-3
Overall Regular Season Record: 95-45 (67.9%)
vs. the Machine: 37-37 (50%)
Let's go back to my BOLD PREDICTIONS at the beginning of the year and see how I did....
Sun Belt:
The Prediction: Middle Tennessee goes on to win the Sun Belt Championship.
Did it happen? No. The Sun Belt was a mess this year, won by 6-6 (6-2) Florida International.
Thought of the year: It's a bad sign when your conference champion goes 0-4 non-conference.
MAC:
The Prediction: Temple Wins the MAC.
Did it happen? No. The Owls went 8-4, beating Big East Champ UConn, but... were left out of a bowl. ...and THAT, my friends, is this week's sign of the apocalypse.
Thought of the year: It was expected that Central Michigan would drop off a bit... but at 3-9... wow.
C-USA:
The Prediction: Houston goes undefeated, but gets left out of the BCS.
Did it happen? No. Not even close. Though, I should add, in my defense, I did not expect both the 1st and 2nd string QBs to be knocked out for the season... in the same game (@UCLA, week 2).
Thought of the year: UCF is cementing its place as a power in Florida. In weeks 11 and 12 it was the highest-ranked team in the state.
WAC:
The Prediction: Idaho almost beats Boise. They finish second in the conference, and Vandals quarterback Nathan Enderle puts up 3500 yards passing.
Did it happen? No... but... Enderle put up 3314 yards, so I was close. oh, and the Boise thing, I don't know what I was smoking.
Thought of the year: A three-way tie for 1st? What is this, the Big 12 South? Hawaii, Nevada, and Boise tied for first with Nevada's improbable come-back win over the Broncos.
Mountain West:
The Prediction: There is a three-way tie for first place in the MWC. TCU beats BYU; BYU beats Utah; Utah beats TCU.
Did it happen? No. TCU took the title and beat the other two over the head with it.
Thought of the year: The Mountain West conference of 2012 looks suspiciously like the WAC of 2010. hmm...
Pac-10:
The Prediction: Oregon State wins the 'Civil War' against Oregon, claiming the (last?) PAC-10 title.
Did it happen? Not in the slightest. This prediction was just embarrassingly wrong.
Thought of the year: Well, the Pac-10 has Stanford, Oregon, and... and... 7-5 Arizona. oh, and guilt-ridden and NCAA-sanctioned USC. Ooh Ooh! I know! The best 6-6 team in the country (Arizona State)? Ok. Let's admit it. This conference has seen better years.
Big East:
The Prediction: Connecticut wins the Big East (!!!)
Did it happen? YES! Of all my predictions, this was, in my opinion, by far the most dicey. So it counts more than all the ones I got wrong.
Thought of the year: Wow, this is a BCS conference?
ACC:
The Prediction: Duke goes to a bowl game.
Did it happen? No. That's all.
Thought of the year: Hey, everyone! The ACC champion lost to James Madison! point and laugh!
Big Ten:
The Prediction: Michigan goes bowl-less again, finishing 5-7.
Did it happen? Nope. The wolverines are headed for a date with Mississippi State on the 1st. Unfortunately for Rich Rod, he still managed to lose 5 of his last 7. Congrats!
Thought of the year: Was Michigan State actually that good? We still don't know. We do know, however, that Wisconsin, as they're playing now, could beat anyone in the country. I'd take them over either Oregon or Auburn, easy.
Big 12:
The Prediction: Baylor goes to a bowl game.
Did it happen? YESSSS. The Bears went 8-4, and even were sitting in 1st place in the Big 12 South for a time. (!!!)
Thought of the year: The Big 12 had 5 solid teams, each of which could have (and did) beat all the others. What wonderful parity.
SEC:
The Prediction: LSU disappoints going 8-5. Les Miles leaves for Michigan.
Did it happen? Yes, LSU disappointed, screwing up in every way possible. But No. They won 10 games. Yes, Les Miles wants to leave. No, It's not for Michigan. He'd just rather be out in a pasture, that's all.
