Although 2017 offered some quite memorable moments, but like all good things, it must come to an end. That means it is time for some bold predictions about what will happen in 2018.
The Dukes reign is short in the FCS
One of the two predictions I got right last year was that the Bison were not going to win the championship. I had them in Frisco, but losing to Eastern Washington. This year, it is James Madison’s turn to fall short. The difference is that I am predicting this year the defending champions won’t see Frisco. I will thank South Dakota State for that, which means the Jacks finally kick the curse of losing to the Bison in Texas.
The Patriots win the Super Bowl, again
The other prediction I got right last year, or at least half right. I had Tom Brady retiring after the game. But after the Patriots beat an unnamed NFC team (I refuse to talk about the purple guys in the Super Bowl, it is just like Fight Club), Brady will not walk away this time. Instead, he steals talent of other young AFC East quarterbacks. That must be what happened to Nathan Peterman.
Argentina wins the World Cup
But Lionel Messi does not score in the final. Instead, Sergio Romero puts on a dramatic goalkeeping display to limit Brazil to one goal. A dramatic final five minutes sees Javier Mascherano score off a corner before super-sub Sergio Aguero scores with the final kick of the game, as he did to secure Manchester City the Premier League title in 2012.
The United States fails to advance from their group in the World Cup NIT
Paired with Italy, Wales and Ghana, the Americans finish bottom of the group. After a 2-1 win over the Welsh and a 3-0 defeat to the Italians, the U.S. need a single point against Ghana. Christian Pulisic scores a hat-trick, but the rest of the team takes a nap and proceed to lose 4-3. Afterward, the USMNT gain the services of LeBron James, Carson Wentz and Mike Trout to rebuild the team.
Los Angeles celebrates a champion
A World Series Championship to be exact. The World Series MVP will be Giancarlo Stanton, who the Dodgers acquire in the offseason. The Dodgers cruise through the NL West and sweep Houston in the World Series to claim their first championship in 30 years.
With the first pick of the NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns select…
They don’t. Instead, Cleveland trades down and selects Baker Mayfield later. Mayfield’s personality fits the bill of a Cleveland quarterback, and he quickly finds out that the NFL is another beast, especially in Cleveland. In the third round, the Browns also select Lamar Jackson, whose skills fail to translate to the NFL. This forces the Browns to land the quarterback of their dreams in A.J. McCarron at the trade deadline.
The Warriors don’t make the finals
And the Cavaliers won’t represent the East either. Instead, the Thunder go up against the Celtics. Russell Westbrook defeats the “cupcake” Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving shows up LeBron James. After the Thunder win their first title in franchise history, Durant returns to OKC and James heads east to team up again with Irving.
Men’s hockey in the Olympics is terrible
With the lack of NHL players, the hockey tournament was likely to be less memorable than in Sochi. The Russian KHL players set the bar and skate away with an easy gold. Now, with Russians unable to compete under their flag due to doping allegations against the Federation, this becomes a mess. The women’s hockey gold medal game between the U.S. and Canada gets better ratings in the States than any other hockey game in the event.