Australian Open Preview

Tennis seasons’ first grand slam begins Sunday night in Australia. For the next two weeks, American tennis fans will be staying up late and waking up early to catch some of the top players on the blue hard courts down under.

Coming into the tournament, Rafael Nadal is the number one player in the world. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic, who has won the last three Aussie Opens, looks to claim his 7^th career major title. Roger Federer has struggled mightily the last 6 months, losing early at Wimbledon, the US Open, and losing in the Brisbane final last week to Lleyton Hewitt. Anyone of the top 8 can make a run here in Melbourne.

Breaking Down the Chances of Top Players

Rafael Nadal- The unquestioned number one player in the world right now. He claimed two major titles last year, including the US Open, to cap off an excellent year. Last year, Nadal missed the Australian Open, and did not return to the courts until February. This year, he picked up his first title in Doha defeating Gael Monfils in 3 sets. Nadal is playing some of the best tennis of his career, and is going to be tough to beat. However, Rafa was handed a challenging draw. He opens with Bernard Tomic, a young Aussie player who gave Nadal a run in the 3^rd round in Australia two years back. Nadal will have to deal with a fairly strong first round opponent, and a crowd that will be rooting for Tomic to pull off the major upset. If Nadal gets past Tomic, which he should, he could see flamboyant star Gael Monfils, who is on the return from injury, in the third round. Monfils is a wild card. When playing his best, he can beat any player in the world. Later on, Nadal could see 2009 US Open Champion Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarterfinals. On his half of the draw, Nadal could face either 17-time grand slam champion Roger Federer or reigning Wimbledon champion Andy Murray in the semifinals. Nadal is going to have to bring his A game if he plans to run through the gauntlet and reach the finals.

Novak Djokovic- Novak is a big time fan favorite down in Australia. He has won 4 of his 6 majors here, and 3 in a row. Last year, Djokovic handled Andy Murray in the Aussie Final, and has had limited success, by his standards, since then. He lost two straight grand slam finals, to Andy Murray at Wimbledon, and Rafa Nadal in New York last summer. However, the Djoker has returned to his favorite major and looks to pull off a 4-peat. Unlike Nadal, Djokovic has been given a favorable draw. His first round opponent is Lucas Lacko, who should give him no problems. He could also see Dmitry Tursunov, Ernie Gulbis, Fabio Fognini, and Stan Wawrinka. The only player on that list who gives Djokovic any trouble is number 8, Stan Wawrinka. The and Novak barely pulled it out.

Andy Murray- Murray took time off after the US Open to have back surgery and get healthy. He had an outstanding year last year, making 2 grand slam finals, and becoming the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. Murray is not the favorite, but few would be surprised if he won the tournament. He, like Nadal, was placed on the tougher half of the draw, and could see Roger Federer in the quarterfinals. In order to win, he will likely have to beat Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic back to back to back, which is quite the challenge.

Roger Federer- Federer suffered one of his worst years as a pro last season. No grand slam finals appearances, only made one semifinal, and it appears father time is catching up with him. He lost to players like Sergiy Stakhovsky, Tommy Robredo, and Frederico Delbonis. I am not ready to write off Federer for his career, but if he has anything left, this is the year. He may not win another major, but if he makes a final, or is in contention on the final weekend, he proves to the world he still has what it takes.

Dark Horses-

John Isner- Someone in American tennis needs to win big matches at a major. Has not happened since Roddick retired.

Philipp Kohlschreiber- Tough player to beat, could make a second week run in Melbourne.

Lleyton Hewitt- If Hewitt manages to beat Andreas Seppi, he has a legitimate chance at making the second week because his draw is favorable. Not to mention, he is playing on home soil.

Gael Monfils- This guy should be a dark horse at every major. He can beat anyone on any day, and before injuries, was 7^th in the world. But he has his work cut out for him, as he drew Rafa in the third round.

Championship Prediction-

Novak Djokovic

Djokovic loves playing here. Australia loves him; he has a favorable draw, and will be fresher than Nadal when the two meet in the final. Djokovic over Nadal in the final- 7-6 6-3 5-7 6-4

What Is Going On In Gainesville?

         Recently, the Florida Gators football team has absolutely come crumbling down. After a solid 4-1 start, the team has lost 6 straight to LSU, Missouri, Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and Georgia Southern. Yes, I said Georgia Southern. The Gators struggles are a combination of injuries, bad coaching, and an ultimate lack of talent and depth. The Gators will miss a bowl game for the first time since 1990. Florida’s final game in this awful season is against Florida State, the Gators long time rival, and current number 2 in the nation. The game will likely be over before half.


The Gators have been absolutely decimated by injuries at key spots. Starting QB Jeff Driskel, and his backup Tyler Murphy are both injured. Driskel went down during the Tennessee game back in September, and Murphy has missed the last two games. That has left the starting job to freshman Skylar Mornhinweg. The Gators are down leading rusher Matt Jones to a torn meniscus. Leading receiver Andre Dubose has missed all season. Offensive linemen D.J. Humphries and Tyler Moore are out. On defense, the Gators best player Dominique Easley, has not played since early October due to a torn ACL. Michael Taylor and Alex Anzalone both went down last week vs. Georgia Southern.  In the secondary, Marcus Roberson has missed time and Nick Washington has not played since game number 3. A total of 21 scholarship players have missed games due to injury, including 12 starters total. It doesn’t matter what school you are, having as many injuries as Florida has had are tough to overcome.

Florida’s coaching staff has been mediocre this season. The offensive coordinator, Brent Pease, has struggled with the play calling. Someone on the offensive line always seems to miss an assignment, blowing up the play. Defensively, the Gators have been inconsistent, committing stupid penalties, and allowing big plays. Even in the beginning of the season, before the Gator players began dropping like flies, Florida struggled mightily on offense at Miami, with 5 turnovers. Many Gators fans want to see head coach Will Muschamp out as head coach. They are frustrated with all of the injuries and awful play, and are not used to seeing the Gators miss bowls and lose six in a row.


Looking ahead, Florida is most likely going to be blown out by Florida State. They are down to second and even third string guys at every position. They still are the University of Florida, and were just 1 Notre Dame loss away from the BCS National Championship last season. Whether Will Muschamp or some other guy is head coach, the Gators will be a threat in the SEC once again next season.

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Breaking Down the BCS

As the college football season comes down the homestretch, teams are starting to emerge as the favorites for a birth in the final BCS National Championship. In the BCS’s final season, we could be headed for one of the most dramatic years yet, where its computers may have to decide between 1-loss teams, or even undefeated teams.  Alabama, Florida State, Oregon, Baylor, Missouri, Auburn, and Ohio State are all still in the hunt. Let’s breakdown each team’s chances.

Favorites:

Alabama Crimson Tide 10-0  (7-0 SEC)-

           

For the Tide, their job is simple. Win out, go to the National Championship. Once they beat down on Chattanooga this weekend at Bryant-Denny Stadium, they will face two tough tests. The 6^th ranked Auburn Tigers host the Crimson Tide on November 30^th, in the annual Iron Bowl. The winner of this game is headed to Atlanta for the SEC Championship. If Alabama wins at Auburn, they will play either #8 Missouri or #11 South Carolina in the SEC Championship. If Alabama loses either of these games, it is highly unlikely they qualify for the title game.

Florida State Seminoles 10-0 (8-0 ACC)-

           

Florida State has the easiest path to the National Championship. Along with Alabama, if they win their next three games, they will be playing in Pasadena for the BCS Title Game. This week, the Seminoles should dominate 1-9 Idaho. After that, the Noles head to the swamp, where the Florida Gators await. Sure ,Florida has been absolutely awful, and decimated by injuries, but they are still playing for their pride against a long time rival. However, Florida State should pass this test. Next, the Seminoles will play in the ACC Championship vs an underrated Duke team. Duke is 25^th in the AP Polls, and is quietly 8-2 with wins over Miami and Virginia Tech. Florida State should not expect to waltz into the title, but they will be 2 touchdown or more favorites in every game until then.

Need Some Help:

Baylor Bears 9-0 (6-0 Big 12)-

Baylor is the team waiting on the BCS doorstep. If either Alabama or Florida State were to lose, and Baylor won out, then Baylor would get the ticket to Pasadena. The Bears lead the nation in scoring, averaging 61.2 PPG. They are also 7^th in points against, allowing only 17.4 PPG. Baylor is just slightly behind Ohio State in the BCS; however, if Baylor wins at Oklahoma State this weekend,  at TCU, and vs. Texas at the end of the year, they will pass Ohio State.

Ohio State Buckeyes 10-0 (6-0 Big 10)-

Ohio State is in a similar situation as Baylor. They must win out, and have 2 of the following lose: Baylor, Alabama, and Florida State. Ohio State has dominated a weak Big 10, and only has 1 quality win, over Wisconsin. They host an inconsistent Indiana this week, then head to the Big House next week to play at Michigan. After that, they will play in the Big 10 Championship game, against Michigan State (most likely). Ohio State also has to win that game. They have to prove to the voters that they dominated their opponents, to get more votes in the polls. As of now, they remain slightly ahead of Baylor in the BCS, but behind in the polls.

Need a Lot of Help:

Oregon Ducks: 9-1 (6-1 Pac 12)-

Did anyone think the Ducks still had a BCS chance after they were dominated by Stanford? No, Oregon has benefited from Stanford’s loss at USC. The Ducks now control their own destiny to the Pac !2 Championship, and Pasadena, for the Rose Bowl. In order to reach the BCS Championship, Oregon would have to defeat Arizona, Oregon State in the Civil War Rivalry Game, and win the Pac-12 Championship over either Arizona State, UCLA, or USC. If the Ducks win out, have three teams ahead of them lose, and manage to remain ahead of Missouri or Auburn, then the Ducks could be in the title.

The Missouri and Auburn Tigers: Auburn 10-1 (6-1 SEC) Missouri 9-1 (5-1 SEC)

These two teams are grouped together because they have the same path to the BCS title. Auburn plays their final regular season game hosting Alabama in 2 weeks. They have to win that game, and beat either Missouri or South Carolina. For Missouri, they have to beat Ole Miss and Texas A&M back to back, to clinch a spot in the SEC Championship game.  If Missouri won those games, and Auburn beats ‘Bama, then the two would square off in Atlanta for a chance at the BCS Title. There is a catch though: 2 of the following have to lose: Florida State, Ohio State, and Baylor. It is a long shot, but this is college football.

My Predictions:

BCS Title Game: Baylor vs Auburn

How this happens:

Baylor wins out. Auburn defeats both Alabama and Missouri. Ohio State loses to a solid Michigan State team in the Big 10 Championship.  Oregon is passed by Auburn, after back-to-back top 10 wins by Auburn. Finally, the craziest part. Florida State loses to either Duke or Florida. I do not know which, but I feel that Florida State will overlook them.

The next four weeks are going to be FUN.