Sugar Bowl Thoughts & Weekend Bowl Predictions

Well folks, that does it for me in Sports News On Tap confidence pool. I put a great deal of faith in Baylor, Arizona State and Alabama, and that we have lost all three games meaning my stellar record is tanking faster than half the NBA. This usually happens with SnoTap contests. I come very close to not giving away any money and then somehow I end up giving the little money I have away to someone.  Hopefully tonight's games and this weekend's go better for me, but before we make those picks, I did have a few thoughts on Oklahoma stunning upset of Alabama.

I did not give Oklahoma a chance. Oklahoma fans did not really give this team a chance. No one saw this coming (I am sure some smartass picked it), but seriously, what a complete stunner. Oklahoma looked like a top five team in the country last night, and considering they struggled against Texas and Baylor in major ways, it is amazing to see this team develop into something special. Trevor Knight looks to be first great Oklahoma quarterback in awhile. He can do it all, and I came away utterly impressed with the way he threw the deep ball. No reason why the Sooners should not be in the top 10 to begin the 2014 season.

As for Alabama, it is the first time they have lost consecutive games since 2008. Alabama had five turnovers, and they looked like a completely different team that did not belong out there. A.J. McCarron needs to rethink his Senior Bowl decision because this would not be the way I want to go out. I have no idea why Derrick Henry only had eight carries since he had 100 years plus he also added 61 yards of receiving. Maybe the future is bright with their backfield, but it is pretty clear this Alabama team was certainly not one of their best ones.

AT&T Cotton Bowl 
13.) Oklahoma State vs. 11.) Missouri 6:30 pm FOX - With how the SEC and Big 12 looked this week, I do not know what to think about this game. Like no idea whatsoever. Oklahoma State is one team I have been wrong about for the entire season. Same goes for Missouri. It is like 'Laugh in Charlie's face bowl.' Here what it comes down... Do I believe the Tigers' inability to stop the run against Auburn what they truly are or was it just a mirage? As for Oklahoma State, they can move the ball with the best of them and occasionally they can play some defense. I like this Cowboys team a little more than Missouri. Close and fun game. OK STATE 45-38  

Orange Bowl 
12.) Clemson vs. 7.) Ohio State 7:30 ESPN - Fun game. I had someone shit on this game, and I had no idea why because this should be a pretty fun game if you like offense. I could see if you want to see some defense how this one could be bad because this is not happening. Ohio State will be without two of their best defensive players Bradley Roby and Noah Spence, one out with injury and one out with suspension. This does not help things. This is the last game for Tajh Boyd's illustrious career at Clemson, and you have to think Chad Morris will find a way to make this a memorable one for him. Like peeing your pants in the sixth grade, we do not forget Clemson had 70 points put on them last time at the Orange Bowl.  Urban Meyer has only lost once in his bowl career which you know what that means? He prepares really well for this games. Ohio State with a close shootout win. OSU 52-48

BBVA Compass Bowl (Saturday) 
Vanderbilt vs. Houston 12:00 pm ESPN - I think it is a complete slap in the face that Vanderbilt is even in this bowl. I do not think you will get many disinterested Commodores in this one. Rather they will played pissed off and dominate a Houston team who has not beat anyone worth nothing. VAND 41-14

GoDaddy Bowl (Sunday) 
Arkansas State vs. Ball State 8:00 ESPN - WE GET FOOTBALL ON SUNDAY NIGHT YAAAIS pitting the Sun Beast versus MACtion which is quite the dilemma on who to pick. I think the answer is Ball State as they held it close against bowl teams plus I do not really like a team who lost two games inside the Sun Beast. BSU 40-21

Charlie.

20 Questions about the 2014 PGA Season

Bryan Reynolds begins our PGA season. He came on Sports News on Tap in February or March last season so this will officially be his first full season with SnoTap. Look for all sorts of PGA coverage in the coming weeks and months. We begin with me asking Bryan all sorts of questions about the upcoming season. 

1.) The question till he does it, does Tiger Woods get a major this year? 

No. There, I said it. I think Tiger is the greatest golfer in the world. It is stupid to question that. But with the resurgence to young talent on tour, I will take the field every time. Tiger will be close but I will be the fool that bests against him.

2.) What should our expectations be with Jordan Spieth this season?

I think we should expect him to be a young gunslinger out there. He has all the talent in the world but on his journey to success, he is going to stumble on some failure. I will give him another win in 2014 but if he misses a cut in a major, I would not be surprised.

3.) Out of the four major winners last year, which one could you see winning another major this season?

What a question. If you want to think about how exciting golf is now, this is the perfect way to get the ball rolling. There is no right or wrong answer, in my opinion, but I am going to say Justin Rose. The English golfer seems to have more discipline than the others and I think that consistency will stay true into 2014.

4.) What are your five favorite non-major tournaments?

WGC-Match Play, John Deere Classic, The Players, At&T National, and WGC- Cadillac. The match play is my favorite, even over some majors. I love the head-to-head action and the pressure it puts on every hole. For those who do not understand match play, get to know it; it does not get much better. John Deere is a favorite for me as I have played Deere Run many times myself. It is pretty awesome to see the pros walking the fairways that you once have. It is like Lebron James playing pick-up basketball at your high school gym. Maybe that’s a stretch, but you hear what I’m saying.

5.) If someone wanted to get into the PGA more, what would be your suggestion to them?

Be patient and enjoy the Sundays. I am a scoreboard watcher so I am constantly in tune with what is going on in each tournament. That is a lot to ask of yourself, especially if watching the tour is new to you. If you check the standings Saturday night, then flip on the coverage early Sunday afternoon, you will have a pretty good idea of what is going on. Unlike some other sports, it does not always come down to the last two minutes. Watching the potential winner play his/her back 9 is pretty darn awesome.

6.) Besides the man in Sunday red, who has the most pressure to win a major this season?

Zach Johnson. Many will forget that he has won the one that matters most, but since his victory at Augusta, he has yet to put another exclamation point on his career. Zach returned with a vengeance last year, but with the exception of The Open Championship, he was a dud in the majors.

7.) Is this year the United States finally wins the Ryder Cup overseas?

Yes! I love the chemistry the United States has developed. When you can run out pairings of Tiger and Stricker, and they are not even your number one weapon, you know the other squad is in trouble. The only weakness is their inexperience/age but I think they could overcome that.

8.) Between Golf Channel, ESPN, CBS and NBC who has the best golf coverage?

I think the collaboration that Golf Channel and NBC has established is outstanding. GC does a great job in the early rounds, getting cameras out there, and letting you have a chance to watch every shot if you want to. ESPN does not seem as dedicated as others for my taste. When it is their turn to televise a tournament, they drop everything but in general, most of the crew there could not care less.

9.) Who is the one golfer you can see having a breakout year?

Justin Rose. I guess I do not know if we could consider it a breakout year since he got the major last year but Rose has everything you need to be a stud on tour and it is falling together at the right time. He constantly hung around last season, and I would expect no different come 2014.

10.) What golfer is poised to win his first major this season?

Dustin Johnson. The dude just got engaged to Paulina Gretzy, daughter of ‘The Great One’. Maybe it’s hopeless optimism, but I would think some of the talent and luck will rub off on the big guy. The clock is defiantly ticking on DJ, who will be celebrating his 30th birthday this season. He has been close and this is finally going to be his year.

11.) Who has more pressure on them to be good this season, Dustin Johnson or Sergio Garcia?

Well with my previous answer, I almost have to put the pressure on Johnson. Sergio has just always kind of disappointing, that is what we have grown to expect from him. Dustin still has time, for now, and I think he can live up the expectations.

12.) What golfer could you see taking a step back this year from his 2013 success?

Phil Mickelson. Like many others on tour, he is getting up there in age. I am not saying he is old by any means, but at some point, this is going to take a toll on him. Also, it would not take much to regress from the year he had in 2013. Phil was outstanding and I do not see him living up to that.

13.) Who would be your ideal foursome to play with, current or past golfers?

Fred Couples, Payne Stewart, Tiger Woods, and myself. Freddie has always been around and he has always been great. When Freddie hangs ‘em up in the future, we are going to look back and admire one of the greatest golfers and personalities the game ever saw. When Payne passed away, I was too young to understand the impact he made on the game. The man was a legend; it would be an honor to play with him or against him. I am not always a fan of Tiger but you have to respect him from what he has done. He has brought golf to the forefront and is one of the finest athletes we have in sports. If you get the chance to play with the best, you take it.

14.) Who is the best golf WAG? (Wife or Girlfriend)

I think I got to go Jason Dufner here and his wife Amanda. Duf had himself a handful on the 18th green after winning his first major. Is that not the dream?

15.) Last time the U.S. Open was at Pinehurst, the winner was three over par, much of the same this year?

It is so hard to say. When the U.S. Open at Merion was approaching, much of the talk was how the players would tear it up. That turned out to be far from the truth. Predicting the scoring at this time of year is too tough, especially considering the role weather plays in scoring. I would say No, the players will find the birdies out there, but I could be wrong.

16.) This works with 16.), do you like when PGA golfers look like the rest of us golfing the course or would you prefer higher scoring?
I like when they look like the rest of us because I like to see them recover. That is the difference between them and us. If they double a hole, they should not lose focus; they could birdie the next two. We do not have that luxury. When a course is beating them up, it is a true test of what kind of player they are.

17.) Who is the one golfer nobody is talking about that needs more attention?

Steve Stricker. I do not know if he counts or if this is what we are after with the question but I am ready to see something out of Steve. We all know how good he can be but I am ready for him to win. Recently, he seems he has been a coach like figure to both Tiger and Spieth. I want to see Steve put the pedal to the medal and get himself a major.

18.) To you, what's the most crazy storyline that could realistically happen?

Adam Scott repeats at Augusta. I mean this storyline kind of speaks for itself but he has to be one of the favorites. He has been continuing to play well as of late, and he has everything you need to win the jacket. It helps to have Stevie on the bag, whom has a little experience winning there.

19.) Besides Augusta (That's everyone's number one), what's your top five courses that you would want to play on.

Whistling Straits, TPC Sawgrass, St. Andrew’s, Pebble Beach, and Doral. Kind of a hodgepodge list as I would be satisfied playing any course on tour but these are the big ones for me. Sawgrass is an obvious one; I would like to think I could better Sergio’s effort but who knows how many I would plunk in the water. It would not have to be St. Andrew’s but playing a links style, tour level course is defiantly on the list.

20.) What should we watch for in the first couple months of the season? 

Watch for consistency. Guys like Phil, Justin Rose, and Matt Kuchar, all got out to consistent starts last year and that lead them to big seasons. Being consistent does not mean they have to win, just expect them to remain close and have control of their games. Golf is different than almost all other professional sports in that winning does not define success at all times. Winning makes you great but being consistent is enough for people to remember that you deserve to be there.

Bryan 

2013: A Sucky Wisconsin Sports Year

The year 2013 was a pretty good year personally but sports-wise, it was pretty rough. Granted, this is all sort of relative as the Badgers and Packers saw a pretty good deal of success for the season but ultimately fell short of their 2013 goals. The "WINsconsin" moniker had officially lost its luster and hopefully should be on a hiatus for the time being.

It all started on January 1, 2013 as the Badgers lost 20-14 to the Stanford Cardinal in the Rose Bowl. This marked the third straight Rose Bowl defeat for Bucky and they've all were pretty crushing defeats. This, of course, came after Bret Bielema abruptly departed for the apparently greener SEC pastures of Arkansas about a month before that last Rose Bowl. The Badgers were left looking for a head coach for the Rose Bowl. Former head coach and current Wisconsin athletic director, Barry Alvarez, took the reigns for just the Rose Bowl game. While it was a cute story, the game obviously didn't go as Barry or the rest of Badger Nation had planned.

The Badgers went 8-6 on the year but the Rose Bowl loss and the sudden departure of Bielema left a really sour taste in the mouths of Badger fans. Bielema's 2013 at Arkansas would end up being an even bigger disaster, especially after his wife tweeted "#karma" after the Badgers got screwed by the refs at the end of the Arizona State game. Ironically, the Razorbacks didn't win a game for the rest of the season after that tweet. I guess she got what she asked for.

Then, later in January, the Green Bay Packers were doing their usual thing and cruising right along until they met Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs. That day, the defense absolutely fell apart, letting Kaepernick run and pass all over them to the tune of 444 total yards and four touchdowns en route to a somewhat embarrassing 45-31 loss.

Many fans thought the Packers would cut ties with defensive coordinator Dom Capers but he's still hanging on by a thread.

Fast forward to April as the Brewers began got their season-to-forget underway. 2013 was a disaster essentially from start to finish for Milwaukee and it all really culminated in the suspension of star OF Ryan Braun for alleged performance enhancing drug use. The witch hunt for Braun boiled over in July and he was suspended for the rest of season. This was most likely a deal worked out between MLB and Braun's camp so that he could come back immediately in 2014 in hopes of moving on. You knew that Bud Selig, a Milwaukee native, would not be denied in his thirst for suspending Braun after he let a suspension slip through his fingers at the beginning of the 2012 season.

The Brewers as a team finished with a 74-88 record in 2013. There really wasn't a whole lot to hang their hats on either. However, we saw a true breakout year from CF Carlos Gomez who hit .284 with 24 home runs and took home a National League gold glove. Also, Brewers fans got their first taste of Scooter Gennett, who hit .324 in 69 games with the Brewers last year.

While Green Bay may have made the playoffs in 2013, they spent half of their season feeling like the Jacksonville Jaguars of the world as Aaron Rodgers missed seven games with injuries. People talked about  hair-brained conspiracies about why Rodgers was practicing yet not playing plus Packers fans having to watch the likes of Seneca Wallace, Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien. Just when you think Green Bay's fanbase could get some perspective about how lucky and fortunate they are to have two rock solid quarterbacks, they somehow snake into the playoffs and fans still live the privileged lifestyle.

Finally, the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks season was probably considered a great success internally as they achieved their coveted goal of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Now, to most fans with a brain, this season was anything but a success. The embarrassment of getting destroyed in four straight games against the Miami Heat after backing hard into the playoffs at the end of the season was truly rock bottom of the mediocrity treadmill, that the Bucks have been stuck in. Gone are the medicrity $wag twins (Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis) and the Bucks are moving in another direction and are hopefully getting off the treadmill.

Hopefully, 2014 ends up working out better for the major sports teams in the state of Wisconsin. It's off to a similar start with the Badgers dropping their New Year's Day bowl game yesterday once again. I'll wait to jump to conclusions though as there are still 363 for the rest of the teams to pick up the slack.

-Big Money

Tap's Trailers: Rob The Mob

First trailer of the year, and we will probably be playing a little catch up so I hope that's alright with everyone. Crazy time of year for trailers as they are trying to get everyone ready for 2014.  This looks alright from a trailer perspective. It seems like it could be predictable, but if done right, that can be fixed. It features a young couple whom wants to get a better life so Michael Pitt's character decides to rob New York's mafia in an attempt to get rich quick and have no one find out about it. The latter does not happen and they get deeper into things than ever expected. Besides Pitt, it stars Nina Arianda, Ray Romano and Andy Garcia.

Charlie.

First Taste: We Ball (Freestyle) - XV

Sometimes I feature a song because of the artist, not entirely the song, and this is one of those times. I have not heard anything from XV in quite a long time. The last time we heard XV, it was the Popular Culture mixtape from early 2013 which I enjoyed greatly.  He is a guy I have backed for awhile now and one of those I always thought would find a way to break through. This is just a freestyle so my assumption is we can expect more from XV in 2014 which would be awesome. When I say 'just a freestyle', I mean it is not great, yet still encouraging he is putting out music. He's definitely on the list of people I would like to see in concert for the coming year.

Charlie.

Closing Time: All For You - French Montana (Feat. Wiz Khalifa, Lana Del Rey, Snoop Dogg)

I really did not see French Montana leading off our music coverage for 2014. Like not at all. I usually stay away from his music because well except for 'Pop That', I really do not get down with French. Only reason I checked this out is he sampled a Lana Del Rey song for his first track off his new mixtape. I happened to like her music which is an unpopular take on music but I do not care whatsoever. I feel like Montana could have used another song from Rey and made this better. The soft tones of her song do not really fit with the rest of this song. Good stuff from Wiz Khalifa though. Best Wiz verse I have heard in awhile which is encouraging and possibly something to watch for in 2014.

Charlie.

Lambeau's Ticket Problem.

Death. Taxes. Lambeau Field Sellouts. That's how my life has been since I can remember. I still can hear my mom saying 'I always regret not getting Milwaukee tickets in the 80's with your uncle.' I believe she has probably utter that sentence at least once a year. It is usually pretty hard to get Packer tickets and until 2010, I had not been to a game since 2005. Opportunities do not come very often to make a trip to hallow grounds of Lambeau Field. Thankfully in the past couple of years, I have been to Lambeau Field five times in the last three years.

Very happy to be there. Seth angry at the camera
Still think this foiled Mitch's plan to kill me. 

For the last three Decembers, it has become an annual tradition to go see a game at Lambeau Field. We started it three years ago when a group of about 10 of us got tickets to the game and planned to spend a night in DePere creating havoc at St. Norbert's adult establishments. It is something that has become tradition among a group of friends. We had our recent trip in late December as Green Bay took on Pittsburgh. I hope this something we continue for years to come. The other two times I lucked into going last second with family and friends without having to pay which is something I am very thankful and do not take for granted for one second.

The reason I do not overlook that last point is it costs anywhere from 75 to 300 dollars for tickets to see Green Bay play football at Lambeau Field. Tickets are not cheap so when I heard Packers were having trouble selling out their stadium for seemingly the first time ever in my 25-year old life. I thought of a variety of reasons why, it is going to be arctic temperatures plus the home experience equals the worst combination ever, the exhaustion of the season, pessimism from fans and why this could become a badge of honor type game to be at like the Ice Bowl and 2008 NFC Championship Game. And for the final reason, you should go if you have the means and if you have not made it up/down this season to Lambeau.

NFL does have a going problem with HD televisions, prices of tickets, beer, food and parking as well as the experience with social media, fantasy football (Regular season) and gambling. There might need to be a discussion whether they should think about axing the blackout rule. Federal Communications Commission gave some thoughts about this, and honestly, it is not the end of the world if NFL stadiums do not have full stands. If the FCC and NFL come to a deal where 75 percent of tickets have to be sold to avoid blackouts, that's a fair compromise, or keep the blackout rule but create dynamic ticket pricing figuring in weather, opponent, etc. Would people be heading to Lambeau this weekend if the most expensive tickets were 120 dollars versus 300 apiece? I think so.

The temperatures obviously do not help things either. They are not getting any warmer as it went from being around eight degrees around kickoff at the start of the weak to a high of -5 with wind chills of -30 and if this holds, it would be the third coldest game in NFL history. People could chose their own beer, own couch and warm house/bar to watch the game versus being in the elements looking like Ralphie's brother in the Christmas Story.

The second and third one go hand-in-hand a bit. This season has not been for the weak of heart. Many games have came down to the wire. Green Bay has been blown out in more games than usual. I expressed some thoughts of exhaustion after watching them lose in person to Pittsburgh. Granted this was an overreaction, I said after the game to friends, 'Hell, I hope Chicago just wins tonight, put me out of my misery.' Obviously, this is an overreaction and something I am glad they did not do because we would not be having this conversation. But they are facing a team that has 12 wins on the year, a team Green Bay has not beat the last three times they have played in last two years, the defending NFC champions meaning many people in the state of Wisconsin do not think Green Bay will win this game.

Packers fans can be very pessimistic in nature. They are also a bit privileged in terms of seeing successful teams and not really seeing much losing at home. In the last decade, they have lost five of their seven home playoff games. Let me tell you after freezing your ass off, the last thing you want to see is a defeat. This is arguably the best playoff team to come to Lambeau in the last 10 years even if New York Giants teams won the Super Bowl. Without question, there are many people who believe Green Bay is losing this football game meaning they do not want to be there on Sunday for the game (I do not but we will talk about it tomorrow).

If I did not spend more than 100 dollars to see Green Bay play a couple weeks ago along with spending all sorts of money on a four-day venture with New Year's Day, I would be putting out feelers to go to the game. I had two friends offer me tickets to the game which is unheard of to me, but honestly, I cannot afford right now being a part-time worker whom had his biggest spending month of the year. So here's my suggestion: If you have not gone this year, go to the game and spend the money. If you have never gone, this is your perfect chance to see Green Bay play in a playoff game. Load up on layers and alcohol if you have a driver, but go see the home team play because it will become a badge of honor no matter what happens in the game.

People always get to talk about being at the Ice Bowl, and there are many people who lie about being at the Ice Bowl. The same would have happened if Green Bay wins the 2008 NFC Championship and Brett Favre goes on to win the Super Bowl. It would be the same sort of attitude with this generation. Who knows what will happen this year, and trust me if Green Bay wins in some dramatic fashion, many people will act like the were at Lambeau on Sunday. 3,000 tickets are needed to be sold before tomorrow's game. I would be stunned if the game is blacked out in the area, but it would be a mass media/fans freakout. Remember about how chances to go to games do not happen often and who knows when this door is open again.

Charlie.