Cline's Corner

Volume I, Number 4, January 19, 1998 written by Chris Cline

Welcome to Cline's Corner... a potpourri of commentary, analysis, predictions and insight regarding the world of sports! You may disagree with me and I may be wrong from time to time, so feel free to click on the email link below and send me your comments, criticism and even praise.

After a slow start with the college bowl picks, Cline's Corner is now on a roll...sweeping the AFC and NFC Conference Finals by picking both Denver and Green Bay to win outright AND cover the spread. Now it is on to the Super Bowl and no in-depth analysis is required. The pick:

DENVER +13 over GREEN BAY
Denver has one of the top running backs in Davis and the always dangerous Elway. This is perhaps the biggest overlay in a Super Bowl since 1969 when Joe Namath ate the Colts for lunch. Take the Broncos to easily beat the spread and perhaps win outright.

After posting my top ten college football teams at the end of the season, I got a little feedback via e-mail from a friend who thought that Nebraska should have been all alone at #1. Here is my TOP 10, followed by my justification:

1. Michigan
2. Nebraska
3. Florida State
4. UCLA
5. Florida
6. Kansas State
7. Arizona State
8. North Carolina
9. Washington State
10. Georgia

I want to preface my justification for Michigan being alone at #1 by saying that it is extremely difficult to argue that Michigan or Nebraska is clearly better than the other...trying to analyze all the data and form a hypothesis is a tall task. I am going to list my justifications numerically, knowing that each point may be attacked individually. However, if you rack up all the points together, I believe they point to a Michigan win over Nebraska in the Hypothetical Bowl. I also want to go on record as saying that I have always liked both these teams and show no bias for one team over the other...Here are the points:

Point #1: Michigan played against teams that had an overall record of 75-67; Nebraska played against teams with an overall record of 76-77. This may be a trivial point to some, but it is a point in Michigan's favor.

Point #2: Michigan played against 6 teams that played in postseason bowl games; Nebraska played against 3 bowl teams. Again, this may not be significant by itself (especially with all the mediocre teams playing in bowls these days), but it is another point in Michigan's favor.

Point #3: Michigan and Nebraska played against 2 common opponents:

Michigan beat Colorado 27-3; Nebraska beat Colorado 27-24
Michigan beat Baylor 38-3; Nebraska beat Baylor 49-21

By itself, this may not mean a lot, but it is yet another point for Michigan. My friend argued that Michigan beat up on these teams in the beginning of the season when they were not at their best. Well then, couldn't one argue that Michigan was not at its best and might have won more convincingly at the end of the year when they were in better shape? Michigan gave up only 6 points in 2 games...How is that for defense!

Point #4: Nebraska scored a ton of points this year, but didn't exactly stop teams from scoring. Michigan, on the other hand, gave up only 114 points in 12 games (Nebraska gave up 214 points in 13 games against weaker opposition). In my opinion, it is a lot easier to score points on offense than it is to stop teams from scoring on defense. Why, you ask? Answer: The offense always has an advantage because they KNOW THE PLAY! The defense is always under pressure to react accordingly. Nebraska has a history of running up the score. I believe Michigan COULD have scored more points, if it was so inclined, but the defense was so dominant that it was not necessary. The old saying goes: "A good defense will almost always beat a good offense."

Point #5: Michigan beat a very good Wash. St. team that had the best QB (sorry Peyton Manning) in the country this year. Nebraska beat a very mediocre Tennessee team that was vastly overrated (notice they did not make The Corner's TOP 10) this year. My prediction is that Peyton Manning is going nowhere in a hurry! Tennessee had a very weak schedule and should not have been close to being ranked #3.

I also wanted to address a couple of other comments that a friend made about the voting:

HIS COMMENT #1: The coaches voted Nebraska #1 and the coaches "know" better...
MY RESPONSE: Please give me a break! Just because someone is a coach does not mean they know any BETTER. I would be curious to know how the coaches of Baylor and Colorado voted, but both might have been biased in FAVOR of Nebraska since they play in the same conference and because it is Osborne's final year as coach. Let's face it...do you think the coach of N.C. State knows anything more about Michigan and Nebraska than you or I? Maybe, but I doubt it! A football coach barely has time to prepare for his team's opponents during the season. He certainly does not have time to study every other team in the country and evaluate their performance. The avid and intelligent fan that reads newspapers and magazines, watches the games on TV and surfs the net probably knows more...

HIS COMMENT #2: " No team should drop down by winning..."
MY RESPONSE: The point my friend was trying to make involved Nebraska earlier in the season when they narrowly beat Missouri and dropped to #2. He felt that Michigan got the payback they deserved when the coaches voted Nebraska #1. I believe this point is ridiculous. If the #1 team only narrowly defeats a drastically inferior opponent on a wing and a prayer lucky play while the #2 team defeats a solid opponent soundly then the #2 team SHOULD move up. Winning should not be the only criteria...who you play and how you win/lose should be a factor. Nebraska DESERVED to be dropped earlier in the season. Michigan did not deserve to be dropped by the coaches after holding on to a lead in a pressure situation against a solid team. The coaches clearly gave Osborne a "retirement gift."

The last thing I am going to say about college football for the 1997-1998 season is that there is no doubt in my mind that Michigan's stingy defense would shut down Nebraska's high-powered offense and be victorious in Hypothetical Bowl 1998.

Well, that's it for this week! Coming soon: More predictions (Can't wait for the NCAA B'Ball Tourney...Egads!); The Olympics; Should the Red Sox keep the hypocritical Mo Vaughn or peddle him for all they can get?...Enough of the Tiger Woods hype...and much much more! Happy New Year!

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