The Bench Jockeys » BCS http://thebenchjockeys.com Inspired Content, Buzzworthy Discussion and Critical Analysis at the Intersection of Sports & Politics Wed, 05 Dec 2018 21:19:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.29 2012 Facts http://thebenchjockeys.com/2012/01/10/2012-facts/ http://thebenchjockeys.com/2012/01/10/2012-facts/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:14:22 +0000 http://thebenchjockeys.com/?p=1248 Well, what have we learned in the last 24 hours:  Tigers can lay eggs; Caroline Wozniacki is still a hot property; and Ron Paul is not dead yet.  Let’s start with LSU, shall we?  The LSU Tigers are still trying to score a point in New Orleans.  The beating that ’Bama put on the LSU in the BCS National Championship Game was epic.  LSU managed just five first downs and 92 total yards on a night that was dominated by Alabama’s defense.  But that’s not the whole story.  LSU’s 53 yards of passing was offset by four sacks and resulting in a net passing game of 27 yards and total offense production of  66 yards.  Ouch!  The only folks who would deem that mess the ‘Game of the Century’ live in Tuscaloosa.

Issue 2.  Despite never having won a Grand Slam event, Caroline Wozniacki continues to retain the top rank in the WTA.  The Dane will again be designated as a number 1 seed as the first Slam event of the year – the Aussie Open – commences later this month.  Unfortunately, C-Woz has suffered premature exits over the course of the 2011 Grand Slam events:  Australian – ousted in the Semis; French – 3rd Round departure; Wimbledon – 4th Round loss; US – eliminated in the Semis, and aside from a 2009 US Open finals appearance, she continues to underwhelm in the majors.  Wozniacki does feast on the smaller venues, but Petra Kvitova is gaining ground and should slip past Wozniacki shortly.  Nevertheless, Caroline is the poster girl for women’s tennis and is already featured on the 2012 US Open promotional materials.

Third. Can Ron Paul win the GOP nomination?   In a word, “No.”  In spite of the 3rd place in Iowa and his 2nd place in NH, Ron Paul cannot beat Barack Obama if Paul were to be selected as the GOP’s candidate.  And the GOP strategists know it.  The good doctor’s second place finish in New Hampshire speaks more to the lack of a solid contender, than it does to the serious consideration of Paul’s candidacy.  It also is an indicator that the GOP is not ready to coalesce behind Romney.  Paul will stay in this race and carve off enough of a vote to keep Mitt’s other opponents at bay.  That’s great for Romney winning primaries but bad for both 1) the GOP which will continue to experience a lack of plurality for Mitt’s candidacy and 2) the remaining four candidates who will be unable to mount a challenge.

Jon Huntsman absolutely needed to top Ron Paul in New Hampshire, and even amid Huntsman’s claims that he is “in the hunt,” Big Bad Jon will likely be out between South Carolina on January 21st and Nevada on February 4th.  Perry must get a significant bounce out of the southern swing in SC and Florida or he will be next to cash in his chips.  Santorum’s second place finish in Iowa (or possibly victory in Iowa if you believe the conspiracy theorists) will allow him to get to Super Tuesday (March 6th) provided he is not taken to the woodshed in Florida on January 31st and does something in Arizona and Michigan on February 28th.

And that leaves Newt.  Aside from someone jumping into the fray before too many delegates are allocated, GOP faithful, Gingrich is your Plan B.

]]> http://thebenchjockeys.com/2012/01/10/2012-facts/feed/ 3 The Other Shuffle at the Top http://thebenchjockeys.com/2011/11/20/the-other-shuffle-at-the-top/ http://thebenchjockeys.com/2011/11/20/the-other-shuffle-at-the-top/#comments Sun, 20 Nov 2011 17:15:20 +0000 http://thebenchjockeys.com/?p=1223 November 20, 2011 –  November continues to be a month for shakeups.  And we aren’t just talking about the insane horserace for the Republican nomination.  This afternoon, the BCS Rankings will be released for Week 13 and as the college football season wanes, one thing is quite clear:  the SEC continues to reign supreme.  LSU will retain its #1 ranking, Alabama will move back to #2 and Arkansas will find itself in the #3 slot.  Two weeks ago after the LSU-Bama field goal-fest, The Bench Jockeys projected that LSU would face the Crimson Tide again for the National Championship. With this weekend’s Top 10 bloodletting, only 1 team stands in the way of that rematch – Arkansas – which will LSU for the SEC Championship.  If Arkansas can pull off the upset, LSU, Bama and Arkansas will each have 1 loss (LSU to Ark; Ark to Alabama, and Alabama to LSU).  In that case, who gets the nod for the National Championship?  We know one thing: the talk of a Playoff System will be plentiful.  Also of interest, the only other undefeated college team, Houston, may finally crack the Top 10.

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