With the new year dawning on Sunday, we’re looking ahead to 2023 and making a few predictions. Guesses? Predictions.
(Guesses.)
College Basketball
NCAA Tournament Champion: UCLA
NIT Champion: Oregon
Iowa State season outcome: 10-seed, first round exit
A Pac-12 March? I’m not ready to trust UConn. We’ve seen Houston’s offense fall flat too loudly to get behind them right now either (though the overall numbers are good). UCLA’s a better team than Kansas, so we’ll take the Bruins.
On the NIT side, Oregon’s had a brutal start to the year but isn’t a bad team. We like Dana Altman to put it together—not enough to miss the NIT, but enough to get in it and then win it.
Not a lot to say about Iowa State. Fun team, good team, not a great team.
College Football
2022-23 National Champion: Georgia
2023-24 Playoff Field: Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, Notre Dame
2023-24 Iowa State record: 8-5, beat Iowa
We aren’t going to get too wild about this weekend. Georgia will pull away from Ohio State and then overpower Michigan. As for this fall…
I don’t think Texas is there yet, and I don’t trust any other team in the Big 12. Likewise, I don’t think USC is actually there. They were not as good as their record, and their constant turnover is risky. With Ohio State and Clemson vacating their positions of national power, Notre Dame—who hosts the Buckeyes and Trojans and goes to Clemson—has a great playoff shot at 11-1. We’ll bet on Alabama and Michigan to each finish 13-0 against manageable schedules, Georgia to finish 12-1 against a manageable schedule of their own, and Notre Dame to win two of the three against Ohio State, USC, and Clemson while getting enough help elsewhere. Let’s say the loss actually comes when they go to Louisville (and that they sweep those bigger three), but that they get away with it on the strength of their wins.
With the Cyclones: We don’t know who they’ll play in the Big 12 yet, but expect them to start 3-0 before splitting the rest of their games. The program’s in good shape, but they have some building to do.
NFL
2023 Super Bowl Champion: Kansas City
Will the Packers make the playoffs? No.
After a wild playoff season last year, look for Mahomes & Co. to grab home field with a Bills loss this weekend and take care of business, ultimately winning by two or three scores against whoever the NFC throws at them. As for the Packers: It’s not that they won’t win out. It’s that I think the Commanders will too.
MLB
2023 World Series Champion: Yankees
2023 Cubs Record: 68-94
Part of the Yankees’ value here is that the NL has two on-paper titans in the form of the Mets and the Padres. Part of it too, though, is that they just might be the best team, especially after they go for it at the trade deadline. They lacked starting pitching last year. Carlos Rodón carries question marks, but he should help that.
NHL
2023 Stanley Cup Champion: Lightning
At the moment, Gelo sees the four best teams in the NHL as all Eastern Conference squads: The Bruins, Hurricanes, Lightning, and Leafs, in order. I know little, but I do think the Lightning have tricks up their sleeve.
NBA
2023 NBA Finals Champion: Celtics
Will the Bulls make the playoffs? No.
It’s oddly hard to find a team worth believing in with this year’s NBA, but the Celtics’ depth and (I think) flexibility seems advantageous enough. With the Bulls, it sounds like we’re headed for a teardown. A mercy killing of a bad idea.
Soccer
2022-23 Premier League Champion: Man City
2022-23 Chamiponship Champion: Burnley
I’m not ready to buy Arsenal. I do think Burnley’s better than Sheffield United right now, and I don’t see any reason for either to be all that more aggressive than the other in the January transfer window.
College Baseball
2023 College World Series Champion: Texas
This is a wild guess. But. The Texas athletic department is humming right now below the highest levels, and the baseball program’s been a big part of that.
Motorsports
2023 NASCAR Cup Series Champion: Denny Hamlin
2023 IndyCar Season Champion: Josef Newgarden
2023 Indy 500 Champion: Pato O’Ward
2023 Formula 1 Driver Champion: Max Verstappen
2023 Formula 1 Team Champion: Mercedes
I like the old guard at the high level, an F1 split, and Pato O’Ward to have a big moment in May. These are all fairly wild guesses.
**
Weekend viewing schedule, second screen rotation in italics:
College Football Playoff
- Saturday, 4:00 PM EST: Fiesta Bowl – Michigan vs. TCU (ESPN)
- Saturday, 8:00 PM EST: Peach Bowl – Georgia vs. Ohio State (ESPN)
Bowl Games
- Friday, 12:00 PM EST: Duke’s Mayo Bowl – Maryland vs. NC State (ESPN)
- Friday, 2:00 PM EST: Sun Bowl – Pitt vs. UCLA (CBS)
- Friday, 3:30 PM EST: Gator Bowl – Notre Dame vs. South Carolina (ESPN)
- Friday, 4:30 PM EST: Arizona Bowl – Ohio vs. Wyoming (Barstool)
- Friday, 8:00 PM EST: Orange Bowl – Tennessee vs. Clemson (ESPN)
- Saturday, 12:00 PM EST: Sugar Bowl – Alabama vs. Kansas State (ESPN)
- Saturday, 12:00 PM EST: Music City Bowl – Iowa vs. Kentucky (ABC)
College Basketball (sampler platter)
- Friday, 12:00 PM EST: UNC @ Pitt (ACCN)
- Friday, 11:00 PM EST: UCLA @ Washington State (P12N)
- Saturday, 12:00 PM EST: UConn @ Xavier (FOX)
- Saturday, 2:00 PM EST: Texas @ Oklahoma (ESPN+)
- Saturday, 2:00 PM EST: Arizona @ Arizona State (FOX)
- Saturday, 2:00 PM EST: Baylor @ Iowa State (ESPNU)
- Saturday, 2:00 PM EST: Oklahoma State @ Kansas (CBS)
- Sunday, 7:00 PM EST: UCLA @ Washington (P12N)
- Sunday, 7:30 PM EST: Ohio State @ Northwestern (BTN)
NFL (playoff implications)
- Sunday, 1:00 PM EST: Chicago @ Detroit (FOX)
- Sunday, 1:00 PM EST: Denver @ Kansas City (CBS)
- Sunday, 1:00 PM EST: Miami @ New England (CBS)
- Sunday, 1:00 PM EST: Indianapolis @ NY Giants (CBS)
- Sunday, 1:00 PM EST: New Orleans @ Philadelphia (FOX)
- Sunday, 1:00 PM EST: Carolina @ Tampa Bay (FOX)
- Sunday, 1:00 PM EST: Cleveland @ Washington (FOX)
- Sunday, 1:00 PM EST: Jacksonville @ Houston (CBS)
- Sunday, 4:05 PM EST: San Francisco @ Las Vegas (FOX)
- Sunday, 4:05 PM EST: NY Jets @ Seattle (FOX)
- Sunday, 4:25 PM EST: Minnesota @ Packers (CBS)
- Sunday, 4:25 PM EST: LA Rams @ LA Chargers (CBS)
- Sunday, 8:20 PM EST: Pittsburgh @ Baltimore (NBC)
NBA (best game each day, plus the Bulls)
- Friday, 8:00 PM EST: Detroit @ Bulls (League Pass)
- Friday, 8:30 PM EST: Philadelphia @ New Orleans (League Pass)
- Saturday, 7:00 PM EST: Cleveland @ Bulls (League Pass)
- Saturday, 8:00 PM EST: New Orleans @ Memphis (League Pass)
- Sunday, 8:00 PM EST: Boston @ Denver (League Pass)
NHL (best game each day)
- Friday, 7:00 PM EST: New Jersey @ Pittsburgh (ESPN+)
- Saturday, 7:00 PM EST: Toronto @ Colorado (ESPN+)
- Sunday, 3:00 PM EST: Carolina @ New Jersey (ESPN+)
Premier League (best game each day)
- Friday, 2:45 PM EST: Brentford @ West Ham (USA)
- Saturday, 12:30 PM EST: Arsenal @ Brighton (NBC)
- Sunday, 9:00 AM EST: Aston Villa @ Tottenham (Peacock)
EFL Championship (best game each day)
- Friday, 2:45 PM EST: Watford @ Swansea
- Sunday, 10:00 AM EST: Bristol City @ Coventry City
