Once the Heisman Trophy winner was announced the discussions began for the favorites for the next season.  As we approach the upcoming season it is a good time to take a look at the early favorites.

The Favorites (Alphabetical Order):

Montee Ball, Senior, Running Back, Wisconsin:
Ball rushed for 1,923 yards, and 33 touchdowns while adding 306 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns giving him a total of 39 touchdowns for the season tying Barry Sanders record. Ball will be carrying the offensive load with the departure of Russell Wilson.  The Badgers also will have a new offensive line, but that shouldn’t worry Ball as Wisconsin always seems to have one of the best offensive lines in the country. The stats he put up a season ago are going to be very difficult to repeat, but he should be able to have another great season and be a potential finalist for the Heisman.

Matt Barkley, Senior, Quarterback, USC:
Barkley is by far the best quarterback coming into this season.  Barkley is a complete quarterback and would have been the second overall pick in the NFL draft had he decided to leave school early.  However, the NFL teams will be lining up for him after this season.  Barkley threw for 3,528 yards with 39 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions.  The Heisman Trophy could be sitting there waiting for him as he is the clear favorite.  The Trojans did not lose many players to the draft and they will be returning Robert Woods who was Barkley’s favorite receiver hauling in 111 catches last season as a sophomore.

Marcus Lattimore, Junior, Running Back, South Carolina:
Lattimore is an interesting candidate for the Heisman as he is going to be bouncing back from a knee injury that ended his year last season.  Lattimore rushed for 818 yards and 10 touchdowns before his season ending injury.  He is the most talented running back in the SEC and possibly the entire country.  The offense of the Gamecocks will run through him and if he comes back 100% and remains healthy he could see himself in New York as a Heisman finalist.

Aaron Murray, Junior, Quarterback, Georgia:
Coming off a great sophomore season throwing for 3,149 yards with 35 touchdowns and 14 interceptions Murray is set to be the best quarterback in the SEC this coming season.  The Bulldogs could be serious contenders for the national title this season because of Murray.  He is a very talented quarterback and he has experience since this will be his third season as Georgia’s starter.  If Murray continues to improve he could be not only a Heisman finalist, but a hot NFL prospect as well.

Denard Robinson, Senior, Quarterback, Michigan:
Back to back 2,000 yard passing and 1,000 yard rushing seasons have Denard Robinson as the top contender to beat Matt Barkley.  He his electric and creates havoc for opposing defenses.  Michigan is returning a number of starters and they look to be favorites for the Legends Division in the Big Ten with possible National Championship discussions.  Denard Robinson looks to complete his career with both a Heisman and National Championship.

Geno Smith, Senior, Quarterback, West Virginia:
Smith’s 407 yard and 6 touchdown performance in the Orange Bowl victory against Clemson put his mark in the Heisman discussion.  He threw for 4,385 yards and 31 touchdowns with just 7 interceptions last season.  Geno Smith has the Mountaineers back in the National Championship discussions.  He also has a talented receiving group returning which creates an arsenal of weapons for him to succeed and potentially win the Heisman Trophy.

On the Outside Looking In:

Tajh Boyd, Junior, Quarterback, Clemson

Rex Burkhead, Senior, Running Back, Nebraska

Landry Jones, Senior, Quarterback, Oklahoma

Logan Thomas, Senior, Quarterback, Virginia Tech

Robert Woods, Junior, Wide Receiver, USC

The Heisman Trophy race this season is set to be a great one.  There are a number of potential contenders that have not been named and the greatest thing about sports is that they are unpredictable.  So as we can discuss the favorites, it is unknown what will happen during the season.

The field is set, and the match-ups are penciled in. Millions of people have already filled out their brackets, and the analysts have done their due diligence in preparation for what is widely considered the greatest three weeks in all of sports.

Yes, it’s March Madness.

Two days before the insanity commences, here is my preview of what I consider to be the most intriguing matchups of the first and “second” rounds. This is not to say these are going to be closest games, but they really stood out to me when I first saw the bracket. I shall begin with my team, the Michigan Wolverines.

(8) Michigan Wolverines vs. (9) Tennessee
Like most other basketball fans, I was surprised with many seedings in this field, and my school was no exception. I expected an 11, or a 10 if we were lucky. But instead we got an 8 and a match-up with a team that plays a far different style of basketball than any team in the Big Ten. I generally associate the Big Ten with smash mouth, physical basketball where teams run off 30 seconds of the shot clock before considering putting up a shot. Enter Tennessee. The up-and-down, chaotic style that the Volunteers play is something that Michigan has not seen since December, and it will pose a big challenge to the young Wolverines. Tennessee is very aggressive on defense and will feed the post at the offensive end, while Michigan shoots a ton of three-pointers and packs in their defense to make up for a lack of size inside. I expect a lopsided game, with one team really outplaying the other… I just don’t know which way it will go. I’m hoping my Wolverines watched the Fab Five documentary and come out inspired and firing on all cylinders.

(4) Wisconsin vs. (13) Belmont
Staying in the Big Ten, I turn my attention to Wisconsin, which scored 33 points against Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Jimmer Fredette scored than many in the first HALF of a conference tournament game that same day. Their opponents are maybe the best-kept secret in the NCAA – the Belmont Bruins, who sit as a 13-seed despite notching 30 victories this season. They haven’t beaten any major basketball team, but they do rank 11th in the nation in scoring despite having nobody on their roster who scores more than 12 points per game. The Badgers, meanwhile, are nearly 200th nationally in scoring, but play stingy defense and wind down the clock on nearly every possession. Keep in mind that Wisconsin has a bad track record when it comes to the NCAA Tournament – remember Cornell last year and Xavier the year before. This is one upset that I am picking, and I’m fairly confident that the Bruins out of the Atlantic Sun will come away with a victory.

(6) St. John’s vs. (11) Gonzaga
Another intriguing match-up of very different programs, the Red Storm return to the NCAA tournament after several years of mediocrity, while the Bulldogs are the definition of consistency. This may be one of the most thrilling first round games of the tournament, and I can only hope Gus Johnson has the call. Robert Sacre is the X-factor for the Zags, as he should be able to score at will against St. John’s slew of smaller big men. Justin Burrell may be strong inside, but Sacre should be able to limit his production. And without DJ Kennedy, the Red Storm are going to be without who I consider to be their most important player – despite playing multiple positions, he still led their team in rebounds this season. The WCC champions are much more experienced and have been on this stage many times before, while the new and improved St. John’s are going to have to learn to win outside the friendly confines of Madison Square Garden. The Big East squad’s athleticism will keep them in this until the end, but I think Gonzaga will escape in the final moments.

(7) Washington vs. (10) Georgia
Last year I felt smart because I picked Washington to make the Sweet 16 and they did just that. This year, I strongly considered doing the same, but Georgia is a team that will not go down without a fight, similar to Marquette last year. The Bulldogs are very skilled, with two future NBA players in Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie. Most people know about Thompkins, who is a dynamite basketball player and has been credited with a lot of UGA’s success. But Leslie, at just 6-4, pulls down over seven rebounds per game. Nevermind the fact that he plays more like a forward and doesn’t rack up the assists or three-pointers – Thompkins and Gerald Robinson do a lot of that stuff. And when up against the small Washington guards, Leslie should be able to pull down a lot of boards, especially on the offensive end. But Isaiah Thomas is a special player at point guard, and Matthew Bryan-Amaning will work tough on Thompkins. I expect this game to go down to the wire just like every other 7-10 matchup, and I also expect the star power of Thomas and Thompkins to shine late in the game.

(4) Texas vs. (13) Oakland
Another 4-13 game which has upset written all over it, this game is going to be a high-scoring affair with a lot of highlights. If Oakland does not pull of the upset, then Texas has grown up a lot in the past few days, because this Longhorn team is young and inconsistent. The Longhorns have had a rough few weeks, and after making a nice little run in the Big 12 Tournament, they finally hit the wall against Kansas. Oakland, however, has lost one game since December 23 (a big loss at Ohio State). Keith Benson and Tristan Thompson will battle down low, while Jordan Hamilton will square off with Reggie Hamilton on the perimeter. While I firmly believe Jordan Hamilton will have his way with Reggie, I also think the freshman Thompson will have a lot of trouble with Benson. All season I have said that Texas will be susceptible to upsets, and this is no different. Oakland is used to playing tough competition, and this will be essentially a road game for the Golden Grizzlies, but I think Greg Kampe will have his guys ready for everything Rick Barnes throws at them.

That about sums up my first round preview. Hopefully I will get another preview before the second round begins on Saturday. For now, good luck to everybody and may this tournament be filled with fun and exciting moments… and lots of Gus Johnson madness.

Michigan’s basketball team has pretty much no shot at making the NCAA tournament. The greatest Michigan basketball player since Chris Webber is probably going to leave at the conclusion of the season, and the lone Wolverine with any resemblance of a post game is graduating in May. But on Tuesday night, none of that will matter, as the Wolverines take on Michigan State at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor.

With only one victory over the Spartans in the past seven years, the Michigan basketball team is constantly overshadowed by the dominant basketball program that lurks up in East Lansing. This time around, MSU is exactly where they expected to be: a top-5 ranking and an undefeated conference record. But Michigan will be ready, and everyone in Ann Arbor knows there is a chance for the Wolverines to pull of the upset.

As a lifelong Michigan fan, this is the biggest game for me every year (after the Ohio State football game, of course, which has become a joke). Last season, the Wolverines gave MSU a great game but crumbled in the last five minutes. Three years ago, they actually defeated the Spartans at Crisler. And now, with a team that can beat or lose to anyone, Michigan fans expect that first one to show up on Tuesday night.

The two reasons for this are the two players I mention at the top of this article. Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims are the only two players in the Michigan rotation with explicit ties to MSU. Both were recruited by Michigan State, but chose to go to Michigan for one reason or another. This is their time.

Michigan has only had success this season when both Harris and Sims are on top of their games. In big games against UConn and Ohio State, both players excelled and took the Wolverines over the top. But in every loss, one or both of them looked lost or if they just didn’t care. That will not be the case Tuesday night, as they both have something to prove on the floor against the only real rival that Michigan basketball has. Michigan State is one of the best basketball teams in the country, but if both Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims are playing well, they can beat anybody.

It is a big “if”, but in the event that does happen, expect a great game that goes down to the wire.

Many students in the University of Michigan class of 2011 joke about how the sports gods hate us, how this is the worst time in the history of the school to be a sports fan, and how we are a curse on a school that prides itself on sports tradition.

We now know that the joke is becoming reality.

Between football, basketball, and hockey, all sports teams here in Ann Arbor have fallen flat. Over the course of the last three years, we have experienced unexpected (and some expected) losses day in and day out. Between our first football game (losing to Appalachian State), our first basketball season (10-22), and our hockey team’s performance in last year’s tournament (top seed upset by Air Force), we are going through one of the roughest times in the school’s history.

And yesterday’s basketball game against Northwestern confirmed those accusations once more.

Here we are, sitting on a 31-14 lead against the Wildcats, who were previously ranked for the first time in a zillion years. The team looked good and seemed to be back on the winning track. Then reality hit. A 43-18 run by Northwestern erased that lead for good and deflated all of the fans, and undoubtedly the players, too. This basketball season, which was supposed to be the one positive for Michigan sports, has turned into another disappointment.

But it is not because we simply lack talent. To me, it appears that the players just don’t care. Complacency in the second half led to an astounding 20 turnovers, and it seemed like every rebound was allowed to be swallowed up by the most unathletic big men in the Big Ten (Luka Mirkovic and Kyle Rowley). Michigan’s guards looked lost and uninterested for most of the game, and it has occurred to me that maybe these players just do not take the game seriously.

It’s best that they start taking things seriously, however, because the rest of the school is.

If you chose to watch the Michigan-Penn State basketball game last night instead of that football game in Pasadena, then chances are you’re a student or avid fan of one of the two aforementioned teams. Penn State jumped out to an early 31-16 halftime lead before falling apart in the second half and losing, 64-55. Keep in mind that Michigan shot 0-12 from beyond the arc in the first half, and they had not won a true road game up until last night.

I am a Michigan student (and I hate Texas), and this an abbreviated/censored version of what went through my mind as I watched.

(0-0, Michigan begins by missing two open 3-pointers)
“Here we go again… it’s going to be another looonnnngggg game”

(12-25, PSU on an 8-0 run)
“This team is complete trash. Nobody cares and nobody knows how to shoot. Beilein needs to start recruiting actual basketball players”

(16-31, halftime)
“I’m not going to watch the second half. I hope ‘Bama takes out Colt McCoy and the Tide beat down on whoever that backup QB is for Texas”

(26-42, PSU starting to run away with it)
“This team will not win a road game this season. I could go out there and manage to hit at least ONE long ball”

(46-47, Laval Lucas-Perry hits back-to-back 3-pointers)
“Unreal. I guess that’s what happens when you occasionally hit a 3-ball”

(49-47, Manny Harris gets a 3-point play, Colt McCoy gets hurt – done for the night)
“My night just went from awful to awesome in a matter of 10 seconds.”

(60-55, looking like Michigan is going to pull it out)
“I’m an idiot for ever doubting this team. 0-12 from beyond the arc in the first half and 7-11 in the second. Regression towards the mean is a beautiful thing”

(64-55, game over)
“How do I put this game into words?”

Of course, there were some other thoughts that went through my mind as these events transpired, but what I included were the main thoughts. I’m not sure what else to say now. I guess I’m still recovering from that awesome game… ehem, second half.