Prognosticating Failure

Bowl season's over and the aftermath isn't pretty

Jan. 8, 2008

By Brian Jones

Special to CSTV.com


	BRIAN JONES Brian Jones is a football analyst for CSTV and CSTV.com. E-mail here!

A while back I heard someone make the following statement: "We being humans our memories often omit or redefine our failures and over emphasize successes."

Well, it's time for me to walk the walk by admitting my failures and one or two successes, of course, with a little less emphasis.

It doesn't give me pleasure in saying that I'm glad to see this college bowl season end.

But I am.

You see, my bowl picks were absolutely horrid. Let's start with my upset special Hawaii versus Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Really folks, I thought the Warriors had a shot. But then they come out the chute trash talking and fired up the already fired up Dawgs even more. As my buddy Forrest Jackson likes to say, "Son, don't let your alligator mouth overshoot your hummingbird butt."

Now that's getting a point across Texas style!

Next was the Fiesta Bowl, with West Virginia facing Oklahoma. OU was one the hottest teams in college football coming off a big over Missouri in the Big 12 Championship game. On the flipside the Mountaineers stunk up the joint versus their rivals Pittsburgh and were reeling or so I thought from the departure of their head coach.

Well I'll be a monkey's uncle if them damn Mountaineers didn't show up and show out. I was all set to heap substantial praise on West Virginia before some fan in their camp attributed an erroneous email to me - see below. So, I'll just say job well done.

Then there was the big one between the acronyms, LSU and OSU. No, not Oklahoma State, are you kidding me? The Ohio State Buckeyes had made adjustments in their mind, body, soul and fast twitch muscles to contend with an SEC team. Okay, there is still work to be done in the fast twitch department. LSU played a masterful game and dealt the Buckeyes as well as my prognosticating a fatal season ending blow.

I did get the Rose Bowl winner correct, although it wasn't as close as I predicted. But who cares about scores. I chose the correct victor. Hold on, I'm not done patting myself on the back. I find some solace in the fact Kansas defeated Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl as I so eloquently forecasted on Crystal Ball. There were a few more victories yours truly got right in other bowls, but why overemphasize one's successes.

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STATEMENT ON WEST VIRGINIA

In response to the recent fraudulent email attributed to me by West Virginia fans on various websites, I want the fans to know that I did not write these comments. I have never responded to fan e-mails, so this simply could not have come from me. Furthermore, while I'm passionate about my predictions and sometimes mercurial, they do not stoop to the level of denigrating an entire institution or maligning an excellent football program and their new head coach immediately after an impressive, emotional bowl victory.

In conclusion, let me reiterate that the comments attributed to me are false.