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Michael Tartaglia

Tagline Sports 2019 College Football Predictions

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Once again, it is the dawn of a new college football season.  With the memory of Clemson’s route of Alabama in the National Championship still fresh in everyone’s mind, it is time to move towards crowning out next champion.  Unlike the previous few seasons, there was a lot of turnover of the previous leaders; many went to the NFL, while graduated onto the next stages of their careers.  The ferocious Clemson defensive line have gone on to Sundays while the Big Ten’s best QBs found themselves new locations to start under center.  Nonetheless, it is a time to recruit, regroup, and refocus on the task at hand.

With that, yesterday you saw the first ever Tagline Sports Top 25.  Today its time for predictions for the 2019 season.  This spans from conference placings and champions to playoff predictions and bold statements.  And with that here we go!

ACC

Championship Game: Clemson (10-2) over Virginia (9-3)

Biggest Riser: Duke (9-3)

Biggest Dropper: Syracuse (6-6)

Bold Prediction: Clemson will go 0-2 in games inside the state of North Carolina.

American

Championship Game: Houston (9-3) over UCF (10-2)

Biggest Mover: Houston (9-3)

Biggest Dropper: Cincinnati (6-6)

Bold Prediction: UConn will win two in-conference road games.

Big Ten

Championship Game: Penn State (11-1) over Purdue (10-2)

Biggest Mover: Purdue (10-2)

Biggest Dropper: Michigan (7-5)

Bold Prediction: Michigan will fall to Penn State, Notre Dame, and Maryland in consecutive weeks, but will beat Ohio State.

Big 12

Championship Game: Oklahoma (10-2) over TCU (10-2)

Biggest Mover: TCU (10-2)

Biggest Dropper: West Virginia (2-10)

Bold Prediction: Jalen Hurts will make it to NY and capture Oklahoma’s third straight Heisman Trophy, but will not make it three in around 1st-overall draft picks.

C-USA

Championship Game: North Texas (12-0) over Marshall (10-2)

Biggest Mover: Florida Atlantic (9-3)

Biggest Dropper: Louisiana Tech (3-9)

Bold Prediction: North Texas will be the Group of 5 representative in the New Year’s Six.

MAC

Championship Game: Toledo (11-1) over Miami OH (8-4)

Biggest Mover: Bowling Green (8-4)

Biggest Dropper: Buffalo (5-7)

Bold Prediction: The MAC will go 2-0 in their games against Kentucky (Toledo 8/31 and Eastern Michigan 9/7).

Mountain West

Championship Game: Boise State (11-1) over San Diego State (10-2)

Biggest Mover: San Jose State (7-5)

Biggest Dropper: Utah State (7-5)

Bold Prediction: Fresno State will stun USC and Minnesota to open the season.

Pac-12

Championship Game: Arizona State (10-2) over Oregon (9-3)

Biggest Mover: UCLA (8-4)

Biggest Dropper: Utah (6-6)

Bold Prediction: Herm Edwards will win Coach of the Year.

SEC

Championship Game: Alabama (10-2) over Georgia (10-2)

Biggest Mover: Arkansas (6-6)

Biggest Dropper: Florida (6-6)

Bold Prediction: Alabama will lose a big first half lead in the SEC Championship Game, only to win the game on the last drive thanks to an untimely Georgia fumble as they try to close out the game.

Sun Belt

Championship Game: Appalachian State (11-1) over Arkansas State (8-4)

Biggest Mover: Appalachian State (11-1)

Biggest Dropper: Georgia Southern (6-6)

Bold Prediction: App State QB Zac Thomas will be a finalist for the Maxwell Award.

College Football Playoff & New Year’s Six

Fiesta Bowl (Semifinal): (1) Clemson over (4) Oklahoma, 27-10

Peach Bowl (Semifinal): (2) Alabama over (3) Penn State, 28-13

Cotton Bowl:  Oregon over North Texas, 24-19

Orange Bowl: Notre Dame over Virginia, 32-0

Rose Bowl: Arizona State over Purdue, 34-28

Sugar Bowl: Georgia over TCU, 38-7

 

National Championship: Alabama over Clemson, 45-13

And with that, we are on to the 2019 College Football Season. First up – Florida & Miami this Saturday. College football is back!

Tagline Sports FBS Top 25 Preseason 2019

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Just as quick as the sun set on Santa Clara for the Alabama Crimson Tide, the sun rises on another College Football Season, with defending champion Clemson looking to to once again show why they deserve to be on top.  But with an ever changing landscape, college football never has a dull moment.  Perhaps the biggest change will come near the top, with Ohio State needing to fill the holes left by Urban Meyer and Dwayne Haskins; will Ryan Day and Justin Fields be the answer in Columbus?  Meanwhile, in Norman, the Sooners will once again have a transfer quarterback at the helm, with Jalen Hurts swapping one crimson jersey for another.  Can Lincoln Riley make another star in the center of the country as he did with Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray?  As for their rivals one state south, Texas put a statement finish on their season with a win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl – now its Sam Ehlinger’s time to put up and push the Longhorns forward.

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Belmont Stakes 2019 – Selections

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As we turn the calendar to June, we find ourselves at the final leg of the Triple Crown – the Belmont Stakes.  A field of ten line up to show the world what they can do, here in the Test of Champions.  For these horses, they will do something they may never do again in their careers, race at a mile and a half on the dirt.  Both speed and stamina is tested as the field takes a trip around the famed New York oval, Big Sandy.

While most of the top horses that we saw on the Road to the Kentucky Derby will be sitting at home, we do get the Preakness winner, War of Will, to show up, competing in all three legs of the Triple Crown.  A good case can be made the he could have been the winner of the Kentucky Derby, had it not been for Maximum Security.  And yet, here we are – no Derby winner in the field (neither of them) and a race far from filled with star talent – but this may be one of the toughest Belmont Stakes in recent memory.  With favorites drawn wide and many with the pedigree to go long, its hard to land on just one horse to win here – there is no clear favorite, unlike many of the previous years, and rather a collection of talent that outlasted the spring grind.  With that, let’s go through the field.

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Preakness 2019 – Selections

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As the Black-Eyed Susans bloom and the racing world shifts to Baltimore, a different vibe comes upon this year’s Preakness Stakes. Horse racing has been in the public eye these past two weeks – just moments after a historic disqualification of Maximum Security in the Kentucky Derby the world has been abuzz about what will happen next. Controversy surrounded the sport, this time for good headlines, while everyone carried an opinion. No longer was horse racing talked about by its loyal fans – now everyone, from the paperboy to the janitor had something to say. As the sun sets on the Twin Spires and the mist rolls in at Old Hilltop, its time to move on to the Second Jewel of the Triple Crown, just without a Triple Crown.

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Kentucky Derby 2019 – Weekend Selections

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When the sun comes up over Louisville on Saturday, shining down on the roses and through the twin spires, it will be time for the greatest two minutes in all of sports.  Few moments in sports can capture so much history.  Winners.  Champions.  Legends.  They all come together in the heart of racing.  It is neither the oldest, nor the longest Triple Crown race, yet it is the most important.  It was 1875 when Aristides was the first to come down the famed Churchill Downs stretch and be named the winner of the Kentucky Derby.  Yet it wasn’t until the 1890s when the race truly became what it is today, with the famed twin spires as the backdrop of a mile and a quarter test for the garland of roses.  Ben Brush, the first to taste the roses, became an instrumental part of the pedigree of 48 of the past 50 Derby winners.

Just a year removed from a Triple Crown, our second this decade after a long, and at many times seemingly endless, drought, we begin again with a new set of three year olds, all with a chance to cement themselves in history.  As the sun sets on Churchill Downs, a winner will be crowned, perhaps even a champion, and maybe, just like a year ago, a legend will be born.  Twenty horses.  Ten furlongs.  Two minutes.  One victor.  145 years of history – all down to 1.

Kentucky Derby weekend is unlike any other.  While the Breeders’ Cup may have the champions, Royal Ascot the pageantry, Saratoga the unchanged history, and Dubai the riches, nothing shares the same feeling that is felt come the First Saturday in May.  Moments after the Breeders’ Cup Classic wraps up, the focus of racing shifts away from the championship division and goes towards a bunch of then two year olds, all full of energy – and inexperience – that are gunning for one goal, be one of the twenty in the starting gate come 6:50pm on May 4th.  As the months tick by, the list slims and the cream of the crop rises to the occasion.  Races, in all corners of the world, name their representative to send to Kentucky.  From California to Florida, Ireland to Japan, horses across the world compete for much more than putting their name on a local trophy.  This weekend is another such occasion, when a culmination of months of work joins to one.

This weekend, champions of yesterday and today will arrive to the famed circle of Churchill Downs to compete for the ultimate prizes.  While we will watch many greats race on the undercards on Friday and Saturday, the features are for the three year olds in the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Oaks.  With that, let’s get into my selections for the weekend.  I will note, these races were handicapped for a projected wet ground, as heavy rains are in the forecast for the weekend in Louisville.

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Kentucky Derby 2019 – Contenders & Pretenders

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With the untimely scratch of our Kentucky Derby favorite Omaha Beach, this field takes a slightly different turn for home.  While the predicted pace doesn’t look to have been changed by much, although Maximum Security will look to have a bit more breathing room without Omaha Beach running right with him, the odds have, with the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Game Winner the new favorite.  If he stays as the favorite come post time, he will be the first Kentucky Derby favorite not to have won on the year since Timber Country in 1995.

Now, as we take a look at the field, we need to see who is a contender and who is a pretender.  With the scratch of Omaha Beach, this has shaken things up and moved some talented horses up.

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Kentucky Derby 2019 – Field Analysis

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There is no better week of the year than Kentucky Derby Week. The Run for the Roses is just days away so its time to analyze the field as we search for who will come out on top under the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs.

All this week I will have analysis on the field, leading up to my selections for all the weekends big races on Friday morning. Today, we will look at the field now that the post positions have been drawn to find out a bit more about the field of 20.

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Tagline NFL 2019 Mock Draft

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It’s the NFL’s version of Christmas! Nothing screams the start of a new season like the NFL Draft. Unlike the last few years, this year we have gotten a very mixed back of talent, a lot of players that could be stars and a lot that look like they need more time – all in the first round. Topping the draft boards for many teams are the defensive trio of Quinnen Williams, Nick Bosa, and Devin White – but the biggest question is who of them will come off the board first? With that, let’s get started with the first ever Tagline Sports NFL Mock Draft.

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Horse Racing – Tagline Numbers – Meadowlands 3/15/2019

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Back on my old site, Horse Racing Station, I had released my own Speed Figures for Harness Racing… Thought it was about time that I carried them over to Tagline Sports.

Previously named Pure Speed Figures, Tagline Numbers are harness racing speed figures that capture how fast a horse paced/trotted in respect to both the track, quality of race, and balance of speed between beginning of the race and the last quarter. Based on years of collected data from every track, Tagline Numbers allow for comparison between tracks and go beyond just the time.

With that, download my Tagline Numbers speed figures below and enjoy the races from The Meadowlands on Friday, March 15th! And if you see me at the track – come say hi!

Tagline Numbers – Meadowlands – March 15, 2019Download

Alliance of American Football – A Game Changer?

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Tonight, the Alliance of American Football has the chance to change the model of football, forever. Previously, college was the make-or-break for football players. One chance to make the NFL. Otherwise, your potential career is left up to chance.

With the Alliance of American Football, the brainchild of Charlie Ebersol, a developmental league, at the professional level, is alive. Attempted previously with the XFL (which will soon be back in 2020), developmental football was never an option – gimmicks, calendar placement, and television reach made a league financially impossible. Now, it has a chance. Filling the void left between the Super Bowl and the NFL Draft, the AAF aims to provide fans with an enjoyable 21st century style of game – faster paced, more data, more fun. It is also a return to normalcy – what happens on the field is what we care about; less penalties, less referees dictating games, and less arguments.

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