the tindog coffeehouse

It’s March Madness time again, and once again I’m going on record with my picks for the tournament. And once again, the only thing I’m certain of is that I’m totally and completely wrong. But at least I have enough sense to not bet cash money on it, right?

A few sidenotes: First, I don’t care about college basketball in the slightest. The only time I pay any attention to it is in March, and I lose interest after about halfway through the second round when all my Final Four picks have been beaten. Second, there are precisely zero teams from the state of Texas in the tournament, which means that my interest level is even less than normal. And third, even though I’ve made my picks, I’m not comfortable with most of them. About the only one I feel remotely happy with is Indiana, which means they’ll probably be beaten in the first round. Awesome.

With that said, let’s do this thing.

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I’m still a Texas Longhorns fan. I want to be perfectly clear about that.

But it’s becoming harder every year.

This year’s Thanksgiving game between Texas and TCU was one that I had been salivating over for a year, ever since Texas A&M bolted for the SEC and the Horned Frogs were finally allowed to sit at the adult table with the rest of their former SWC brethren. Texas needed someone to fill their annual Turkey Day game, and since most of the 2012 schedule had already been filled, it was easiest just to stick TCU in that slot. Few expected that to be a permanent new tradition, but as both a Texas fan and TCU fan, I was happy for what I got.

I wondered at the time, though, who I would root for. With the Horns and Frogs in different conferences, I rarely had to choose; I could root for both equally since they rarely played each other. With them both in the Big 12, however, I would have to decide a preference. By the beginning of the year, I knew that preference would be the Frogs.

The funny thing is, though, that preference would’ve been there regardless of the Big 12 realignment.

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“If you woke up the morning and felt differently,” tweeted ESPN, “that’s because college football is back.”

That’s right kids. The long drought is finally over. Basketball season? Ancient history. The Olympics? A distant memory. Baseball? A mere distraction. This, ladies and gentlemen, is all that matters every Saturday from now through January 7th. May the odds be ever in your favor.

So where do we stand on opening day of the 2012 college football season? Well, for one, the BCS is officially on deathwatch, with its demise expected in 2014. And then there’s the whole Penn State thing (whose punishment wasn’t nearly severe enough, in my opinion). And Ohio State is also banned from a bowl game this year. And finally there’ve been a few conference changes. (Yes, of course I’m talking about the University of North Texas joining Conference USA.)

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Well, here it is. March Madness. The NCAA Tournament of 2012. And my fourth year of posting my picks to win the whole enchilada. As you probably know by now, I stand absolutely no chance of picking the actual winners, so as always, I strongly advise you against betting my picks. You’ve been warned.

Alrighty, here we go:

South Region. Maybe the toughest region of the tourney, and possibly the toughest to predict. A lot of games could go either way. The odds are in Kentucky’s favor, and they’re my pick to reach the Final Four, but I’ll still be rooting hard for Baylor. Sic ‘Em!

West Region. This is probably the most interesting region. The “experts” are bullish on Iona to be the Cinderella team of the year. I don’t really know anything about them, but I like the band, so I’m going with them to reach the Sweet 16. Memphis probably has the greatest upset potential, but I still think it’ll come down to Michigan State and Mizzou for the Final Four, and I’m taking the Tigers to beat Sparty.

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It’s a sad day for the sport of collegiate chess in the state of Texas. It seems that Texas Tech chess coach Susan Polgar is leaving Lubbock to coach chess at Webster University in St. Louis. I know, I know. It’s a shock to me, too. But that’s the chess world for you.

Now, I like to pride myself on my in-depth knowledge of the game of chess, but I have to admit that there were some things that even I learned reading this story. For example, that there is such thing as collegiate chess. And that Texas Tech (Texas frickin’ Tech!) is the national champion of it. And that high school recruits can earn chess scholarships just like other athletes can. (Note to self: Start teaching my kids chess immediately!)

A few other things I learned:

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Previously:
And it’s goodbye to A&M
Why I’m a fan
That awkward moment when your daughter says she wants to go to Texas A&M