We all have a desire to know the future. Unfortunately we cannot until it becomes the past.But, for the purposes of picking a Super Bowl champion in September, Guilfordians have at their disposal a few willing professorial prognosticators.
As many of you may know, the National Football League season began last weekend. So, now is as good a time as any to record everyone’s predictions for the upcoming season.
Now, let’s get down to football.
During the off-season, no football “experts” picked the New England Patriots to repeat as Super Bowl Champions.
Dave Dobson, Geology professor, disagrees. “I think the Patriots have a better chance to repeat than a lot of people think,” he said. He added, howeevr, “if I’m not picking sentimentally, I like Indianapolis with [Peyton] Manning, [Edgerrin] James and [Marvin] Harrison.”
Dobson, known on campus as the creator of the computer game “Snood,” has been participating in fantasy football leagues for years. In fact, he named the game he invented after one of the teams in his league, “Snood Trunion.”
Jodi Gill, Assistant Dean for Campus Life, is a fan of the Cleveland Browns. “My whole Sunday was clouded by that atrocity in the Browns game,” she said, referring to the controversial ending of Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Despite her affiliation with the Browns, Gill thinks “the [Pittsburgh] Steelers could go far if they got rid of Kordell [Stewart].”
Gill thinks that the Patriots will repeat as Super Bowl Champions. “They’re the only team that has it together,” she said.
Ken Gilmore, Political Science professor, believes the Philadelphia Eagles will go home with the Lombardi Trophy. “Of course, I’m from Philly, so I may be a little biased,” he said.
Gilmore believes that the American Football Conference will come down to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins. He says the National Football Conference will be decided between the St. Louis Rams and his Philadelphia Eagles.
The last three Super Bowl Champions (St. Louis Rams-2000, Baltimore Ravens-2001, New England Patriots-2002) were not chosen to appear on Monday Night Football the year they won the championship.
This year, the teams not appearing on Monday Night Football are: Arizona, Atlanta, Buffalo, Carolina, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Minnesota, New Orleans and San Diego.
Are these teams the contenders for Super Bowl XXXVII? Only time will tell.