by Cory Woodroof | Sep 2, 2014 | Opinion, Sports
Hello, football fans! Lumination Senior Editor and self-described NFL nut Cory Woodroof here. We’re just around the corner from the start of the 2014 NFL season – a season that is sure to be filled with all the patented drama, excitement and intrigue that always accompanies another installment of professional football. Will this be the year Broncos QB Peyton Manning finally gets his second Super Bowl ring? Will Aaron Rodgers take his Packers back to the top after being sidelined for most of 2013? Will the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, become the first team to win two top titles in a row since the heyday of the Belichick-Brady Patriots? All these questions and more lay ahead in what is shaping up to be a stellar year in the NFL. Below, I’ve broken down each division, picked a winner and have provided even more speculation into some of the league’s top awards. So, without further ado, down, set, hut, hut, hike! AFC PREDICTIONS AFC NORTH With the AFC North, it’s all about who can stop the Bengals. With one of 2013’s most potent offenses in the NFL remaining largely intact, Andy Dalton and company should be able to produce the same results as last season. Their defense is also one of the more feared in the NFL. But, the Ravens, with added weapon Steve Smith on offense and Alabama great C.J. Mosley now at linebacker, could cause some noise. The Steelers need a little more help on offense before returning to the postseason, and the Browns are still in the middle of an identity crisis at the...
by Kage Sanderson | Feb 4, 2014 | Opinion, Sports
Super Bowl XLVIII on February 3rd was the best game of the year for Seattle Seahawks fans and possibly the saddest game of the year for Denver Broncos fans. Something most viewers can agree with, I’m sure, is that this year’s Super Bowl commercials were pretty great. The commercial that had me teary was Microsoft’s “Empowering” commercial. The commercial is narrated by former NFL player Steve Gleason. I have been moved by Gleason’s story since I first learned about his diagnosis with ALS. The commercial shows how technology unites us, is a helping tool and as the commercial says, gives hope to the hopeless and voice to the voiceless. If you haven’t seen this commercial, do yourself a favor and check it out. Both of Tim Tebow’s T-Mobile commercials were some of the funniest. They were such a brilliant way to play on the whole “no contract” theme. I love that Tebow talks about not having a contract, but then turns around and shows how he (supposedly) spent the NFL season. Some of the things Tebow does in those commercials are so audaciously funny, like bull riding in one and playing football on the moon in the other. I definitely laughed with each T-Mobile commercial shown. The Hyundai commercial with the dad who has a “sixth sense” was awesome. It made you think about how dads always seem like the superheroes who save the day. By the end of the commercial the Hyundai Genesis saves the day when the young teen driver gets distracted. Hilarious. Alright, the Doritos commercial where the kid rides his mastiff like a horse was...
by Brianne Welch | Mar 7, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
Two days after a slew of famous country music singers performed at Lipscomb, the three quarterbacks for the Tennessee Titans spoke in the Gathering on Thursday morning to a crowd consisting of Lipscomb students from both the college and Lipscomb Academy. Quarterbacks Rusty Smith, Jake Locker and Matt Hasselbeck sat down in a Q-&-A with Scott Sager, the university’s vice president of Church Services, to talk about their faiths and, of course, some football as well. The very first topic addressed was how football and faith work together in the lives of these professional athletes. “I grew up around football in Colorado, but my parent’s weren’t really strong in their faith until I was in third grade,” Hasselbeck said. The veteran quarterback went on to say how involved he and his family were in the church even through his high school career. Locker took the mic next, but according to the newest Titans quarterback, faith did not really come into play until his sophomore year in high school. “I had a coach who challenged me to become a stronger believe, and he started a Bible study with us, and it kind of grew from there,” Locker said. When Smith took the mic, he said that faith definitely came first in his life because he did not even start playing football until his eighth grade year. “I was very fortunate to have a mom and a dad who grew up in a church themselves,” Smith said. The interview went on for around 30 minutes, but the guys were able to leave the student body and everyone in attendance with some...
by Brianne Welch | Jan 9, 2013 | Opinion
After The University of Alabama blew out the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame Monday night 42-14, the Southeastern Conference claimed its seventh straight National Title win – not to mention its eighth win in the past ten years. This game helps support the fact that the SEC is the dominant conference in NCAA Division I college football. Seven years ago, during the 2006/2007 college football season, The University of Florida was scheduled to play Ohio State University for the BCS National Championship. Florida embarrassed Ohio State by winning 41-14. At the time, very few commentators, analysts, fans or coaches believed that the SEC was anything special, but with the blowout of the Ohio State Buckeyes came the dynasty of the SEC. Professionals and amateurs alike have all been debating whether or not the SEC is the most dominant conference for years, and now it is safe to say that the SEC is indeed the most powerful conference in college football. After the National Championship game on Monday night, the AP and Coaches polls released their postseason rankings. Seven SEC teams landed in the top 25, five in the top 10 and three in the top 5. The SEC is the strongest conference in college football also due to the incredible athletes it recruits. Over the past 20 years, the SEC has sent over 550 players to the NFL draft. The Big 10 has sent 396, and the PAC-12 has only sent 250. Not only does the SEC have the most teams in top 25 rankings, but it also has the most difficult schedules. According to teamrankings.com, teams in the SEC...
by Logan Butts | Nov 9, 2012 | Opinion, Sports
The 2012 NFL season has already provided for more truly memorable moments than entire seasons have in the past. Due in large part to the presence of the mostly incompetent ‘replacements refs’ through the league’s brief referee lockout, the first half of the season has been equal parts enthralling and chaotic. There have been overtimes, converted onside kicks, last-second ‘Hail Mary’s, controversial calls and even a sequel to the ‘Music City Miracle’ – all of that coming from the Titans 44-41 victory over the Lions during week three. A brawl almost broke out in the Rams-Redskins game. The Panthers have been running the option with Cam Newton. If Bill Belichick had ripped off his sleeveless hoodie to reveal a Patriots uniform underneath and caught a game-winning touchdown pass from Ton Brady, I would not have been the least-bit surprised. Not only were the games extremely entertaining, but the storylines were as intriguing as ever. Peyton Manning has reclaimed his spot on the league’s Mount Rushmore of quarterbacks, while rookie Robert Griffin III is making a case for his inclusion. The two pre-season Super Bowl favorites, the Packers and the Patriots, did not have a winning record through week six. The presumably lowly Cardinals were undefeated going into their fifth game. The ‘Bountygate’ punishments handed out to the winless Saints have proven to be worse than the experts previously thought. On top of all that, SportsCenter has barely mentioned New York Jets QB Tim Tebow for the last few weeks, which has to be some sort of record. To celebrate the madness that has occurred throughout the first half of the...
