Happy New Year.
In honor of Peter Finney, the great oracle of New Orleans sports and this tradition’s curator for more than 50 years, let’s dust off the crystal ball and see what lies ahead in the 2016 sports year.
And as Peter always advised: Do not bet the kids’ tuition money on this inside information.
JANUARY
On New Years Day, Notre Dame beats Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, Stanford beats Iowa in the Rose Bowl and Ole Miss beats Oklahoma State in the Sugar Bowl before a capacity crowd in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. … Rummel cornerback Kristian Fulton verbally commits to LSU at the Under Armour All-American game in Orlando, Fla. … The San Diego Chargers fire head coach Mike McCoy and the San Diego Union-Tribune speculates that the club plans to make a run at Saints coach Sean Payton as his replacement. … LSU upsets Kentucky before a sellout crowd at the Maravich Assembly Center on a buzzer-beater by freshman Ben Simmons. … The Buffalo Bills hire Rob Ryan as senior defensive assistant coach. … The Tennessee Titans hire Chip Kelly as their head coach, teaming him again with quarterback Marcus Mariota. … Alabama wears down Clemson 28-26 to win the College Football Playoff championship game, Coach Nick Saban’s fourth in nine seasons as Crimson Tide coach. … New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin retires and the New York tabloids speculate that the organization plans to make a run at Sean Payton as his replacement. … The Seahawks beat the Packers and the Redskins beat the Vikings in the NFC Wild Card playoffs. … In the AFC, the Bengals and Texans advance with wins on their home fields. … NFL owners approve the relocation of the St. Louis Rams and San Diego Chargers to Los Angeles for the 2016 season. … In the wake of LSU’s rout of Texas Tech in the Texas Bowl, cornerback Tre’davious White, linebacker Kendall Beckwith and offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins announce they will forgo their final seasons of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft. Wide receiver Travin Dural and center Ethan Pocic elect to return for their senior seasons. … The Miami Dolphins make a bold play for Payton, reportedly offering him complete control of the football operations, a $10 million annual salary and a lifetime supply of Juicy Fruit gum. … After weighing interest from a handful of NFL teams, Payton elects to stay in New Orleans and finish the rebuilding plan in the Saints. “I see myself in New Orleans for the rest of my career,” Payton says at a press conference. “Or at least until the Cowboys job opens in Dallas.” … Spurned, the Dolphins hire UCLA head coach Jim Mora Jr. to be their head coach… The Chargers hire Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson to replace McCoy. … The Colts hire Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo to replace Chuck Pagano. … The Giants hire Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott to replace Coughlin. … The Eagles hire Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase to replace Kelly as head coach. … In the AFC divisional playoffs, the Patriots and Broncos advance. … In the NFC divisional playoffs, the Panthers and Cardinals win home games against the Redskins and Seahawks, respectively. … The Cardinals edge the Panthers in the NFC Championship Game, and the Patriots rout the Broncos to win the AFC Championship Game.
FEBRUARY
The best-dressed coach in the NFL, Bruce Arians, leads the Arizona Cardinals to Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)Brett Favre, Terrell Owens and Morten Andersen earn induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016. … The Cardinals upset the Patriots 30-27 in Super Bowl L in Santa Clara, Calif. Arizona coach Bruce Arian’s Kangol is overnighted to Canton, Ohio for display in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. … For the 179th consecutive year, the Zulu parade starts late on Mardi Gras Day and is delayed by a series of tractor breakdowns. … The New Orleans Pelicans defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 114-97 at the Smoothie King Center, aided in part because of Kobe Bryant’s refusal to leave the locker room after seeing the King Cake Baby in pregame warm-ups. … LSU loses 82-68 at Kentucky to finish a 21-10 regular season and earn a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. … Anthony Davis scores 24 points and blocks 5 shots to lead the West to a 123-112 win and earn the MVP award in the NBA All-Star Game in Toronto. … Saints wide receiver Marques Colston announces his retirement from the NFL. … The Saints release veterans David Hawthorne and C.J. Spiller to clear $3.1 million space on the salary cap. … Saints offensive tackle Zach Strief and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe restructure their contracts to clear $5 million more in cap space. … The Saints sign quarterback Drew Brees to a three-year, $48 million contract extension. … Kevin Harvick wins his second Daytona 500. … “The Best of Peter Finney: Legendary New Orleans Sportswriter” is released to rave reviews by LSU Press and quickly becomes a must-read for all Louisiana sports fans.
MARCH
Behind Simmons’ 23 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, LSU defeats West Virginia 83-80 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers’ first NCAA Tournament win since 2009. … The Saints sign veteran defensive tackle Haloti Ngata in free agency. … The Tigers lose to Maryland in the second round, and Simmons announces his intention to bypass his sophomore season and enter the NBA Draft. … Noble Thought holds off Tom Benson-owned, Tom Amoss-trained Mo Tom in the stretch to win the Louisiana Derby. … Louisville, Michigan State, Xavier and Maryland earn trips to the men’s Final Four in Houston. … Kenya’s Dominic Ondoro wins the Crescent City Classic after finishing second in 2015.
APRIL
Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah (38) is one of the leading pass rushers in the 2016 NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)Michigan State beats Louisville and Xavier upsets Maryland to advance to the finals of the men’s Final Four. Two nights later, the Spartans rout the Musketeers behind Denzel Valentine’s 23 points to win the school’s third national title. … Michigan State coach Tom Izzo caps a banner weekend by joining Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson in the Class of 2016 in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. … Rory McIlroy sinks a birdie putt on No. 18 to prevent Jordan Spieth from winning his back-to-back Masters. … At a press conference before the purple and gold spring game, LSU coach Les Miles promises to open up the Tigers’ offensive playbook in 2016 by vowing to attempt forward passes on consecutive downs at least once per half. … The Pelicans close out the regular season with a 109-102 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves to finish 42-40 and miss the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. … The Pelicans announce an overhaul of the team’s front office…. The Tennessee Titans select Ole Miss left tackle Laremy Tunsil with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. … The Saints select Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah in the first round of the NFL Draft. … The Saints select Houston cornerback William Jackson III and Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright III in the second and third rounds, respectively.
MAY
Former Alabama standout Justin Thomas wins the Zurich Classic. … Sail Ahoy closes strongly down the middle of the track under jockey Javier Castellano to win the Kentucky Derby and give trainer Shug McGaughey his second garland of roses. … New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu announces plans to erect a statue of Saints quarterback Drew Brees and rename the controversial roundabout Brees Circle. City Council unanimously approves the proposal. … Unbridled Outlaw upsets Sail Ahoy to win the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore.
JUNE
Swagger Jagger wins the Belmont. … Tulane upsets Houston in the American Athletic Conference tournament final to finish the season at 39-21 and advance to its 21st NCAA regional tournament. … Louisiana-Lafayette stuns LSU in the Baton Rouge Super Regional before a capacity crowd at Alex Box Stadium to earn the program’s second trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. … Spieth wins the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. … The Philadelphia 76ers select LSU forward Ben Simmons with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. … The Pelicans select Kentucky guard Jamal Murray with their first pick. … LeBron James records his second consecutive triple-double to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 101-98 victory against Golden State in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
JULY
McIlroy wins the British Open at Royal Troon in Ayrshire, Scotland. … Dustin Johnson wins the PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. … Junior Griffey and Trevor Hoffman are inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. … The Saints open training camp at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., by holding a closest-the-pin contest on the 18th hold of the resort’s PGA course. … Linebacker Dannell Ellerbe starts camp on the physically unable to perform list after sleeping wrong on his goose down pillow. … After finishing 2nd in 2013 and 2015, Colombia’s Nairo Quintana wins the 103rd Tour de France with a devastating series of attacks in the Pyrenees.
AUGUST
Former LSU standout Jasmin Stowers is an American Olympic hopeful in the women’s 100-meter hurdles. The Saints offense dominates the defense in the annual Black and Gold scrimmage at the Greenbrier and a traffic overload causes the FireDennisAllen.com website to crash. … Led by new heroes, gymnast Simone Biles, swimmers Tom Shields and Katie Ledecky, the United States wins 97 medals to easily outdistance China and Great Britain in the overall media competition at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. … American Jordan Wilimovsky loses a chance to win gold in the men’s marathon swim when he hits a floating tire offshore of Fort Copacabana. … James, Steph Curry and Anthony Davis lead Team USA to an easy victory over Spain in the gold medal game of the men’s basketball competition. … Jamaica’s Usain Bolt completes unprecedented third consecutive sweep of the gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter sprints but is forced to relinquish his medals after testing positive for moose antler powder in the games’ drug testing program. … Former LSU standout Jasmin Stowers wins gold in the 100-meter hurdles. … Oklahoma opens the season at No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25. LSU is No. 7. … The Saints defeat the Baltimore Ravens 19-17 in their preseason opener at the Superdome.
SEPTEMBER
Leonard Fournette rushes for 156 yards and scores all three touchdowns as LSU edges Wisconsin 21-20 in its season opener at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. … Wake Forest survives a furious fourth-quarter rally to beat Tulane 28-27 in Coach Willie Fritz’s debut as Green Wave coach. … A week later, Tulane rolls up 340 yards on the ground to bury Southern 35-16 in its home opener and give Fritz his first win at the school before a capacity crowd of 25,670 at Yulman Stadium. … Jacksonville State catches LSU in a classic trap game and nearly stuns the Tigers at Tiger Stadium before succumbing in the fourth quarter, 35-33. … LSU crushes Mississippi State but loses its first game of the season at Auburn. Tiger Athletic Foundation boosters reportedly meet to discuss buying out Miles’ contract after the season. … Tulane closes out the month with wins against Louisiana-Lafayette and UMass to improve to a surprising 3-1.
OCTOBER
The Chicago Cubs end a 60-year drought by defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series. The Toronto Blue Jays defeat the surprising Boston Red Sox in six games to win the ALCS. … LSU sandwiches wins against Missouri, Southern Miss and Ole Miss, around a loss to the Gators in the Swamp. The Tigers enter their annual showdown with Alabama at 6-2 and ranked No. 13 in the AP Top 25. … Tulane upsets Navy but loses the next two weeks at Tulsa and Central Florida. … The Saints defeat the Seattle Seahawks 26-24 on Monday Night Football behind Ben Watson’s two touchdown catches. Brandon Browner gets revenge against his former team by holding Jimmy Graham to one catch for 18 yards. Saints fans petition for Browner’s immediate induction into the Saints’ Ring of Honor. … Josh Donaldson break the hearts of Cubs’ fans everywhere by homering off closer Hector Rondon in the bottom of the 9th to give the Blue Jays a dramatic 4-3 win in Game 7 of the World Series.
NOVEMBER
LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) will enter the 2016 college football season as one of the leading candidates for the Heisman Trophy. LSU snaps a five-game losing streak against archrival Alabama on Trent Domingue last-second 41-yard field goal. … LSU loses to Arkansas in Fayetteville but finishes with wins against South Alabama and Texas A&M to close out a 9-3 regular season. Fournette becomes the first LSU back to top the 2,000-yard mark in a season, but the Tigers miss the SEC Championship Game for the fifth consecutive season. Tiger Athletic Foundation boosters reportedly meet to discuss buying out Miles’ contract after the season.
DECEMBER
Tulane beats SMU at Yulman Stadium to finish 6-6 in Willie Fritz’ first season. … In one of the closest votes in the history of the Downtown Athletic Club, LSU running back Leonard Fournette is awarded the Heisman Trophy over Florida State running back Dalvin Cook and Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield. … Saints let tackle Terron Armstead and cornerback Delvin Breaux receive the first Pro Bowl invitations of their NFL careers. … In an unprecedented move, the LHSAA plays championship quadruple-headers on every day in the final two weeks of December to award 56 state titles in 32 different divisions. Participation trophies are awarded to the rest of the schools in the state that fall short of the title games. … Brees passes for 4,000 yards for 11th consecutive season in New Orleans and the Saints close out their season with a home win against Tampa Bay to finish 9-7, one game out of a wild-card berth in the NFC playoffs. … The Buffalo Bills miss the NFL playoffs for the 17th consecutive season and fire Rex and Rob Ryan. The Buffalo News reports Bills officials plan to make a run at Saints coach Sean Payton to be Ryan’s replacement.
