With the football season being over for not only the North Dakota State University Bison but also for the Minnesota Vikings, the question becomes what now.
For sports fans, it is the long wait until Fall camp begins and the predictions come rolling in. For now, here are five things you can look forward to in the immediate future.
I am going to rank these from the most obvious (5) to the one you really didn't think of (1).
5. NFL Playoffs
This one is an obviously the one sports fans will fall back on. Saturdays and Sundays will be taken up by people watching teams that don't matter to them fight it out for a berth in the Super Bowl XLVII.
The Super Bowl will be the last hurrah for football fans as they wait for the middle of the Summer when all media outlets begin to over report on NFL and college training camps.
4. Super Bowl
Speaking of that last hurrah. Since this comes after the playoffs, it must be number four. Everyone will be watching this game and about half of them are only going to be concerned about the commercials.
I have the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers for the big game, but it really doesn't matter to me. My team, the Dallas Cowboys, were out of it by the time they decided to pin their hopes on Tony Romo.
3. NHL Hockey
May not be a popular choice, but let us take a moment to think about it. On a large scale, a 48-game schedule, which is what is being proposed, means better hockey from teams that see the end of the season much closer.
In a regional sense, we finally get a chance to see the Minnesota Wild play after putting together a great roster during the off-season. Even I can get on board with that one.
2. College Basketball
I'm not looking at March Madness in specific, but more looking at teams regionally. The Minnesota Gophers men's basketball team is in the top 25 and play in the nation's toughest conference.
The South Dakota State University Jackrabbits are the Summit League favorites to repeat as conference champions and represent the conference in the Big Dance.
Meanwhile, NDSU and their men's basketball team is off to a 4-0 start in league play and is currently ranked 11th in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll. That is all very impressive but not quite as impressive as what the SDSU women's team is trying to do.
Every year since being eligible to make the NCAA Tournament in 2009, the Jackrabbits women's basketball team has made it. This year appears to be no different. Men's or women's basketball, that is impressive.
1. High School Basketball
In the state of North Dakota, Class B Boy's basketball always has a dedicated local following. To me, however, it is the East Region of Class A that I am watching closely this winter. Shanley, West Fargo, Fargo Davies, Red River and even Fargo South are my teams to watch.
Four of those teams are well within a five minute drive for me and contain some serious talent. I got hooked last year watching Shanley games and will be continuing to go back this season when the opportunity arises.
There you have it. Five options to keep you sports fans busy immediately. This way, you can skip out on the household chores by saying that you've been waiting all week to watch this game. Reality is, you've just been looking for an excuse.
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