Columnist Dean Juipe: Assorted predictions for 2003

Dean Juipe

Friday, Jan. 3, 2003 | 9:16 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4084.

Let's get right to it. It's a new year and I'm predicting:

That the betting line on tonight's college football national championship game remains a little too stilted and that Ohio State is still the preferred play (at a plus 11 or so), considering that at least two experts I consulted who independently handicap games using their own formulas and numbers make Miami no better than a seven-point favorite;

That star Buckeyes running back Maurice Clarett leaves school three years early and bolts for the NFL regardless of how he or his team fares in the Fiesta Bowl;

That O.J. Simpson won't be welcomed back at any future Southern Cal football practices, given the poor response his recent visit received in the national media;

That Serena Williams does the seemingly impossible and wins the women's tennis Grand Slam;

That Tiger Woods once again finds his own Grand Slam goal too difficult to achieve on a men's golf tour with far greater depth than Williams comparatively faces in women's tennis;

That the home-field advantage proves to be the leading factor in the NFL playoffs and that the visitors lose every game, leading to an Oakland vs. Philadelphia Super Bowl;

That the UNLV men's basketball team continues to play well and needs only to defeat Utah here on Jan. 20 (on national TV) to crack the AP top 25;

That Rebel guard Marcus Banks comes to be regarded as a fan favorite and one of the program's best-ever clutch performers en route to the NBA;

That the depleted and declining Los Angeles Lakers rally to make the playoffs but cannot add to their total of three straight NBA championships;

That the controversy concerning the lack of female members at Augusta National will not go away, no matter how ridiculous the subject seems from a distance;

That the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour will enjoy a successful return to Las Vegas this spring when the Las Vegas Country Club hosts what could be a fun event;

That Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson each wins an upcoming fight and sign for a summer rematch, this time to be held in Las Vegas, and that Lewis wallops Tyson yet again;

That both the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators come up for grabs this summer, prompting the NHL to wish Las Vegas had built a suitable arena that could house one of the cash-strapped teams;

That the guys who were ordered by a judge to split the proceeds on Barry Bonds' 73rd home-run ball can't decide how to sell it and they wind up back in court again;

That UNLV football coach John Robinson goes hard this spring and summer to put together a better team than he had the last couple of years, thereby taking him off a potential hot seat;

That Community College of Southern Nevada baseball coach Tim Chambers scrutinizes his players' fathers a little better, given that one of them allegedly attacked him last year in a fit of rage;

That Bill Parcells goes through a season with the Dallas Cowboys and wishes he had stayed in retirement;

That Sun sports columnists will continue to deride the many offbeat leagues that come our way, and Las Vegas' place in them.