Time to look toward March…Madness

As the Super Bowl came to an end, I found myself with tears in my eyes.

Not because I was happy for Peyton Manning. The tears in my eyes represented the void that football fills in my life. It has become that one thing that makes me feel better regardless of my mood. So without it, what will I do? What will we all do?

But as I remember all the great moments from the season, I realize I can’t live in the past, and must move on. I have to focus on the present. I have to forget about football for a couple months and think about other things. Trust me everyone, I won’t be crying for long.

No, “The Real World” didn’t get canceled. It’s almost March Madness.

Quoting Dicky V., “Oh yeah Babyyyyy!”

Excluding the Playboy Mansion, it is the greatest pool of 64 known to man.

I mean, skipping class to watch UCLA play North Valley State Western Tech at 10 a.m.? There’s nothing better. What’s better than getting beat in your pool that you spent 30 hours dissecting by somebody who picked all the cutest mascots to be in the Final Four?

The best part of it all is that every team is still alive in February, including Cal Poly.

After you hear me out, you’ll realize why the Mustangs have a real shot of playing in March.

First of all, the 11-9 record might not blow your socks off – understandable.

You may say: how can Cal Poly make the tournament if it can’t beat cellar dwellers of the West Coast like Oregon State and San Jose State.

That’s because Cal Poly plays down to its competition. Just look at what the Mustangs did against the best.

I bet most of you don’t even realize that Cal Poly has beaten multiple top 10 teams. First, the Mustangs destroyed No.14 Occidental (Division III) and No. 15 Cal State Stanislaus (Division II).

Now that I have your attention, let me hit you with another little bit of knowledge.

The Mustangs have beaten UC Davis twice this season – including their first win over the Aggies since 1993.

UC Davis won the national championship. So what if it was at the Division II level in 1998?

Start jumping on the bandwagon.

Cal Poly may struggle in the (loaded) Big West Conference at times, but I think it could make some serious noise if it played in the ACC.

Earlier in the season, the Mustangs beat St. Mary’s, which just recently beat once-ranked Gonzaga. That Gonzaga team beat No. 5 North Carolina by eight points earlier in the season.

So it’s pretty simple, Cal Poly’s better than UNC.

Oh yeah, and that thing called the West Coast bias? I mean, come on!

I hear all this Duke-North Carolina hype for this week’s rivalry game, but what about us? Did they forget that Cal Poly essentially beat North Carolina and is the superior team?

I mean, Cal Poly plays Long Beach State tonight and I haven’t seen “SportsCenter” show any love.

The Mustangs will fly under the radar until March Madness arrives, then they will make their mark.

Everyone will think it’s a big fluke when Cal Poly makes it to the Sweet 16, except those who begin to believe today. Then when Cal Poly takes out North Carolina, the entire world will begin to believe. Sad that it took that long.

Though football may be over and the skies may be gray outside, there are brighter days ahead.

Especially come March.