I’m not sure if this is a dream come true, or a nightmare. I imagine that the outcome of Sunday’s game will go far in determining that. My hometown team, the Chicago Bears, face the Seahawks who happen to represent the city that I currently live in. Make no mistake, I have a clear rooting interest. You know when people say “I don’t care who wins, I like both teams”? Yeah, this is NOT one of those times. If the Bears don’t win, I’ll be disappointed. And if the Seahawks win, I’ll have to eat crow in the city I call home.

I think I’ll be safe though. The Bears quarterback situation notwithstanding. The Seahawks come in this game pretty beaten up. I read an article in the Seattle Times about how lucky the Seahawks are.

But being lucky matters as much as being good in the NFL postseason and, while the Bears clearly remain the best team left in the NFC, Seattle arrives as the luckiest.

How stupid. If the Seahawks win, it won’t be because they were lucky. It will most likely because Rex Grossman didn’t focus on his preparation (again). The Bears dominated the Seahawks earlier this year 37-6. Granted, the Seahawks were without Shaun Alexander and Jerramy Stevens. But Alexander hasn’t looked like the dominant runner he has in years past. He looks tenative and still recovering.

The Bears will have a healthy secondary to go up against the Seahawks battered wide receivers. I like the Bears chances there. And the Bears offense should (I hope) rely on a solid running game, that will hopefully open up the defense so the Bears can take advantage of their secondary. I like the Bears at home. The point spread is a little much for my taste. I don’t think the Bears will pound them by 9 points. Not this time around. But I like the Bears chances to win their first playoff game since 1995 and go to the NFC Championship game.

Well, I have to admit, that the BCS National Championship game did not turn out the way that I anticipated. Coming in I thought the Gators were over-matched. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Florida’s defense made Ohio State’s offense look silly. Of course the loss of Ted Ginn Jr. was huge for Ohio State, but you can’t blame this loss on that. Troy Smith was pressured all game, and that pressure led him to turn the ball over. Florida scored 14 points off of turnovers in the first half. Take that away, and the Buckeyes are within 6 at the half. That’s a margin that can be made up. Twenty points on the other hand is a lot harder to overcome, especially when the Gators’ defense had man-handled the Buckeye’s offense (especially the offensive line).

Chris Leak stole the show, proving all of his doubters wrong. Tim Tebow definitely contributed to the win, adding 39 yards and a touchdown on the ground and one touchdown through the air. The senior quarterback, Leak, was the toast of Glendale, Arizona Monday night. He was a four year starter at Florida. He was recruited by Steve Spurrier, played for Ron Zook, and finally won a National Championship with Urban Meyer at the helm.

Even more than their offense, it was the Gator defense that won it for Florida. They held Heisman trophy winner Troy Smith to four completions over 14 attempts for 5 yards and one interception. Smith was sacked 5 times. His offensive line wasn’t able to block Florida’s defensive ends. The Gators were fast, and they were tough. They swarmed to the ball, and when they got there, they delivered hits. Urban Meyer played the disrespect card as he prepared his team for the National Championship game, and it worked.

I hate to say it, but the Big Ten’s top teams got waxed this bowl season. First Michigan was embarrassed by PAC 10 champion USC, and Monday the Big Ten champions Ohio State were overwhelmed by the SEC champion Florida Gators. Congratulations to the BCS National Champion Florida Gators.

The 2 number 1 seeded teams in the NFL playoffs have the most All-Pros on the AP All-Pro team. The San Diego Chargers led the NFL with 5 players on the team (Unanimous selection LaDanian Lomlinson, tight end Antonio Gates, fullback Lorenzo Neal, defensive tackle Jamal Williams, and linebacker Shawne Merriman). The Bears trailed them by one player, sending 4 to the list (linebacker Brian Urlacher, center Olin Kreutz, kicker Robbie Gould, and rookie special teams player Devin Hester). Congratulations to everyone who made the AP All-Pro team.

OFFENSE 

• QB - Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
• RB - LaDanian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
• RB - Larry Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs
• FB - Lorenzo Neal, San Diego Chargers
• WR - Marvin Harrison, Indianpolis Colts
• WR - Chad Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals
• TE - Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
• T - Jammal Brown, New Orleans Saints
• G - Alan Faneca, Pittsburgh Steelers
• C - Olin Kreutz, Chicago Bears
• G - Shawn Andrews, Philadelphia Eagles
• T - Willie Anderson, Cincinnati Bengals

DEFENSE

• DE - Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins
• DT - Kevin Williams, Minnesota Vikings
• DE - Julius Peppers, Carolina Panthers
• LB - Adalius Thomas, Baltimore Ravens
• LB - Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears
• LB - Zach Thomas, Miami Dolphins
• CB - Rashean Mathis, Jacksonville Jaguars
• S - Ed Reed, Baltimore Ravens
• S - Brian Dawkins, Philadelphia Eagles

SPECIAL TEAMS

• K - Robbie Gould, Chicago Bears
• P - Brian Moorman, Buffalo Bills
• KR - Devin Hester, Chicago Bears