Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
APThis season, he finished third in the Heisman race behind Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith and Arkansas running back Darren McFadden. The 6-foot-4, 227-pound Quinn passed for 3,278 yards with 35 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
“He’s a very intelligent quarterback. He makes good decisions,” LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini said. “His arm is strong enough to make all the throws, and he’s got the size that NFL teams are looking for in a quarterback.”
But Pelini knows that Quinn can be rattled. He had three interceptions in a 47-21 loss to Michigan, which effectively ended Notre Dame’s national title hopes. He completed just 22 of 45 passes in a 44-24 loss to Southern Cal in the regular-season finale.
The Tigers have one of the nation’s top defenses, one that is fully capable of getting plenty of pressure on Quinn.
“It’s motivation to me,” LSU linebacker Ali Highsmith said. “Quinn is one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the country. If we can contain him, rattle him, it would say something about our defense. It gets you riled up to go out and play against him.”
Even if he struggles against the Tigers, Quinn still could be the top player selected in the NFL draft. Oakland has the first pick and almost certainly will go with an offensive player after averaging just 10.5 points per game, one of the worst showings ever in a 16-game season.
Despite all the speculation swirling about him, Quinn insisted that his entire focus is on Wednesday night’s Sugar Bowl. He desperately wants to close his career with a win and help Notre Dame end its eight-game bowl losing streak, tied with South Carolina and West Virginia for the longest in NCAA history.
“I don’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings, but I don’t read what you guys write,” Quinn told a group of reporters in the days leading up to the game. “I’m not really into all that.”
It took a while for the light bulb to go on, but when it did, Jonas Gray finally showed the talent many had expected from the blue-chip prospect from Detroit. In a recent interview, Gray, who is rehabbing an ACL injury to get ready for the NFL Scouting Combine, expressed the confidence and support he has for head coach Brian Kelly.
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.