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's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
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.
Funny how Southeastern Conference fans believe their favorite football league doesn’t get enough respect, while fans of every other conference argue the SEC is overrated. They can’t both be right. In fact, they’re probably both wrong.
The SEC starts the season atop the conference rankings, just the way it ended last season:
1. Southeastern Conference — LSU and Florida are national title contenders. Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee could be. Nick Saban returns to the league to make Alabama relevant again, and Steve Spurrier insists South Carolina is ready to contend. Arkansas has the early Heisman Trophy front-runner in Darren McFadden. Even Kentucky’s good, for goodness sakes.
2. Big 12 — The South rivals the SEC East as best division in the country, with Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech all capable of upsetting heavyweights Texas and Oklahoma. And the North is rising again. Missouri and Nebraska look formidable, and Kansas State and Colorado are showing signs of improvement.
3. Pac-10 — Despite what LSU coach Les Miles says, USC faces several obstacles in its conference. California’s offense is dynamic. UCLA’s defense is stingy. And almost every team has a returning starter at quarterback. If the rebuilding at Arizona and/or Washington picks up the pace, the Pac-10 could have as many as eight bowl eligible teams.
4. Big Ten — The Big Ten took a major hit last season when Michigan and Ohio State washed out at the end, but the problem really was a soft middle. That might be a problem again. After Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Penn State and maybe Iowa, the rest of the league won’t scare anyone. Illinois could be on the rise.
5. ACC — If the Big Ten was top heavy, the ACC was too balanced last season, with not enough muscle at the top. Miami and Florida State can change that, but neither is ready to make a national title run. Virginia Tech is the one team that could emerge from the pack and be special.
6. Big East — The Big East closed the gap substantially on the other leagues last season, and there’s no longer a question about whether they should have a BCS bid. West Virginia and Louisville can play with anyone, and Rutgers was no fluke. South Florida might be good enough to make it a four-team race. But there’s still a big drop-off to the bottom of the conference unless Pitt can improve.
7. Mountain West — TCU, BYU and Utah give the MWC three very good teams, which could make it hard for any of them to emerge undefeated in the league and reach the BCS. Wyoming is the best of the so-so rest.
8. WAC — Boise State is retooling this season, which gives Colt Brennan and Hawaii a chance to break the Broncos’ grip on the league. But it won’t be easy. Fresno State slipped last season and Nevada must replace an NFL draft pick at quarterback, so San Jose State is probably third best. And that’s not great.
9. C-USA — Southern Mississippi and Houston, last season’s title game participants, are the best of a ragtag lot that didn’t come up with many big nonconference victories last season and probably won’t this season either.
10. MAC — Balance is not necessarily a good thing. Sure it makes the MAC race interesting, but it’s better to have one or two powerhouses that can pull off a few nonconference upsets.
11. Sun Belt — A little better, but still real bad.
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.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
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The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
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.
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.
The Red Wings have finally started to embrace a record they've been chasing.