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.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
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.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had hole-by-hole reports.
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.
 | Video |
 |
Weekend of major matchups One of the Oklahoma teams, the Sooners, will have to deal with arch-rival Texas this week. John Walters and Tiffany Simons examine this matchup and others in the latest edition of the Drive to the BCS. |
|
OOOOK-lahoma, where the wins come sweepin' down the plain,
Where a Sam and Zac play quarterback,
And how about the Golden Hurricane!
Oklahoma, O.K.? How about 5-0-K?
And not just the Sooners. Heading into the second Saturday of October, all three of the Oklahoma's FBS schools — Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Tulsa — are sporting 5-0 records. Fans from Edmond to Enid, from Tecumseh to Tahlequah (the home office) are thrilled, as they should be.
Right now, Oklahoma (or, as the Rogers & Hammerstein musical aptly put it, "Oklahoma!") boasts the nation's top-ranked team, the Sooners. It also can claim the nation's No. 1 scoring offense, the Golden Hurricane of Tulsa. And, while Oklahoma State's top punt-return unit in the nation may not equal the other two in terms of superlative achievement, the Cowboys have played so well that head coach Mike Gundy's tirade of a year ago has become little more than a football footnote.
It all begins with offense. The Golden Hurricane, Cowboys and Sooners are Nos. 1, 3 and 4 in the nation, respectively, in scoring offense (Missouri, at No. 2, crashes the party). Tulsa, which has scored 17 touchdowns in just the past two games, is averaging 56.4 points per contest. Oklahoma State, which has consistently put up between 55 and 57 points in its last four games, is third at 52.6. And Oklahoma, which was held to 35 points by TCU, who entered that game ranked first nationally in scoring defense, is fourth at 49.6 points per game.
And so it is no coincidence that a glance of the nation's passing efficiency leaders finds that the top three are quarterbacks at these schools. Tulsa's first-year starter, senior David Johnson, leads the nation at 214.58 — and because we know that passing efficiency stats don't get anyone’s blood boiling, consider this: Tim Tebow won the Heisman last year with a 179 rating.
Sam Bradford, the Sooners sophomore now in his second season as a starter, is second at 204.97. And Zac Robinson, the Oklahoma State junior whose insertion into the Cowboys starting lineup midway through last season instigated the entire "I'm a man! I'm 40!" mayhem, is a close third at 204.58.
Tornado Alley is suddenly a triangle of offense. Stillwater, the site of Oklahoma State's campus, lies 71 miles due west of Tulsa and 81 miles north and slightly east of Norman. The hypotenuse is the line between Tulsa and Norman, a 123-mile stretch of prairie extending south by southwest.
Of course, it is a little early in the season to get too excited by the combined 15-0 record. After all, only Oklahoma has faced a ranked team (TCU was 23rd when the Sooners beat them 35-10 in late September). Still, how many other states can claim a perfect record among its FBS schools nearly midway through the season? If you answered "Utah" ... remember that Utah State plays in the WAC (hey, we don't make the rules here).
In fact, the Seattle-based University of Washington, which now owns the nation's longest losing streak (7 games), might want to consider following the lead of its erstwhile NBA franchise and relocating to Oklahoma. The Huskies are believers, after all: Last month the Sooners routed them in Seattle, 55-14, their worst home loss in 79 years.
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.
CollegeFootballTalk headlines |
 | Video: Football from NBC Sports |
 Memphis fulfills BCS dream Tigers officials thrilled to announce that school has been accepted to join the Big East Conference in 2013. |
 | Slideshow |
 | NBCSports.com |
| Slideshow |
 | more photos |
 | Slideshow |
 | NBCSports.com |
| Slideshow |
 | NBCSports.com |
| Slideshow |
 | NBCSports.com |
| Slideshow |
 |
The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
 | Special feature |
 | NBCSports.com |
More on Red River Rivalry |
Oklahoma vs. Texas at Dallas, Noon ET Sat., ABC |
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.
After leading by 18 points in the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers were staring at a four-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.
