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 both greeted Sunday with unbridled optimism. But the day would end happily only for Mickelson.
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.
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Oops.
We just gave away the ending.
Let’s back up. At the halfway point, there are five unbeaten teams from BCS conferences. We’re not going to imagine a scenario that has Utah (7-0), Boise State (5-0), Ball State (7-0) or Tulsa (6-0) playing for a national title.
But we won’t rule out some of the season-ending madness we witnessed last year — the conga-line of one-loss title hopefuls includes Ohio State (6-1), Oklahoma (5-1), Florida (5-1), Georgia (5-1), Missouri (5-1) and USC (4-1).
For now, though, let’s concentrate on the BCS unbeaten teams.
In order, here are our choices of the most likely teams to run the table and show up in Miami.
1. Alabama (6-0)
2. Penn State (7-0)
3. Texas (6-0)
4. Texas Tech (6-0)
5. Oklahoma State (6-0)
So there you have it. Alabama-Penn State. That’s our story, and we’re sticking to it.
The last time that game meant so much was the 1979 Sugar Bowl, when Alabama was coached by Bear Bryant and Penn State was coached by, um, a youngster named Joe Paterno.
Q: Will Michigan make a bowl game? Is their consecutive bowl streak the longest in the nation?
— Christian M. from St. Louis
A: Michigan does have the nation’s longest consecutive bowl streak (33 straight), Christian. But with the Wolverines at 2-4, I think it’s going to end.
Michigan goes to Penn State (Saturday), Purdue (Nov. 1), Minnesota (Nov. 8) and Ohio State (Nov. 22). The remaining home games are Michigan State (Oct. 25) and Northwestern (Nov. 15).
I see 5-7 as a best-case scenario, which seems jarring when you consider Michigan’s tradition and consistency. But it’s probably not that surprising. The Wolverines have a new coach (Rich Rodriguez) and a new offense (hmm … wouldn’t Terrelle Pryor have been a nice fit?)
There was going to be a learning curve, regardless, but who could’ve imagined home losses against Utah and Toledo, not to mention a thrashing at the hands of Notre Dame.
Michigan will be back — eventually. Remember, the Wolverines lost a lot of talent (RB Mike Hart and OT Jake Long, just to name two prime-time names) and this was never supposed to be a championship season.
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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 Memphis fulfills BCS dream Tigers officials thrilled to announce that school has been accepted to join the Big East Conference in 2013. |
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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 |
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 | Slideshow: A look at Paterno's legendary career Take a look back at legendary Penn State coach Joe Paterno through the years. NBCSports.com |
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.
Paul Pierce has been around long enough to know what Rajon Rondo's performance can mean for the aging Boston Celtics.
