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.
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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.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has 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.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
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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NEW ORLEANS - Out of their element, out of their league — and still perfect.
Brian Johnson and seventh-ranked Utah came down from the mountains to SEC country and established themselves as the best of the BCS busters, finishing 13-0 with a convincing 31-17 win over No. 4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl on Friday night.
Johnson threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns on his way to being selected the game’s most outstanding player, a fitting finish to the career of Utah’s winningest quarterback (26-7).
Utah became the first team from a non-BCS conference to win two BCS bowls. The Utes beat Pittsburgh in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl under coach Urban Meyer, going for his second BCS national title with Florida when his Gators play Oklahoma on Thursday in Miami.
Yet, after winning the Mountain West Conference, the Utes were left out of the BCS national championship game in favor of perennial powers Florida and Oklahoma, even though both have one loss.
That’s bound to bring more calls for changes to the BCS system, because Utah showed it could do more than just hang with the big boys, it could dominate one of them.
“I know where I’m voting us. I’m voting us No. 1. End of story,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said afterward.
“I don’t know why they wouldn’t deserve that consideration,” he added later. “Somebody has to explain to me why they wouldn’t. There is only one undefeated team in the United States of America right now in Division I football, and it’s these guys right here.”
Utah’s only chance for a piece of the national title — albeit a remote possibility — is in The Associated Press poll. The AP, not part of the BCS, awards its own national champion.
The Utes are the only team in the AP Top 25 that remains unbeaten.
“What else do we have to prove?” Johnson said. “Without question, we’re one of best, if not the best team in the country.”
Johnson was 27-of-41 and was not intercepted, and the Utes took charge from the start by bolting to a stunning, 21-0 first-quarter lead. When Alabama pulled to 21-17 early in the second half, the Utes refused to wilt.
Utah’s defense was equally impressive, intercepting John Parker Wilson twice and sacking him eight times, with the seventh sack forcing a fumble that sent crimson-clad Alabama fans streaming for the exits with just more than five minutes remaining.
After surging to No. 1 in the rankings with a 12-0 regular season, Alabama closed with two consecutive losses, the first against Florida in the Southeastern Conference championship game.
Following that first loss, Saban noted that his club still was the only team to have an undefeated regular season in a “real BCS conference.”
The comment wasn’t aimed specifically at the Utes, but it clearly motivated them.
“From my perspective, I was angry, not just because of what Saban said but everything that was out there,” Johnson said. “I just felt like we were being completely disrespected.”
Johnson and the rest of the Utes played with an angry edge, much to Saban’s chagrin.
“I apologize if anybody was offended by that. We had a tremendous amount of respect for Utah,” Saban said. “I certainly misstated that. ... So if that’s what gave them all their intensity, then I guess I’m responsible for the way they played and I’m responsible for the way we played.”
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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Sugar Bowl postgame interviews Nick Saban makes an apology and Utah's coach Whittingham and QB Brian Johnson think Utah is the best team in the country. |
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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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No. 7 Utah 31, No. 4 Alabama 17 |
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.
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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.