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 three goals as the New York Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 on Saturday for their seventh straight win over the Flyers.
Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
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.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
Move over, Hollywood and NFL types, golf's two real A-listers take center stage Sunday at Pebble Beach, both in need of a win.
The United States swept favored Switzerland out of the Davis Cup on Saturday when Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan beat Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Luis Suarez's refusal to shake hands with Patrice Evra overshadowed Manchester United's 2-1 win over rival Liverpool that lifted the defending champions to first place in the Premier League on Saturday.
Marlies Schild of Austria won her sixth World Cup slalom of the season Saturday after overall leader Lindsey Vonn and defending champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch crashed out in the opening run on the windy Pyrenees course.
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.
ASSOCIATED PRESSI had the television on as background noise while I was breaking down pre-spring depth charts the other night, and I heard a couple of bobbleheads talking about the greatest rivalry in sports.
Duke vs. North Carolina: It's on!
As I began to contemplate my Wednesday-night options — clipping toenails or watching the "greatest rivalry in sports" — the following question smacked me as hard as the reality that is the minimized college basketball regular season (and you people want a college football playoff):
Why can't basketball schools be good at football?
Football powers are starting to figure out the round ball. Run your finger down the final football poll, and count three top-10 schools that also have elite basketball programs: Florida, Texas, Oklahoma.
Now think of the college basketball elite. How many of those teams compete for league championships in football?
The list starts with none and ends with zilch.
Don't think it can't be done, because if football schools can become basketball schools, it can happen the other way, too.
Here are the top basketball schools and their obstacles to joining college football's elite (ranked in order of closeness to becoming a top 10 regular in football).
1. UCLA: Forget about last year's 4-8 record — this team is close to making the turn right now. It took Rick Neuheisel two recruiting classes to show he can go head-to-head with king USC for the elite players in Los Angeles. The Bruins got three offensive linemen (one JC transfer) who likely will start next fall, and if freshman QB Richard Brehaut picks up the system quickly this spring, then he'll start from Day 1 (the quarterback situation in Westwood is that bad).
2. North Carolina: It's not a stretch to say the Tar Heels will be the most complete team in the ACC next fall. What coach Butch Davis has accomplished in such a short time — both on the recruiting trail and in changing the culture of the basketball school — has been remarkable. UNC had a top-10 recruiting class and signed 13 four-star recruits. Watch how quickly those recruits — especially those on defense (see: DE Donte Moss, LB Kevin Reddick) — upgrade this team.
3. Michigan State: No team in this group has more momentum. Mark Dantonio has given Michigan State a toughness and attitude it has lacked for many years, and now he's winning recruiting battles with Big Ten heavies (signed 10 four-star players). MSU must take advantage of Michigan's struggles and move into the league's elite.
4. UConn: What Randy Edsall has accomplished at UConn is nothing short of miraculous. The Huskies won a share of the Big East championship in 2007 despite joining Division I-A just this decade. No BCS conference is more winnable than the Big East, and no one in the league has separated from the pack.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
 | Special feature |
 |
NBCSports.com |
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 |
Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
Doron Lamb hit a 3-pointer with 3:18 left to put No. 1 Kentucky ahead to stay, and the Wildcats took a big step toward a Southeastern Conference regular-season title by beating Vanderbilt 69-63 Saturday night for their 17th straight win.
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.