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: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
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.
APThey've separated themselves. Six weeks into the college football season, and Florida, Alabama and Texas are clearly the elite.
Everyone else is just chasing and hoping.
"It's like climbing a mountain," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "The higher you get, the more treacherous it gets."
While Texas dusted off Colorado, the Tide and Gators (with quarterback Tim Tebow) played big-boy football Saturday, knocking heads with SEC rivals in key road victories and moving one step closer to finding each other in the SEC championship game again. Florida won at LSU 13-3; Alabama beat Ole Miss 22-3.
One half of the season down, one to go for the Big Three. Here's how it plays out for each:
No. 1 Florida
What the Gators have shown: If nothing else, a ton of moxie. Florida has issues in the passing game, but no one runs the ball better — and no other team can strap it on for a big game and play nearly flawless. Starting to get a championship feel.
Next big test: Oct. 24 at Mississippi State. Seriously. Florida annually struggles against an SEC West team, and often loses. Former Florida assistant and current MSU coach Dan Mullen knows Florida's personnel, and will scheme the Gators better than anyone.
No. 2 Texas
What the Longhorns have shown: They're winning games they should. In other words, we don't really know what we have yet with the Longhorns, the only team among the Big Three that hasn't played a legitimate big game. It gets tougher from here out.
Next big test: Saturday vs. Oklahoma (Dallas). This is the game Texas has pointed to for an entire season, a significant step up from the first five of the season. The dinged Sooners still are loaded with talent, and will push the Longhorns more than any team this season.
No. 3 Alabama
What the Tide have shown: They're the most complete team in the game. On both sides of the ball, the Tide have coach Nick Saban's physical attitude dialed in. Alabama doesn't just win, it punishes and demoralizes opponents.
Next big test: Nov. 7 vs. LSU. The Tigers can line up and physically bang with the Tide, but unless LSU QB Jordan Jefferson makes huge strides prior to the game in Tuscaloosa, no one touches Alabama until the showdown in the SEC championship against you-know-who.
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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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.
