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.
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.
ReutersAside from Oregon on Sept. 24th, USC’s toughest overall foes probably come down to Cal, Fresno State and UCLA, the last three contests on the schedule. Cal and UCLA are rivalry games, where emotions can sometimes effect play. Fresno State is a ravenously competitive program eager for a shot at the big boys.
But by that time, the younger guys on USC’s defense will have gained a lot more experience, and the Trojans thus will have a more balanced club.
It’s possible that some team on USC’s slate will jell unexpectedly well and give the Trojans an unusually harsh fight. But it’s unlikely. Because of the intense amount of scrutiny nowadays during recruiting, spring football, training camp, the regular season and the bowl season, there are no real surprises anymore, unless you count Oklahoma taking the gas pipe in the Orange Bowl.
It’s also conceivable that a key injury or two could alter the dynamic, and open the door a crack for a challenger.
We also haven’t considered a possible roadblock in the national championship game, to be held this season at the Rose Bowl. All we can speculate on now about a potential opponent in early January is that there may very well be a defense out there capable of causing USC some difficulty. But give Carroll and his coaches four weeks to prepare the most talented assemblage in the nation for a bowl game and the results will probably be similar to the 38-17 trouncing of Iowa in the Orange Bowl (after the 2002 season), or the 28-14 overpowering of Michigan in the Rose Bowl (after the ’03 campaign), or the 55-19 evisceration of the Sooners in January.
One ESPN analyst recently opined that the Trojans probably won’t meet the unprecedented feat, simply because of the enormous pressure on these young kids. That’s misguided. As much as we all hate the “We’re just gonna take these one game at a time” sound bite, the truth is that Carroll has created the ultimate “one game at a time” program. There won’t be any pressure because Carroll is masterful at diffusing it, and focusing his charges on the next game. That’s the major reason why they are where they are.
No, unless some defense on USC’s schedule emerges as the reincarnation of the ’85 Chicago Bears, the Trojans should get it done. Because it looks like that’s what it will take to stop them.
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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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.