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Trending: Vic Fangio's defensive wizardry might be story of Bears' season. (See football section for Bears updates).
Trending: Patrick Kane sets NHL record. (See hockey section for details).
Trending: Las Vegas posts odds on whether Warriors will break '96 Bulls win total. (See basketball section for update).
NFL Scoreboard, Thanksgiving Day, 11/26/2015.
Philadelphia Eagles 14
Detroit Lions 45
Carolina Panthers 33
Dallas Cowboys 14
Chicago Bears 17
Green bay Packers 13
Sunday, 11/29/2015.
Oakland Raiders 24
NFL Scoreboard, Thanksgiving Day, 11/26/2015.
Philadelphia Eagles 14
Detroit Lions 45
Carolina Panthers 33
Dallas Cowboys 14
Chicago Bears 17
Green bay Packers 13
Sunday, 11/29/2015.
Oakland Raiders 24
Tennessee Titans 21
Buffalo Bills 22
Kansas City Chiefs 30
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12
Indianapolis Colts 25
New York Giants 14
Washington Redskins 20
New Orleans Saints 6
Houston Texans 24
Minnesota Vikings 20
Atlanta Falcons 10
St. Louis Rams 7
Cincinnati Bengals 31
San Diego Chargers 31
Jacksonville Jaguars 25
Miami Dolphins 20
New York Jets 38
Arizona Cardinals 19
San Francisco 49ers 13
Pittsburgh Steelers 30
Seattle Seahawks 39
New England Patriots 24
Denver Broncos 30
Baltimore Ravens Monday Night's Game
Cleveland Browns 11/30/2015
Red denotes winning team
Red denotes winning team
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Vic Fangio's defensive wizardry might be story of Bears' season.
By Adam Jahns
Bears LB Shea McClellin takes down Packers QB Aaron Rodgers. (Photo/AP)
“First of all, the game plan that [defensive coordinator] Vic [Fangio] put together,” safety Chris Prosinski said. “From my time in the league — no disrespect to other coordinators — the guy is a genius defensively. He’ll put players in position, and the way he knows the game and knows how to attack offenses is incredible.”
The results of have been incredible, too.
With Fangio’s previous team, the 49ers, coming to town next Sunday, the defense’s sudden rise continues to be the story of the season. Quarterback Jay Cutler has efficiently run coordinator Adam Gase’s offense, but it’s the defense that has triggered the Bears’ resurgence.
If the Bears can force Rodgers into his worst passer rating ever at Lambeau Field, a hellish afternoon could be in store for 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert at Soldier Field.
“For us to outplay [Rodgers],” cornerback Tracy Porter said, “it just says a lot about our defense and how we play.”
Even Cutler marvels at what’s happening on the defensive side.
“It’s amazing,” Cutler said. “You look across that side, and there’s not a lot of guys from last year. And for them to gel that quickly [and] learn a new system, it speaks to a lot of our coaches and how good of a job they’re doing. It speaks a lot about the players and what kind of character [they have].”
Fangio’s renowned creativity is a big factor, and players often praise him as a great teacher.
But his ability to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of his players and prepare them accordingly also has been essential to their improvement.
The defense’s turnaround is astounding considering that eight of the starters against the Packers are in their first season with the Bears and that the unit set team records for ineptitude the last two seasons.
There are many individual success stories, and Fangio deserves some credit for all of them. He pegged linebacker Shea McClellin as the defense’s signal-caller. He turned to Porter over Alan Ball, who makes significantly more money. He replaced veteran Sherrick McManis with undrafted rookie Bryce Callahan at nickel back. Willie Young and Lamarr Houston are turning into difference-makers at outside linebacker.
Prosinski was the latest defensive hero. He forced the first fumble of his five-year career and played well in his second start in place of injured veteran Antrel Rolle against the Packers.
“[Fangio] knows the game,” outside linebacker Pernell McPhee said. “He can look at a formation and know exactly what a play a team is running. He teaches the game like that. That’s what makes him a great teacher.
“Also, he doesn’t put us in a situation where we’ll beat our ourselves. A team will have to do everything perfect to beat us.”
The defense has struggled stopping the run the last two weeks. But since the bye week, the Bears have allowed 14.4 points over five games. In those games, the Bears have allowed just two touchdowns in the second half.
“We have a lot of confidence,” Prosinski said.
Critics contend that the defense remains low on talent, but Fangio has molded it into a disciplined and capable group that has kept the Bears in virtually every game. And players will tell you that this is just the beginning.
“We have a lot more confidence than we did last year,” McClellin said. “We just have to keep fine-tuning some things, and eventually, we’ll be where we want to be.”
Bears waive long-snapper Thomas Gafford; sign Patrick Scales as replacement.
By Luis C. Medina
The Bears made a transaction on Saturday and added a new long-snapper in the process.
Patrick Scales is the Bears’ newest long-snapper, replacing Thomas Gafford, who was cut on Saturday afternoon. Gafford, who appeared in all 11 games this season, spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Chiefs before joining the Bears in March.
Scales, a Utah State product, played in two regular season and two postseason games for the Ravens in 2014. And while he has bounced around with the Buccaneers, Dolphins and Jets, he had not found a home in 2015 until signing with the Bears.
Scales is the third long-snapper for the Bears since Patrick Mannelly retired before the 2014 season.
The move of adding a long-snapper after the Bears win comes as a bit of a surprise, considering other spots on special teams could use improvement. But the Bears won’t take to the field for another eight days when the play the 49ers, so things could change between now and then.
Bears changed tactics vs. Aaron Rodgers: 'We’re not playing Superman'.
By John Mullin
(Photo/Chicago Bears/chicagobears.com)
In Week 1 the Bears had managed not only zero sacks, but also not even a hit on Rodgers, who’d completed 18 of 23 unhurried passes for three touchdowns and a rating of 140.5.
“We met and told each other, ‘Don’t try doing anything you haven’t been doing these past couple weeks, just go out there and play,'" defensive end Jarvis Jenkins said.
“We’re not playing Superman ... We’ve got to go out and rush him like he’s just another quarterback and not worry about the outside stuff, because if you think too much on that, he can hurt you.”
Instead, the Bears set out to bring the hurt. If that involved some risk and defying convention, so be it.
With the secondary locking down on an under-performing Green Bay receiver group, Rodgers was badgered into 22-for-43 passing and his second-poorest passer rating (62.4) since the end of the 2010 season.
The point was to make Rodgers uncomfortable.
“It was about bringing the pressure and getting him off that spot,” said defensive end Willie Young, credited with a sack among his three hits of Rodgers, plus a tackle for loss.
Ironically, some of what might have appeared at the time to be poor fundamentals against Rodgers was a calculated strategy with a measured degree of risk. Instead of a “safe” rush intent on keeping Rodgers from escaping the pocket, the Bears defensive line sold out and went hard after the Packers quarterback.
“We were asked to just rush him,” Jenkins said.
The risk lay in losing containment to the outside and leaving gaps inside, and Rodgers did escape four times for 33 yards. But 18 of those yards came on one scramble.
Meanwhile, however, the Bears registered a total of six hits on Rodgers, in addition to the rush-and-cover combination forcing him to run those four times. Meaning: of the Packers’ 49 pass plays, 10 went off with some sort of Rodgers discomfort, whether sack, hit or forced run.
“In the first game we were a little bit cautious, worried about him not getting out of the pocket,” Jenkins said. “We didn’t worry about that [Thursday]; we just cut it loose, got after him and made him very uncomfortable and it worked.”
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks end Circus Trip with bitter taste.
By Tracey Myers
The Blackhawks had played a so-so game on Friday, got down 2-0, yet stormed back to beat the Anaheim Ducks in late regulation/overtime.
On Saturday, they got it handed right back to them by the Los Angeles Kings, a team that’s erased a few Blackhawks leads in past postseason outings.
Patrick Kane scored a power-play goal to set a new point streak for U.S.-born players, but Marian Gaborik scored twice, including the overtime winner, in the Kings’ 3-2 decision over the Blackhawks on Saturday night. The Blackhawks ended their Circus Trip with a 3-1-2 mark, but were just a period away from making that 4-1-1. The Kings, however, had other ideas.
“Same exact game, opposite way,” said Kane, who now has a 19-game point streak. “It seemed like we wanted to sit back and play it safe, and obviously that doesn’t work in this league. Frustrating when that happens. It would’ve ben nice to get another insurance marker and build off that, but we sat back there and they took it to us.”
The Blackhawks built a 2-0 lead on Kane’s early goal and a second-period score from Niklas Hjalmarsson, who recorded his first goal of the season. But outside of that, this game looked a lot like Friday’s in Anaheim: the home team outplaying the Blackhawks through a good deal of it.
Scott Darling was strong through the first two periods, stopping the Kings’ 20 shots through 40 minutes. But in the third, the Kings finally broke through. Jeff Carter scored 52 seconds into the period and Gaborik tied it with 5:55 remaining.
“It sucks,” said Brent Seabrook, whose turnover led to Gaborik’s first goal. “I thought we played well, played well enough to win. Tough bounce at the end of the third and a lot of chances in overtime; that’s sort of the way the game went.”
Overtime was its usual 3-on-3 frenzied best. Both teams had their grade-A opportunities, with Gaborik breaking away for the winner 2:04 into overtime.
Lost in all of the craziness was Kane setting a new point streak for a U.S.-born player. He shared the previous record of 18 with Eddie Olczyk and Phil Kessel for just one day.
“Yeah, we congratulated him as soon as that happened,” Marian Hossa said. “It’s unique to be part of something special like this. He’s a special player and he’s got the big numbers in front of him.”
The Blackhawks didn’t end this trip exactly how they wanted. They got eight points out of a possible 12. But they were close to getting that ninth and finishing that much better. They just played too conservative with that lead which, against the Kings, hasn’t been safe in the past.
“I guess it’s natural to do that,” Kane said about sitting back on a lead. “At the same time, a lot of guys have played a lot of games in this league to know that’s not the recipe for success, the way games can turn on a dime. It’s pretty frustrating because going into the third up 2-0, looking like the trip’s going to end on a good note, and couldn’t follow it through.”
Patrick Kane sets NHL record.
By Tracey Myers
Patrick Kane joked on Friday afternoon that he’s been making this point streak tough lately, getting that necessary point to continue it late in games.
He wasted no time setting a new mark on Saturday.
Kane scored a power-play goal 11:10 into the game as he ran his point streak to 19 games, a new record for a U.S.-born player. Kane shared the record for American players for one day. His assist on Duncan Keith’s game-tying goal with just 26.6 seconds remaining against the Ducks on Friday gave him an 18-game point streak, which was also held by Eddie Olczyk and Phil Kessel.
“It seems like I’m kind of making it difficult on myself with the last few games,” Kane said with a laugh. “But it’s something you try not to think about: play the game and if you’re playing the right way, usually good things will happen.”
Kane is now two games away from tying the franchise record for a point streak; Bobby Hull set his 21-game point streak from Dec. 5, 1971 to Jan. 23, 1972.
Blackhawks score thrice in last four minutes to beat Ducks in OT. (Friday night's game, 11/27/2015).
By Tracey Myers
The Blackhawks weren’t playing their best against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, and with two minutes remaining in regulation, it looked like they were headed to a loss.
But much like they did last spring, the Blackhawks found a way to break the Ducks late.
Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith scored within the final 1:41 of regulation and Artem
Anisimov had the winner in overtime as the Blackhawks came back to beat the Ducks, 3-2, on Friday afternoon. The Blackhawks have now won two in a row, with their final game of the Circus Trip coming Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Patrick Kane, who got a secondary assist on Keith’s goal, is now on a career-high 18-game point streak. He tied the record for a U.S.-born player for that streak, held by Eddie Olczyk and Phil Kessel.
“I mean, you look at the players, the two guys who are part of that record, that’s some pretty elite company,” Kane said. “It’s been a fun little ride here. It seems like I’m kind of making it difficult on myself with the last few games, but it’s something you try not to think about. Play the game, and if you’re playing the right way, usually good things will happen.”
But much like they did last spring, the Blackhawks found a way to break the Ducks late.
Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith scored within the final 1:41 of regulation and Artem
Anisimov had the winner in overtime as the Blackhawks came back to beat the Ducks, 3-2, on Friday afternoon. The Blackhawks have now won two in a row, with their final game of the Circus Trip coming Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Patrick Kane, who got a secondary assist on Keith’s goal, is now on a career-high 18-game point streak. He tied the record for a U.S.-born player for that streak, held by Eddie Olczyk and Phil Kessel.
“I mean, you look at the players, the two guys who are part of that record, that’s some pretty elite company,” Kane said. “It’s been a fun little ride here. It seems like I’m kind of making it difficult on myself with the last few games, but it’s something you try not to think about. Play the game, and if you’re playing the right way, usually good things will happen.”
Brent Seabrook had three assists. Keith also had an assist. Corey Crawford stopped 23 of 25 shots for the victory.
The Blackhawks were down 2-0 when they pulled Crawford with 2:57 remaining in regulation. Just 50 seconds later, Ryan Getzlaf was whistled for tripping. Twenty-six seconds into that power play, Hossa scored, cutting the Ducks’ lead to 2-1. The Blackhawks kept the pressure on and, with 26.6 seconds remaining in regulation, Keith scored his fourth of the season to tie it.
After some close calls on both sides in the first minute or so of 3-on-3, Anisimov, taking the feed from Seabrook, scored his 10th goal of the season 1:53 into overtime.
“Well, I don’t think that’s the way we’d like to draw it up, but we’ll take the win,” Keith said. “They outworked us most of the game, we just found a way at the end and snuck out the two points. We have to give ourselves credit, as well. I’m not taking anything away from our win; we dug down there at the end. But for the most part they outworked us a little bit.”
Yes, the Ducks did outwork the Blackhawks for most of this. Anaheim was especially strong early, taking advantage of a Blackhawks team that looked like it wasn’t ready for the afternoon outing. Andrew Cogliano scored just 62 seconds into this one and was part of a 2-on-0 when he did it. Crawford came up with big saves the rest of that period, when the Ducks had a few more prime opportunities of Blackhawks miscues.
The Blackhawks showed more life in the second but it didn’t matter, as Chris Stewart put the Ducks up 2-0.
And then there were those final two minutes of regulation and first two minutes of overtime. The Blackhawks had nearly stole Game 5 of the Western Conference final last spring in a similar way — Jonathan Toews scored twice late in regulation before the Ducks won in overtime. Today, they finished this game the way they did that series.
“It’s kind of a thrilling win, obviously, the way it was 2-0 with two minutes left. To be able to do that is a good feeling,” Keith said. “At the same time, we know we could’ve started better, points throughout the game we could’ve been better. But sometimes at the end of the day you just want to get those two points in a tough building against a tough team.”
The Blackhawks were down 2-0 when they pulled Crawford with 2:57 remaining in regulation. Just 50 seconds later, Ryan Getzlaf was whistled for tripping. Twenty-six seconds into that power play, Hossa scored, cutting the Ducks’ lead to 2-1. The Blackhawks kept the pressure on and, with 26.6 seconds remaining in regulation, Keith scored his fourth of the season to tie it.
After some close calls on both sides in the first minute or so of 3-on-3, Anisimov, taking the feed from Seabrook, scored his 10th goal of the season 1:53 into overtime.
“Well, I don’t think that’s the way we’d like to draw it up, but we’ll take the win,” Keith said. “They outworked us most of the game, we just found a way at the end and snuck out the two points. We have to give ourselves credit, as well. I’m not taking anything away from our win; we dug down there at the end. But for the most part they outworked us a little bit.”
Yes, the Ducks did outwork the Blackhawks for most of this. Anaheim was especially strong early, taking advantage of a Blackhawks team that looked like it wasn’t ready for the afternoon outing. Andrew Cogliano scored just 62 seconds into this one and was part of a 2-on-0 when he did it. Crawford came up with big saves the rest of that period, when the Ducks had a few more prime opportunities of Blackhawks miscues.
The Blackhawks showed more life in the second but it didn’t matter, as Chris Stewart put the Ducks up 2-0.
And then there were those final two minutes of regulation and first two minutes of overtime. The Blackhawks had nearly stole Game 5 of the Western Conference final last spring in a similar way — Jonathan Toews scored twice late in regulation before the Ducks won in overtime. Today, they finished this game the way they did that series.
“It’s kind of a thrilling win, obviously, the way it was 2-0 with two minutes left. To be able to do that is a good feeling,” Keith said. “At the same time, we know we could’ve started better, points throughout the game we could’ve been better. But sometimes at the end of the day you just want to get those two points in a tough building against a tough team.”
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... San Antonio Spurs-Chicago Bulls Preview.
By JORDAN GARRETSON
That could be spell trouble for the Chicago Bulls, who find themselves in an offensive slump going into Monday night's meeting at the United Center.
At 14-3, the Spurs trail only undefeated Golden State, and they've won 11 of 12. They're giving up an 89.7 points per game and have held six of their last nine opponents to 84 or fewer, while accomplishing that feat eight times on the season - twice more than they did in 2014-15.
They limited Atlanta to 42.5 percent shooting in Saturday's 108-88 home victory, shutting down a Hawks team that had averaged 106.4 points in its previous five games.
San Antonio excelled defensively last season, too, giving up 97.0 points per game to rank third. LaMarcus Aldridge has helped fuel the improvement with the Spurs allowing 96.0 points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor. Tiago Splitter (100.9), Aron Baynes (102.5) and Boris Diaw (104.1) split the majority of the starts at power forward in 2014-15.
"Usually we are a team that builds defensively, slowly," guard Manu Ginobili said. "This year we started very well, very aggressively. The addition of LaMarcus gives us more size. He has quick feet to switch, to get in a better position quicker."
Chicago (9-5) followed a four-game winning streak by dropping two of three to end a four-game trip. The Bulls shot 37.6 percent in those three contests and were held to fewer than 95 points in each.
They shot a season-low 34.8 percent in Friday's 104-92 loss to Indiana, going 21 for 66 on 2-point shots. Nikola Mirotic scored a season-high 25 points but the other starters were a combined 14 of 49 from the field.
Chicago (9-5) followed a four-game winning streak by dropping two of three to end a four-game trip. The Bulls shot 37.6 percent in those three contests and were held to fewer than 95 points in each.
They shot a season-low 34.8 percent in Friday's 104-92 loss to Indiana, going 21 for 66 on 2-point shots. Nikola Mirotic scored a season-high 25 points but the other starters were a combined 14 of 49 from the field.
Chicago was also outscored 21-5 on the fast break and has given up a 73-29 advantage in transition in the last four contests.
"Just have to keep fighting to get better; just didn't play well," coach Fred Hoiberg told the team's official website. "Especially on the offensive end as a team. Movement, get the ball swung; we're doing it in practice, getting the ball swung. We've got to carry it over to the games."
Derrick Rose has shot 11 for 36 in two games since sitting out two with a sprained ankle.
"Oh, my God, I felt like I played like (crap) tonight," he said. "I don't know what the case might be. Thanksgiving, I don't know. It's a hard one losing like that in here, but the energy level, my energy, wasn't up. It is a tough game when you come back from the West Coast, but we can't use that as an excuse."
Pau Gasol is also struggling, shooting 35.8 percent over his last five games, though he's still been a factor on the glass with 56 rebounds in that span.
Tony Parker is in the midst of an extremely efficient stretch for the Spurs, shooting 68.0 percent over his last five games. He's made 53.6 percent in his last eight meetings with Chicago.
San Antonio has won four of the last six meetings, while the Bulls are 5-1 at home this season.
San Antonio has won four of the last six meetings, while the Bulls are 5-1 at home this season.
Bulls fall flat against charged-up Paul George, Pacers. (Friday night's game, 11/27/2015).
By Vincent Goodwill
All the recipes for disaster were present for a fat and full post-Thanksgiving performance for the Chicago Bulls, especially against a red-hot Indiana Pacers team hell-bent on revenge from a last-second loss last week in Chicago.
Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose struggled throughout, they gave the ball away as if it were bad turkey being passed around the family table and their inside advantage was nowhere to be found.
The Bulls showed some fight in terms of effort, but the cohesiveness wasn’t to be had - at least not consistently - as they fell 104-92 at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse.
“We couldn’t get anything going on either end of the court,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “Coming out of the game, we turned the ball over, I think, nine times in the first quarter.”
As for the Bulls’ supposed advantage on the interior playing a smaller, quicker bunch, this statement from Hoiberg was a mouthful:
“We allowed them too many second chance opportunities,” he said. But he wasn’t referring to the eight offensive rebounds, per se. The 15 turnovers leading to a 21-5 edge in fast break scoring has a way of making a coach look at uncontested layups as second-chance.
“It wasn’t very good tonight, that’s what we stressed going into this game, was getting back (on defense),” Hoiberg said. “The turnovers fueled a lot of those transition points.”
Paul George repeatedly attacked Butler in a way he didn’t in their last meeting, when Butler blocked a 15-footer with seconds remaining that could’ve won it for the Pacers.
And George attacked virtually everybody else who stood in his way as well. He didn’t get 40 as he did a few nights ago but he hit timely shots, especially after Rose, Butler and Kirk Hinrich found their footing with triples early in the fourth, at one point cutting the lead to 76-69 with 10:17 remaining.
“We got to the line four times in a row but we gotta execute when it’s big plays when we have the momentum and make it go our way,” Rose said.
They didn’t execute, as Rose shot 4-of-16 and Butler made 4-of-10 shots from the field, and George made them pay.
George finished with 33 points and eight rebounds, continuing his resurgent play after missing nearly all of last season with a foot injury while the Bulls looked like their footing was stuck in the turkey dressing.
Shooting 34 percent, getting very few offensive rebounds and not creating anything easy was not the kind of night the Bulls fans who made the trek to Indy hoped to see.
“We just got outplayed in all aspects of the game. That’s it,” Butler said. “Can’t blame it on anything else. The easy buckets they got. We weren’t guarding. We started bad from the jump and it stayed that way.”
It’s hard to win, if not impossible under such circumstances. At one point, Tony Snell had the same amount of baskets (two) early in the second half as Rose and Butler combined.
Yes, that Tony Snell.
Nikola Mirotic was the only Bull in double figures through three quarters, scoring 23 of his 25 points to momentarily break out of his slump but the Bulls shot just 31 percent through 36 minutes, but surprisingly were within nine.
However, once George hit a corner triple to give the Pacers a 92-78 lead with 5:08, it was all she wrote. The Bulls resorted to fouling Pacers big man Ian Mahinmi, a 21-percent free throw shooter, intentionally in the attempt to cut into the lead.
It only proved to be a temporarily elixir, because offensive execution was elusive and the turnovers came in second and third helpings, negating a hard-played game.
Taking plenty of jump shots, the Bulls are again showing a level of discomfort with this new offensive system, leaving one to wonder how much longer it will take before Hoiberg’s patience runs thin.
“It’s up and down, to tell you the truth,” said Butler of the team’s offense. “Our execution, sometimes it’s piss poor, other times it’s really good. It depends on the night.”
The only positive was that it wasn’t a complete shellacking because it sure looked like the Bulls deserved it.
“It just happens some nights. Should it? No. But it happens some nights,” Butler said.
But after taking an early punch buoyed by their nine first-half turnovers leading to 16 Pacers points, they methodically crawled back in it after a 17-point deficit. C.J. Miles took advantage of his matchup with Mirotic early, hitting three triples, including a four-point play that gave the Pacers 39-24 lead.
It was followed by George Hill’s short jumper to give them their widest margin and the Bulls played from behind all night, something they didn’t have to do out west.
Las Vegas posts odds on whether Warriors will break '96 Bulls win total.
By Mark Strotman
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Golden State Warriors have begun the 2015-16 season with an unprecedented 16 straight wins. And the conversations are beginning about whether Steph Curry and Co. have a chance to match or top the single-season wins record of 72, set by the 1995-96 Bulls.
And Las Vegas is beginning to wonder, and incredibly the odds of The Splash Brothers accomplishing the feat once thought to be unbreakable aren't that high.
Bovada currently has the Warriors' odds of winning 73 or more games at 5:1. Still, the odds of them not breaking an all-time record are at 1:8, which is understandable considering no team outside of Jordan's Bulls has even reached 70 wins; the 96-97 Bulls won 69 games, while the 91-92 Bulls and last year's Warriors won 67 games each.
The Warriors also find themselves nearly halfway to another record, that of most consecutive games won. The 1971-72 Lakers won 33 straight games, and the closest team to accomplish that was LeBron James' Miami Heat in 2013 (the Bulls ended that streak). Those odds are much steeper at 10:1, while betting against the Warriors winning 18 straight games beginning now is at 1:25.
A more interesting bet Bovada posted Friday was whether the 16-0 Warriors would lose first, or the 0-16 Philadelphia 76ers will win first. The odds (-175) are on the Sixers winning first (they do play the Lakers and Nuggets at home next week) instead of the Warriors (+125) losing first. Golden State's only realistic potential loss in the coming games is at Toronto on Dec. 5.
So, who ya got?
Cubs have money to spend, but so do a few other teams looking for pitching.
By Paul Sullivan
The first big-name starter came off the board Sunday when Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann agreed to a five-year, $110 million deal with the Tigers.
Not bad for a guy who ranked 32nd among starting pitchers this year with a 3.0 WAR, a few notches below the Cubs' Kyle Hendricks (27th).
As crazy as it sounds, Zimmermann's contract will pale in comparison to the one David Price is expected to get. The Price sweepstakes will play out next week at the winter meetings in his hometown of Nashville, Tenn., where he's expected to get a deal either matching or exceeding Max Scherzer's seven-year, $210 million deal from last winter.
While some have suggested the Red Sox will do whatever it takes to reel in Price, the Cubs are in the mix and have the resources to pull off a rerun of last December, when they signed Jon Lester for $155 million.
Some of the same teams that President Theo Epstein beat out for Lester's services are also interested in Price, including the Red Sox and Giants, the other finalists for Lester.
The difference is Epstein can now sell prospective free agents on the likelihood of pitching for a playoff-bound team instead of asking them to be patient for a year or so while the young talent jells.
The players know what's happening on the North Side, and there's obviously more interest in joining a winning team with built-in buzz. Epstein admitted as much when I recently asked if more free agents were seeking the Cubs than vice versa.
"Yeah, and I think we're doing less selling of the organization and more exploring the actual fit on the field," he said. "When you play in October, a lot of people watch those games, and they give you credit for the product on the field. That part is nice.
"But we're not taking anything for granted. We still have a lot of selling points about issues that might not be real easily apparent to players, like, for instance, the new clubhouse that we have debuting and some of our future plans — the family program we have that players and their wives really enjoy.
"Beyond the family room, we actually have programming. We'll bring in storytellers or zoo animals. Beyond just babysitting, we have a real curriculum for kids, events for the wives and the kids off the field. Just little things behind the scenes we do that really impact the lives for our players' families they may not be aware of."
Of course, $210 million is going to trump the guarantee your kids will get an up-close and personal view of a penguin.
But if the bids are in the same neighborhood, the Cubs are counting on the human element to kick in, and players do like knowing their families are being taken care of while they're working.
Of course, having two players with mega-contracts like Lester and either Price or Zack Greinke would be a risk, especially toward the end of their deals when they are past their prime.
But the Cubs aren't backing away.
"It would put us in a position with a lot less flexibility going forward, but a lot more talent going forward," Epstein said. "So it's a trade-off."
The Cubs' wheelbarrow full of cash is loaded.
Now it's just a matter of who they'll dump it on.
By Phil Rogers
30 teams split between AL and NL, with six teams in each league making the postseason.
Clint Hurdle didn't want sympathy. The manager wanted to take the Pirates to the World Series, or at least the National League Division Series.
Yet there he sat as midnight approached on the night of Oct. 7, saying goodbye to a 98-win season after only nine postseason innings, all against eventual NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta of the Cubs. And it was a hollow feeling that Hurdle knew well, as his Pirates had been similarly silenced by the Giants' Madison Bumgarner in the 2014 NL Wild Card Game.
But what if baseball went back to the future and eliminated divisional play? What if it placed 15 teams apiece in the National and American Leagues and went back to a balanced schedule, or at least one modified only in making an allowance for Interleague Play?
And what if you could do that and add more Wild Card teams for the postseason, allowing 12 of the 30 teams to have a shot to reach the World Series? What if you could create a best-of-three format for the four lowest seeds in each league without lengthening the break for teams that don't play in the Wild Card round?
It's possible, and here's how it would work:
• All 30 teams stay in their current league, but the East, Central and West distinctions go away. Standings are kept from first to 15th place, with the top six surviving for the postseason. The two winningest teams receive the equivalent of a first-round bye, advancing to the Division Series, while teams that rank third through sixth play a best-of-three Wild Card round. (This would be very similar to the NFL playoff format.)
• A modified balanced schedule would be created that has every team playing the other 14 teams in their league 10 times and a total of 22 Interleague games. Teams would play six games every year against their natural rivals, or at least the best possible rival -- that is, Yankees-Mets, Cardinals-Royals, Rangers-Astros, Marlins-Rays, etc. -- and then play 16 over six series (four three-game series, two two-game series) against opponents assigned randomly.
In an effort to keep strength of schedule as even as possible, teams would play two series each against teams in the top-third, middle-third and bottom-third of their opposite league, with an annual lottery for future opponents being held over the All-Star break every year.
• To leave the top two seeds in each league only a four-day gap from the end of the regular season to the Division Series, there would be no travel days in the Wild Card round. The first game would be hosted by the lowest seed on Monday (assuming the season ends Sunday) and then shift to the highest seed for a game on Tuesday and a possible game on Wednesday. A travel day on Thursday provides a cushion for a rainout or a tiebreaker game at the end of the regular season.
All four Division Series would start on Friday, maintaining the 2-2-1 format currently used. But one league would get a travel day after the second game, while the other league has an off-day after the third game. That would accommodate the staggered schedule that is currently used in the rounds leading to the World Series.
There are many advantages to these changes.
1. There would be much smaller swings in strength of schedule, with every team playing 86 percent of its schedule (140 of 162 games) evenly against the same opponents.
2. Fans would see a bigger variety of opponents over the course of the season, as opposed to three visits a year from divisional opponents.
3. As many as 10 games would be added to the postseason inventory, with the maximum going from 43 to 53.
4. Two more teams would reach the postseason.
5. All postseason teams would play a short series, not just one game.
6. The winningest teams would have a greater advantage than currently, as their Division Series opponent would have had to use two or three starting pitchers in the Wild Card round.
7. The value of pitching depth (fewer postseason off-days) would be increased.
There are disadvantages as well. Among those:
1. With 15-team leagues, not five-team divisions, only two teams win titles during the regular season. Marketing acumen would be needed to put the best spin on having the second- and third-best records in the league, to replace the division titles that aren't there to win.
2. Travel distance and time would probably increase for all 30 teams, with those in the NL Central receiving a rude awakening from how good they've had it.
3. The games-back column in the standings would be tougher to decipher, as what would really matter is distance to the No. 6 spot, not the first one.
4. Some excitement would be lost with the elimination of the one-and-done Wild Card Game, which has been great television. Cubs manager Joe Maddon says playing in that game feels like starting the postseason with the seventh game of the World Series.
5. Squeezing more games into the same postseason window means taking more chances with weather, tiebreakers and other logistical concerns.
(However, in most years you can alleviate that by skipping the traditional travel day after the regular season, getting a running start to the postseason and, if needed, you can play split doubleheaders in the Wild Card round and make up days later by eliminating travel days.)
All in all, these are logical changes that could be easily enacted. Or a version of them could be put in play along with a reduction of the regular season to 154 games.
If we're looking for a way to make the postseason both more fair and compelling, the change makes sense to me.
Golf: I got a club for that..... Local Jones holds off Spieth, Scott to win Australian Open.
* Jones hold nerve to win home Open
* Spieth and Scott share second
* Pampling shoots course record for fourth
Matt Jones held off world number one Jordan Spieth and a charging Adam Scott on his home course to win the 100th edition of the Australian Open by a stroke after a dramatic final round on Sunday.
Leading by three shots overnight, Jones gave his pursuers every chance with a double and triple bogey on the front nine, but four birdies in a two-over-par 73 proved enough for victory on eight-under-par at the Australian Golf Club.
"That was very stressful, it wasn't comfortable out there for me," an emotional Jones said after receiving the Stonehaven Cup for the first time.
"I've watched the Australian Open for many years and just to have my name on that trophy is something I'll never forget."
Defending champion Spieth had a 15-foot eagle putt at the last to force a playoff but sent his ball wide of the hole and had to settle for a 71, giving him a share of second place with Scott.
"I thought that it would all be there today and I just didn't start out strong enough," said the U.S. Open and Masters champion.
Matt Jones held off world number one Jordan Spieth and a charging Adam Scott on his home course to win the 100th edition of the Australian Open by a stroke after a dramatic final round on Sunday.
Leading by three shots overnight, Jones gave his pursuers every chance with a double and triple bogey on the front nine, but four birdies in a two-over-par 73 proved enough for victory on eight-under-par at the Australian Golf Club.
"That was very stressful, it wasn't comfortable out there for me," an emotional Jones said after receiving the Stonehaven Cup for the first time.
"I've watched the Australian Open for many years and just to have my name on that trophy is something I'll never forget."
Defending champion Spieth had a 15-foot eagle putt at the last to force a playoff but sent his ball wide of the hole and had to settle for a 71, giving him a share of second place with Scott.
"I thought that it would all be there today and I just didn't start out strong enough," said the U.S. Open and Masters champion.
It's frustrating to only shoot even par when I feel like my game was certainly ready to shoot a three, four, five under round."
Former world number one Scott, still seeking his first title of the year, had surged up the leaderboard with a seven-birdie 65 to move to seven-under on another blustery day in Sydney.
His compatriot Rod Pampling had earlier sunk a 60-foot eagle putt on the 18th green for a remarkable course record 10-under 61, which was only good enough for fourth on six-under.
Pampling's stunning score bettered the 63 Spieth carded to win the title last year, a final round that had given the American high hopes he could overhaul Jones's overnight lead.
The 35-year-old Australian dropped three shots by going bogey-double bogey on the first two holes but Spieth also bogeyed them as the final group dropped back towards the pack.
Jones recovered with birdies at the fourth and sixth but a calamitous triple bogey at the ninth after hitting the trees and plunging into the water saw him drop to six-under, level with clubhouse leader Pampling.
Spieth drained an eight-foot downhill putt on the 11th to also move to six-under and Scott, ahead on the 14th, joined him to make it a four-way tie for the lead.
The American's parity was short-lived and another visit to the greenside sand saw him bogey the 12th just before Jones brilliantly chipped in from a bunker to save par.
Jones, who won first U.S. PGA title in Houston last year, inched ahead on seven-under with his third birdie at the par-five 14th, which Spieth matched to rejoin Pampling and Scott in second place.
Another fine approach shot to the 18th, which he eagled on Saturday to keep his title hopes alive, saw Scott birdie the last to move back to the top of the leaderboard with Jones.
Jones picked up another shot on the 16th, however, and managed to hold his nerve despite finding the trees on the 17th to clinch the trophy with a short par putt on the final green.
The Sydneysider's victory also earned him a place at next year's British Open along with Pampling and Nick Cullen (68), who shared fifth with Lincoln Tighe (72) on three-under but clinched the spot at Royal Troon courtesy of his higher ranking.
Schwartzel makes it fab four at Alfred Dunhill.
AFP
Home favorite Charl Schwartzel protected his overnight lead to win the Alfred Dunhill Championship for the fourth time on Sunday as he finished four strokes clear of Frenchman Gregory Bourdy at the Leopard Creek Country Club.
The former Masters champion shook off a shaky front nine when he made the turn in one over 36 but a closing 34 was enough to see the Johannesburg native clinch a fourth win in the first event of the 2016 Race to Dubai.
He finished the tournament 15-under par and also became the first South African to win an EPGA event four times and the third man from his country, after Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, to win 10 EPGA tournaments.
The 31-year-old was never really in danger after coming into the final 18 holes with a three-shot overnight lead.
"It feels good. The way I've played the last few years, I've been down in quite a slump, I didn't really see myself coming out and winning," said Schwartzel who should now return to the world top 40.
But we've put in so much hard work in the last 18 months and it's frustrating when week-in, week-out you're playing and it feels like it's never going to turn.
"I guess there's no better fit than for it to turn around here. This place has treated me really well. I got my first win here and now my tenth so I think it's pretty fitting."
France's Benjamin Hebert finished in third spot, his best European finish at 10 under par, ahead of compatriot Sebastien Gros who was nine under.
Three players finished at eight under -- Challenge Tour graduate Thomas Linard, Matt Ford and Joost Luiten.
Defending champion Branden Grace was a further shot back after seeing his late charge, which began with an eagle on the par four 11th, end as he found the water on the 16th and 18th.
Jaco Van Zyl was also at seven under after firing the round of the day with a 64, alongside Eddie Pepperell who ended his week with a 68.
NASCAR Illustrated: The future is here.
By Jay Pfeifer
3-D printers are transforming the way race cars are put together.
For a machine that makes science fiction novels seem quaint, the Stratasys Fortus 400mc 3-D printer at Stewart-Haas Racing is a bit of a letdown in person.
Tucked away in a second-floor space among overflow souvenir/gift shop merchandise and a workbench for the electrical team, the machine could easily be mistaken for a refrigerator -- or an overbuilt microwave.
"People who don't know what the machine is say, 'When are the brownies done?' " said Matt Johnson, senior design engineer for SHR. "If they only knew the capabilities of the machine."
So, what does it do?
Put simply: Instead of printing ink on paper, a 3-D printer builds three-dimensional objects out of plastic.
"Imagine the old dot-matrix printers where you had the little head going back and forth. If you exchange that head with a hot-glue gun, that's essentially what you have for a 3-D printer," Johnson said.
Engineers feed the printer detailed digital drawings and the printer makes them real, one layer at a time. A plastic filament that looks like an extra-thick spool of fishing line is fed into the printer head. Then, "as the material passes through the head, it heats it up, liquefies it, lays it down in a layer a 10,000ths-of-an-inch at a time – that's maybe five sheets of paper thick.
"It keeps going and going until you have a full part."
Johnson printed a plastic version of the Stewart-Haas Racing logo for NASCAR Illustrated in about an hour. Later, he displayed a complex wheel hub prototype about the size of an adult's forearm that required nearly 24 hours to grow inside the magic machine.
The printer literally makes dreams reality.
And in NASCAR, that counts for a lot.
With competitive advantages becoming increasingly slim and short-lived, most major teams are producing more components than ever in-house. That means they can keep their ideas secret and exert finer control over their production. But the downside is they actually have to, you know, make those components. With rows upon rows of CNC lathes and mills booked around the clock, making each minute count is essential for a team's success.
"In the machine shop, we are always slammed trying to get all the production out," said Matt Borland, vice president of engineering at SHR. "You don't want to waste any of that time with ideas or prototypes.
"(Production) is very time- and cost-intensive. If you can grow the part, see your mistakes, learn from it and make a better final part, it's a big savings."
By printing out an idea -- making a prototype in a matter of hours -- teams can diagnose problems or capitalize on opportunities much faster.
"It gives something for the engineer to go to the guys working on it and say, 'Hey, what do you think? Let's put this on a car,' " Borland said. "And they might say, 'Man, this thing sucks bolting this thing together. Can you use a different head on this fastener so I can use a different tool?'
"You get two or three versions ahead of what you would have done making a production run, running it for a few months and then making the improvements. Now, you're doing it off the prototype."
The benefits of having an actual prototype in-hand may seem obvious now, but two years ago, Stewart-Haas Racing officials weren't so sure the six-figure investment would pay off.
"When we first started talking about doing it, we had five or six projects on our mind that we thought it would be good for," Borland said. "We got the machine, started to use it and within a month-and-a-half, we had literally thousands of projects we were doing. Within six months, we had 4,000 parts that we had actually 'grown' on it. It prints nonstop."
The machine was so busy that not long ago, Johnson had to come in on the weekend to swap parts so it could print while the office was empty (the printer sends Johnson an email when a print job is finished).
Most amazingly, the 3-D printer does more than crank out prototypes. Some of the parts come out of the printer and go straight on the car.
According to Johnson, a ducting port on the side of the radiator is a perfect example of this application.
"Before then, the port might have been hand-fabricated aluminum or someone else's carbon-fiber part that didn't fit the particular application we were looking for," he said. "With (rapid prototyping), we are able to get what we want in the space we want it."
One highly visible -- though somewhat less essential -- fruit of the 3-D printer sits between the hood and the windshield of the No. 41 every weekend.
Over the past few years, teams have gotten particularly creative with their cowl covers, pieces of metal that sit over the air intake.
The No. 41 team needed an icon for the cover and what better than a miniature Haas CNC mill?
So, Johnson got digital plans of a real-life mill, shrunk it down and fed the slimmed-down designs to the printer. A few hours -- and a coat of paint -- later, the team's cowl cover was complete with a micro-sized Haas CNC VF4 mill.
Given the rapid evolution of 3-D printing (home versions sell for $500 on Amazon.com and will soon be available at Home Depot), the technology is sure to continue spreading throughout NASCAR.
On the horizon: the even-more-unthinkable. A 3-D printer that builds objects out of metal instead of plastic.
According to Borland: "They have production metal models now. And that's going to take off at some point. … It's right around the corner. … It's going crazy."
SOCCER; MLS Cup Playoffs: NY Red Bulls 1-0 (1-2 agg.) Columbus Crew SC
By Andy Edwards
The game in 100 words (or less): Columbus Crew SC are headed to their second MLS Cup in club history (champions – 2008) after defeating the New York Red Bulls, 2-0 on aggregate, in the Western Conference finals (0-0 draw in an extremely chippy second leg on Sunday). Justin Meram and Kei Kamara scored the two-leg tie’s only goals — eight seconds and 85 minutes into the first leg, respectively — and Crew SC confidently managed the second leg by defending with numbers and wisely picking their spots to break out on the counter. RBNY held nearly 60 percent of possession in the second leg, but could muster just six shots on target over the 90 minutes. Crew SC will host the Portland Timbers in MLS Cup 2015 next Sunday (4 p.m. ET) at MAPFRE Stadium.
Three moments that mattered
38′ — Robles at full stretch to deny Kamara — What’s better: the first touch, second touch, turn and shot by Kei Kamara; or, the sprawled-out save by Luis Robles to swat away a ball clearly headed for the bottom corner? Quality on quality.
90+3′ — Abang heads home to make it nervy late — Anatole Abange rose above the crowd and headed home a recycled ball inside the penalty area after a Sal Zizzo cross was headed high into the air late into stoppage time.
90+5′ — Madness in the penalty area, RBNY hit the post — It was absolute scenes inside the Crew SC penalty area. Ball after ball pumped into the box, headed high into the air and briefly cleared. The final chance of the game fell to Bradley Wright-Phillips, who headed the ball toward the far post with Steve Clark rushing out quickly, only to see his slow dribbler bounce off the front side of the post and back into the field of play.
Man of the match: Wil Trapp
Goalscorers: Abang (90+3′)
MLS Cup Playoffs: FC Dallas 2-2 (3-5 agg.) Portland Timbers.
By Andy Edwards
The game in 100 words (or less): Columbus Crew SC are headed to their second MLS Cup in club history (champions – 2008) after defeating the New York Red Bulls, 2-0 on aggregate, in the Western Conference finals (0-0 draw in an extremely chippy second leg on Sunday). Justin Meram and Kei Kamara scored the two-leg tie’s only goals — eight seconds and 85 minutes into the first leg, respectively — and Crew SC confidently managed the second leg by defending with numbers and wisely picking their spots to break out on the counter. RBNY held nearly 60 percent of possession in the second leg, but could muster just six shots on target over the 90 minutes. Crew SC will host the Portland Timbers in MLS Cup 2015 next Sunday (4 p.m. ET) at MAPFRE Stadium.
Three moments that mattered
38′ — Robles at full stretch to deny Kamara — What’s better: the first touch, second touch, turn and shot by Kei Kamara; or, the sprawled-out save by Luis Robles to swat away a ball clearly headed for the bottom corner? Quality on quality.
90+3′ — Abang heads home to make it nervy late — Anatole Abange rose above the crowd and headed home a recycled ball inside the penalty area after a Sal Zizzo cross was headed high into the air late into stoppage time.
90+5′ — Madness in the penalty area, RBNY hit the post — It was absolute scenes inside the Crew SC penalty area. Ball after ball pumped into the box, headed high into the air and briefly cleared. The final chance of the game fell to Bradley Wright-Phillips, who headed the ball toward the far post with Steve Clark rushing out quickly, only to see his slow dribbler bounce off the front side of the post and back into the field of play.
Man of the match: Wil Trapp
Goalscorers: Abang (90+3′)
MLS Cup Playoffs: FC Dallas 2-2 (3-5 agg.) Portland Timbers.
By Andy Edwards
The game in 100 words (or less): The Portland Timbers are headed to their first MLS Cup in club history after defeating FC Dallas, 5-3 on aggregate, of the Western Conference finals (2-2 draw in the second leg). Fanendo Adi scored in Sunday’s second leg, giving Caleb Porter’s side a 4-1 aggregate lead before Ryan Hollingshead and Blas Perez scored inside the last 25 minutes to give Oscar Pareja’s bunch a late lifeline, but Lucas Melano’s spectacular tap-in sealed the Timbers’ trip to MLS Cup. The third seed heading into the playoffs, Portland bounced Sporting Kansas City in an epic penalty shootout in the knockout round and outlasted the Vancouver Whitecaps in the conference semifinals before knocking off the West’s top seed over two legs to advance to MLS Cup 2015. No matter who advances from the East finals later on Sunday, Portland will play away in MLS Cup, to either the New York Red Bulls or Columbus Crew SC.
54′ — Adi fires past Gonzalez to make if 4-1 — Oscar Pareja elected to go with Walker Zimmerman at center back on Sunday, dropping regular starter Zach Loyd to the bench. On the game’s opening goal, it was Zimmerman who wound up on the ground as Adi received the ball, turned and fired a massive away goal past Jesse Gonzalez.
68′ — Diaz’s magical ball curled home by Hollingshead — Mauro Diaz is a wonderful magician capable of playing the kill through ball from anywhere on the field — this we’ve known for quite some time. His chipped through ball to set up Hollingshead’s goal was extraordinarily brilliant, even for him.
73′ — Perez heads home the free kick to pull within one — Would you be surprised to hear that it was Diaz who set up FCD’s second goal? His free kick was Perez-finding missile and found the head of the Panamanian striker at the top of the six-yard box, where 34-year-old headed home with ease.
90+5′ — Melano rounds Gonzalez, seals MLS Cup berth — Poor Jesse Gonzalez. Absolutely schooled and posterized by Lucas Melano. What a way to sew up a place in the championship final.
Man of the match: Mauro Diaz
Goalscorers: Adi (54′), Hollingshead (68′), Perez (73′), Melano (90+5′)
Premier League Sunday Round-Up: Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs All Draw; Reds Win.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
The Europa League slate helped give us a quartet of Sunday morning Premier League fixtures, but only five goals through those four games.
Only Liverpool seized the chance to make a move up the table, as James Milner‘s penalty conversion moved the Reds closer to the Top Four, while Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal all settled for draws.
And Arsenal is facing a worsening injury crisis
Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Chelsea — RECAP
- Pochettino hails Spurs performance against “small” Chelsea
- Mourinho on benching “privileged” Costa
- WATCH: Petulant Costa tosses bib at Mourinho
- Three things we learned from Spurs-Chelsea
Liverpool 1-0 Swansea City — RECAP
Not much to like here, and Liverpool could’ve scored several times before Swans’ Neil Taylor gave up a penalty by keeping his arms out as he turned away from Jordon Ibe’s cross. James Milner converted, sending Jurgen Klopp‘s side closer to the Top Four (four points back of No. 4 Arsenal).
Norwich City 1-1 Arsenal — RECAP
Speaking of the Gunners, they scored a goal off a John Ruddy gaffe, but lost Laurent Koscielny and Alexis Sanchez to injury, also sacrificing an equalizer when Robbie Brady and Lewis Grabban teamed up to get the better of Gabriel Paulista and Petr Cech. Heady times for title hopes at the Emirates, but Sunderland and Aston Villa are next.
West Ham United 1-1 West Bromwich Albion — RECAP
A simply-gorgeous free kick goal from Mauro Zarate was on of several good bits of work by the home side, but Winston Reid picked up an own goal on his 150th West Ham appearance to leave this one a draw.
NCAAFB: Top 25 Ranking, 11/29/2015.
AP
| Rank | Team | Record | Pts | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Clemson (53) | 12-0 | 1511 | 1 |
| 2. | Alabama (8) | 11-1 | 1469 | 2 |
| 3. | Oklahoma | 11-1 | 1367 | 5 |
| 4. | Iowa | 12-0 | 1345 | 3 |
| 5. | Michigan St. | 11-1 | 1318 | 6 |
| 6. | Ohio St. | 11-1 | 1197 | 8 |
| 7. | Stanford | 10-2 | 1137 | 13 |
| 8. | N. Carolina | 11-1 | 1085 | 11 |
| 9. | Notre Dame | 10-2 | 1022 | 4 |
| 10. | Florida St. | 10-2 | 951 | 14 |
| 11. | TCU | 10-2 | 927 | 15 |
| 12. | Baylor | 9-2 | 842 | 7 |
| 13. | Northwestern | 10-2 | 711 | 17 |
| 14. | Oklahoma St. | 10-2 | 699 | 9 |
| 15. | Oregon | 9-3 | 616 | 18 |
| 16. | Mississippi | 9-3 | 584 | 19 |
| 17. | Houston | 11-1 | 571 | 21 |
| 18. | Florida | 10-2 | 566 | 10 |
| 19. | Michigan | 9-3 | 518 | 12 |
| 20. | Temple | 10-2 | 269 | 25 |
| 21. | Utah | 9-3 | 244 | NR |
| 22. | Navy | 9-2 | 206 | 16 |
| 23. | LSU | 8-3 | 199 | NR |
| 24. | USC | 8-4 | 189 | NR |
| 25. | Wisconsin | 9-3 | 124 | NR |
Others Receiving Votes:
- Georgia 47,
- W. Kentucky 24,
- BYU 20,
- Arkansas 17,
- Memphis 9,
- Tennessee 9,
- South Florida 9,
- Washington St. 8,
- Mississippi St. 4,
- UCLA 4,
- S. Diego St. 3,
- Arkansas St. 2,
- West Virginia 1,
- Toledo 1
Athlon Sports' most interesting stats from Week 13.
By Athlon Sports
Numbers and statistics are a huge part of college football. Every Sunday, reading updated box scores and stats is like Christmas for fans and media members. Some stats like total offense and total defense are overrated, but each help paint a picture for a team or particular game.
Whether the stats are historic, advanced or just an observation from a box score, Athlon Sports brings the most intriguing, important, historic and bizarre stats from around the weekend of college football action:
Whether the stats are historic, advanced or just an observation from a box score, Athlon Sports brings the most intriguing, important, historic and bizarre stats from around the weekend of college football action:
4: 200-Yard Rushing Performances by Alabama RB Derrick Henry in 2015
Alabama running back Derrick Henry added to his commanding lead in the Heisman race with a huge performance in Saturday’s 29-13 win over Auburn. A heavy workload (46 carries) was no problem for the junior, as he gashed the Tigers for 271 yards and one touchdown. Henry has rushed for at least 204 yards in each of Alabama’s last three SEC games and has four 200-yard games this year. The four 200-yard games tied Georgia’s Herschel Walker and Auburn’s Bo Jackson for the most in a season in SEC history.
4-0: Urban Meyer’s Record as Ohio State’s Head Coach Against Michigan
A week after losing to Michigan State in disappointing fashion, Ohio State took some of its frustration out on rival Michigan. The Buckeyes won 42-13 over the Wolverines on Saturday, improving coach Urban Meyer’s record to 4-0 against Michigan as the team’s head coach. In addition to Meyer’s 4-0 record against the Wolverines, the 29-point margin of victory is the third-largest total for Ohio State in Ann Arbor.
12-0: Clemson and Iowa Reach 12-0 After Wins in Week 13
Clemson and Iowa are the only remaining unbeaten teams in college football going into the final week of the regular season. With a 37-32 victory over South Carolina on Saturday, the Tigers improved to 12-0 and tied the school record for most wins in a season. For the Hawkeyes, Friday’s win over Nebraska moved coach Kirk Ferentz’s team to 12-0 for the first time in school history. The 12 wins are also the most in school history for Iowa.
37: Starters Used by Notre Dame in 2015
It’s no secret Notre Dame has been hit hard by injuries this year. Starting quarterback Malik Zaire, running back Tarean Folston, cornerback KeiVarae Russell and defensive tackle Jarron Jones are just a few of the players lost due to injury for the Fighting Irish this season. According to Notre Dame’s postgame notes following Saturday night’s loss at Stanford, coach Brian Kelly’s team has used 37 different starters this season. Considering how many starters this team has used, along with the loss of several key players due to injury, Brian Kelly should be in the mix for coach of the year honors after guiding this team to a 10-2 regular season.
23: Virginia Tech’s Bowl Streak Extends to 23 After Win Over Virginia
Virginia Tech’s 23-20 win over rival Virginia ensured long-time coach Frank Beamer would have one more game with the Hokies. Beamer announced his retirement in early November and entered Saturday’s game needing a win over the Cavaliers to extend a streak of 22 consecutive bowl appearances. The Hokies did just that, using a late field goal to take a 23-20 edge with less than two minutes remaining, followed by a defensive stand on Virginia’s final offensive drive to earn their sixth victory. The last time Virginia Tech did not play in a postseason game was in 1992.
4,000+/40+: WKU QB Brandon Doughty Again Throws for 4,000+ Yards and 40+ TDs
WKU’s Brandon Doughty is one of the nation’s most prolific quarterbacks, and the senior made history in Friday’s win over Marshall. In addition to helping the Hilltoppers clinch the Conference USA East Division title, Doughty threw for 370 yards and five passing touchdowns. The 370 passing yards pushed Doughty to 4,184 for the season, while the five touchdown tosses elevated his season total to 42. Doughty is just the third quarterback in FBS history to post consecutive seasons of at least 4,000 passing yards and 40 passing scores.
62: Baylor’s Passing Yardage Against TCU
Baylor’s late-November matchup at TCU was pegged as one of the best games of the college football season in August. However, due to injuries and losses by both teams, this matchup lost some of its appeal. And thanks to awful weather conditions, the offensive shootout most expected turned into a defensive struggle. Neither team had much success throwing the ball, as TCU ended with 148 yards on 18 completions and Baylor finished with 62 yards on seven completions. The 62 passing yards by Baylor was easily the lowest total under coach Art Briles and the fewest in a game since 2002 against New Mexico.
11-1: Florida State Coach Jimbo Fisher’s Record Against Miami and Florida
Winning rivalry games is essential for the long-term outlook at a program for any coach. That’s especially true in the state of Florida with the bragging rights between the big three programs – Miami, Florida State and Florida – along with the recruiting trail battles. Since taking over Florida State in 2010, Jimbo Fisher has guided the Seminoles to an 11-1 mark against Miami and Florida. Additionally, Saturday night’s win over the Gators gave Florida State its fourth consecutive season of at least 10 wins.
7: TDs Thrown by Memphis QB Paxton Lynch in the First Half Against SMU
Memphis finished a solid 9-3 season with an easy 63-0 win over SMU on Saturday. The Tigers scored 56 of those 63 points in the first half, as quarterback Paxton Lynch threw seven touchdown passes in the first two quarters. Lynch’s seven touchdown tosses tied a FBS record for the most in a half. The junior ended the day with just nine completions on 14 attempts for 222 yards and seven scores.
2: Teams That Finished 2015 Without a Win
It’s going to be a long offseason at UCF and Kansas. The Knights and Jayhawks finished 2015 with a zero in the win column and an 0-12 mark overall. Both programs are in the midst of change, as David Beaty completed his first season at Kansas in 2015, and UCF is looking for a new coach after George O’Leary retired during the season.
Iowa, Michigan State set for Big Ten title game.
By LUKE MEREDITH
Iowa took a lot of grief this season for not playing the top teams in the Big Ten East.
The Hawkeyes will get the best one Saturday - likely with a trip to the playoffs on the line.
No. 4 Iowa (12-0, 8-0 Big Ten) and No. 5 Michigan State (11-1, 7-1) will face off in Indianapolis in the biggest game these programs have ever played against each other.
The Hawkeyes sealed their spot in the title matchup with a game to spare. The Spartans clinched the East with a 55-16 drubbing of Penn State this weekend.
''This was our first goal, to get to this game,'' Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said Sunday in a teleconference.
Iowa finished its regular season unbeaten for the first time since 1922. Though the Hawkeyes didn't play the toughest of schedules, they beat the likes of Pitt, Wisconsin and Northwestern to put coach Kirk Ferentz in position for his fourth conference coach of the year award.
Michigan State wasn't far behind.
The Spartans only lost on the road at Nebraska 39-38 thanks in part to a questionable call at the end of the game.
Recent wins at Ohio State and against the Nittany Lions have made Michigan State a slight favorite.
Here are some of things to look for as Iowa and Michigan State renew acquaintances.
THE COMMITTEE IS WATCHING: The winner of Saturday's game is all but guaranteed a shot at the four-team playoff, especially after Notre Dame lost to Stanford and dropped out of the running. If Clemson or Alabama lose this weekend, the Big Ten's hold on a playoff spot will only tighten. ''I just can't imagine whoever wins this ball game not being in the playoffs,'' Ferentz said. ''But no matter what happens, it won't diminish what both teams have accomplished.'' A win could even put the Hawkeyes into a rematch with Oklahoma and Bob Stoops, a star for the Hawkeyes in the early 80s.
HEISMAN POTENTIAL: No one who'll suit up in Indianapolis will compete for the Heisman Trophy. But Cook might be the first quarterback taken in next year's NFL draft. Cook has thrown for 24 touchdowns against four picks despite a 58 percent completion percentage. Iowa is led by quarterback C.J. Beathard, whose clutch play is one of the biggest reasons the Hawkeyes are in a playoff position.
LOOKING BACK: This will be a matchup that re-ignites one of the Big Ten's most underrated rivalries. Iowa has beaten Dantonio's teams twice in double overtime since 2007. The Hawkeyes also won on the last play of the game in East Lansing during a 9-0 start in 2009 and ruined Michigan State's Rose Bowl hopes in 2010. But the Spartans won the last meeting 26-14 in 2013 in what Ferentz called star quarterback Connor Cook's ''coming out party.''
NCAABKB: No.3 Michigan State wins Wooden Legacy behind supporting cast.
Michigan State claims the Wooden Legacy. (Photo/USATSI)
Michigan State was supposed to be good following its Final Four run in 2015. But I'm not sure even the most ardent Spartan supporters could have expected this after losing Travis Trice and Branden Dawson.
Even on a night where Denzel Valentine -- who was named Wooden Legacy event MVP --struggled with foul trouble in the first half then was overall fairly pedestrian on his way to 17 points, it was the rest of the Spartans who stepped up. Bryn Forbes, who came in shooting 54 percent from 3, continued his hot start to the season by scoring 18 points. Freshman Deyonta Davis threw in 12 points off the bench. West Virginia transfer Eron Harris finally improved upon what had been a bit of a rocky start, and scored 12.
And that's the key with the Spartans this season. They've largely been relying upon Denzel Valentine to propel them to victory in the early portion of the season, as his heroics had him averaging nearly a triple-double coming into the game. And yeah, Forbes has been consistent in knocking down shots next to him. But this team has so much more potential than that due to the players that will surround him as the season progresses.
Davis is still relying mostly on pure athleticism, and should continue to improve as the year progresses. Harris still hasn't quite figured out his role on the team, but has proven himself at a high level before in averaging 17 points per game at West Virginia. Marvin Clark Jr. hasn't been totally healthy yet, and he's a solid inside-out weapon who fits well as a defensive player who can both defend on the perimeter and bang on the inside.
Following Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin's early season woes, it seems the Big Ten is shaping up as a three-team race between the Spartans, Maryland and Purdue. And right now, it's hard to bet against what Michigan State has offered in wins over Kansas, Providence, and Boise State. That's a better resume than anyone else in the country has to offer, and it won't be a surprise to see Michigan State get first-place votes in the upcoming polls on Monday because of it.
But before we get to the Big Ten, the Spartans will have to pass their final large hurdle of the non-conference season, playing what could be a ranked Louisville team at home in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. If they get past that, this team -- unlike most this season -- could be unbeaten for a little while.
Tyson Fury ends Wladimir Klitschko's 11-year unbeaten streak, celebrates by singing Aerosmith.
By Andreas Hale
Tyson Fury (2L) celebrates after defeating Wladimir Klitschko (L). (Photo/Getty)
Tyson Fury talked a good game and did even better backing it up as he ended Wladimir Klitschko’s long reign over the heavyweight division with a unanimous decision victory in Dusseldorf, Germany, to take home the WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight titles.
Just as he said he would, the 27-year-old with a colorful personality made it clear that he would be the one to end the Klitschko’s decade-plus supremacy at the top of the food chain. And when he was finished talking with his fists, and the ESPIRIT Arena full of pro-Klitschko fans sat in disbelief at what transpired, Fury decided to stop jawing and sang a rendition of Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” to his wife.
It was a fitting end to what had been quite the interesting promotion leading up to the heavyweight tilt as Fury did everything he could to get under the skin of Klitschko. His colorful antics including dressing up as Batman and spewing a number of one-liners more fitting for a standup comedian than a fighter. Serenading his wife with an Aerosmith tune was probably the least peculiar thing he could have done.
But what wasn’t peculiar was what took place in the ring as Tyson Fury – who is named after hard-hitting heavyweight legend Mike Tyson – used his size and speed to make Klitschko (64-4) look every bit of his 39 years. Standing at 6-foot-9 with an 85-inch reach (compared to Klitschko’s 6-foot-6 frame with an 81-inch reach), Fury (25-0) worked behind a long jab to keep the Ukrainian off balance. The action was limited but Fury was more effective as he landed 86 of 371 punches to Klitschko’s 52 of 310 punches.
What led to Klitschko’s abysmal output is anyone’s guess, but Fury proved to be the busier fighter and was just as animated inside of the ring as he was leading up to the fight. He talked while being light on his toes as Klitschko was unable to let the right hand go or do anything with the tentpole jab that he has been known to utilize in order to set up his power shots.
Fury wasn’t terribly dominant, although he did have his moments towards the end of the fight. Klitschko’s trainer, Johnathon Banks, tried to put a fire under his fighter after the 10th round by stating that a knockout was needed, but Klitschko simply wouldn’t oblige as the fight ended and Fury had his hand raised with scores of 116-11, 115-112 and 115-112. Fury’s victory cracks the heavyweight division wide open and opens the door to a possible intriguing showdown with current WBC titleholder Deontay Wilder.
"This is a dream come true," said a tearful Fury, who himself doubted that he could win a decision against Klitschko. "It's hard to come to foreign countries and get decisions. It just means so much to me to come here and get the decision."
On
Just as he said he would, the 27-year-old with a colorful personality made it clear that he would be the one to end the Klitschko’s decade-plus supremacy at the top of the food chain. And when he was finished talking with his fists, and the ESPIRIT Arena full of pro-Klitschko fans sat in disbelief at what transpired, Fury decided to stop jawing and sang a rendition of Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” to his wife.
It was a fitting end to what had been quite the interesting promotion leading up to the heavyweight tilt as Fury did everything he could to get under the skin of Klitschko. His colorful antics including dressing up as Batman and spewing a number of one-liners more fitting for a standup comedian than a fighter. Serenading his wife with an Aerosmith tune was probably the least peculiar thing he could have done.
But what wasn’t peculiar was what took place in the ring as Tyson Fury – who is named after hard-hitting heavyweight legend Mike Tyson – used his size and speed to make Klitschko (64-4) look every bit of his 39 years. Standing at 6-foot-9 with an 85-inch reach (compared to Klitschko’s 6-foot-6 frame with an 81-inch reach), Fury (25-0) worked behind a long jab to keep the Ukrainian off balance. The action was limited but Fury was more effective as he landed 86 of 371 punches to Klitschko’s 52 of 310 punches.
What led to Klitschko’s abysmal output is anyone’s guess, but Fury proved to be the busier fighter and was just as animated inside of the ring as he was leading up to the fight. He talked while being light on his toes as Klitschko was unable to let the right hand go or do anything with the tentpole jab that he has been known to utilize in order to set up his power shots.
Fury wasn’t terribly dominant, although he did have his moments towards the end of the fight. Klitschko’s trainer, Johnathon Banks, tried to put a fire under his fighter after the 10th round by stating that a knockout was needed, but Klitschko simply wouldn’t oblige as the fight ended and Fury had his hand raised with scores of 116-11, 115-112 and 115-112. Fury’s victory cracks the heavyweight division wide open and opens the door to a possible intriguing showdown with current WBC titleholder Deontay Wilder.
"This is a dream come true," said a tearful Fury, who himself doubted that he could win a decision against Klitschko. "It's hard to come to foreign countries and get decisions. It just means so much to me to come here and get the decision."
On
Memoriesofhistory.com
1991 - In the first Women's World Cup in soccer, the U.S. team defeated Norway 2-1.
1992 - The video "NFL Country," by various artists, was certified Gold by the RIAA.
1993 - The NFL awarded the league's 30th franchise to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
1996 - Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) scored his 25,000th NBA career point. He was only the 10th player to reach the mark.
2005 - The Boston Bruins traded captain Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks for Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart.
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