5 reasons Alabama football will beat the Ohio State Buckeyes: Has a real Crimson Tide defense awoken?

NEW ORLEANS -- Five reasons the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1) will beat the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes (12-1) on Thursday in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. 1. Is this a real Alabama defense? What's the standard for defense at Alabama? Since Nick Saban got the Tide rolling in his second year in 2008, Alabama has ranked seventh, second,...

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NFL Week 17 Grades: Cowboys look like a team with Super Bowl potential

You're not going to believe this, but Jerry Jones said something this week that actually made sense. Before the Cowboys played the Redskins on Sunday, Jones was asked if Dallas would be resting any starters this week. The answer was an unequivocal no. "I feel strongly about going all out against the Redskins," Jones told KRLD-FM, via theDallas Morning News. Jones'...

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Images: Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings

The Chicago Bears lost to the Minnesota Vikings 13-9 at the TCF Bank Stadium in Minnesota on Sunday ending their season with a miserable 5 wins and 11 losses. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler finished the game with a 75.2 quarterback rating who threw for 23/36 and 172 yards and no touchdowns. For the season, Cutler committed 27 turnovers with 9 fumbles and 18 interceptions. One bright...

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NFC North CHAMPIONS! In dramatic game, Packers defeat rival Lions, 30-20

GREEN BAY (WITI) — The Green Bay Packers defeated the Detroit Lions Sunday, December 28th to become NFC North CHAMPIONS (for the fourth consecutive time)! The Packers have also claimed the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. The Packers have earned a “bye” in the first week of the playoffs. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was carted to the locker room in the second quarter, following a touchdown pass to Randall...

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Holiday Bowl brings familiar territory for USC

It didn't end well for the Trojans. Arizona State converted and USC was stunned. That was in October.Saturday night at the Holiday Bowl, USC found itself in a similar situation in a 45-42 win over Nebraska.  "We always try to make it exciting," USC head coach Steve Sarkisian said. "We make it entertaining for everybody." As opposed to a lesson learned, consider it...

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Preview: Knicks at Kings

Two teams in downward spirals will try to change directions when the Sacramento Kings host the New York Knicks on Saturday night. The Kings lost for the seventh time in the last eight games Friday against the Phoenix Suns, one day after the Knicks lost their sixth consecutive contest and 16th out of 17 in front of a national Christmas Day audience against the Washington Wizards. At least the...

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College basketball results, Dec. 27

        There were moments Saturday when top-ranked Kentucky could have blinked against No. 4 Louisville with its veterans battling second-half foul trouble and shooting woes. The Wildcats didn’t because freshman guard Tyler Ulis stepped up with a 14-point performance made more impressive by the fact he achieved it despite a bandaged right eye that made...

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Gasol, Mirotic show what Bulls got by losing Boozer

More boos than ‘‘Booze’’ could be heard Thursday at the United Center as fans expressed their disdain for Carlos Boozer. The former Bulls forward, now a reserve with the Los Angeles Lakers, visited on Christmas Day for the first time since the Bulls used the amnesty provision on him in July. But the game — a 113-93 Bulls win — was less about the often-criticized Boozer and more a showcase...

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Knicks drop 6th straight on Christmas day

NEW YORK — John Wall is fast and flashy, a showman who practices 360-degree layups and then pulls them off in games. And when he gets pushed, he pushes back. Wall had 24 points and 11 assists, eluding the Knicks all day until getting knocked to the floor by a flagrant foul that sparked an altercation, and the Washington Wizards beat New York 102-91 yesterday. Wall toyed with the Knicks...

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Niners QB Colin Kaepernick weighs changes in offseason

Colin Kaepernick is in the process of considering how he might go about his offseason regimen to bounce back from a disappointing year, and employing a mechanics coach or quarterback guru as Tom Brady and other stars have done is being discussed. ''That's still in the works,'' Kaepernick said. ''Just working on possibilities right now.'' San Francisco (7-8) looks to avoid a...

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