Analysis Page 3 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Team USA's World Cup reprieve won't matter due to lack of intensity
Thanks to Italy beating Mexico on Wednesday night, the United States gets another chance in the World Baseball Classic.,What looked like a potentially disastrous early exit for Team USA manager Mark DeRosa and the boys turned out to be nothing more than substantial worry and significant embarrassmen...
Three QBs with everything to gain at the NFL Scouting Combine
Quarterbacks are king in the NFL draft. Traits are king at the NFL Scouting Combine.,As the top of the draft comes into focus over the next several weeks, the position of No. 2 quarterback behind likely No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza is up for grabs in the Class of 2026.,Separation starts this week.,Qu...
Rank and file: Which NFL opening rates as the best job?
Rare opportunity, as candidates often say of being an NFL head coach, we should all agree is precisely what exists with the Baltimore Ravens.,A pillar of stability with top ownership, a proven front office and the kind of two-deep depth chart you'd expect to show up in February, being the head coach...
Everything you need to know about the Cotton Bowl
COTTON BOWL,College Football Playoff quarterfinal,No. 2 Ohio State (12-1) vs. No. 10 Miami (11-2),Wednesday, Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET,Arlington, Texas (AT&T Stadium),Consensus odds: Ohio State -9.5, Total 41.5 points,Defending national champion Ohio State returns to the College Football Playoff for the...
Analysis: Mark Pope, Kentucky 'love the pain' as they recover from low point
Sixteen days ago, Kentucky basketball was at a low point.,The Wildcats had just been bludgeoned 94-59 by then-No. 11 Gonzaga in Nashville, and they were serenaded by fans with a chorus of boos. Later that night, former Wildcats standout DeMarcus Cousins called the team out on X, questioning the 2025...
CFP first round: What to know about Alabama at Oklahoma
College Football Playoff First Round,No. 9 Alabama (10-3) at No. 8 Oklahoma (10-2),Friday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m. ET,Norman, Okla.,Consensus odds: Oklahoma -1.5, Total 41.5,Oklahoma and Alabama square off in the first round of the College Football Playoff, but the Southeastern Conference rivals need no int...
Winter Meetings Primer: MLB converges on Orlando
The Winter Meetings officially begin Monday amid what already has been a bustling offseason in Major League Baseball.,Several major free-agent signings, along with a number of trades, were finalized well before the front-office representatives and player agents even headed to Orlando. ,So if the mee...
Bowl Watch List: Ranking non-playoff games by watchability
The College Football Playoff has certainly taken some of the shine off of bowl season.,Look no further than Notre Dame electing to opt out of a bowl game after it was left out of the CFP field on Sunday afternoon. Iowa State and Kansas State elected to opt out due to coaching changes this offseason....
What cities got the best slate of games? Analyzing the 2026 World Cup schedule
FIFA revealed the full schedule, including venues and kickoff times, for the 2026 World Cup on Saturday, one day after the 42 qualifiers and six remaining playoff slots were drawn into 12 groups.,Here are some of the big takeaways from the full reveal.,Co-hosts (partly) in prime time,A year after th...
World Cup draw takeaways: England, Croatia reunite in Group of Death
After months of anticipation, the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw on Friday gave us a much clearer picture of how next summer's tournament -- the first staged with a record 48 teams -- will play out.,There still is the business of six qualification spots, four coming from Europe and two more from FIFA's in...
Signing Day: Winners and losers
National Signing Day is the culmination of a months- and years-long process of college football recruiting in a three-day span during this week's early signing period.,The biggest news of the week came Tuesday night, when Jared Curtis, the No. 1 overall player in the 2026 class according to the 247S...
Mountain West Championship Preview: UNLV-Boise State, The Trilogy
Mountain West Championship,UNLV (10-2, 6-2) at Boise State (8-4, 6-2),Friday, 8 p.m. ET (Las Vegas), ,UNLV and Boise State will meet for the Mountain West title for the third consecutive season, thanks to a composite average of four nationally recognized metrics used to settle a four-way, first-pla...
CUSA Championship Preview: Jacksonville State shoots for repeat
Conference USA Championship ,Jacksonville State (8-4) vs. Kennesaw State (9-3),Friday, 7 p.m. ET (AmFirst Stadium, Jacksonville, Ala.),Regular-season champion Jacksonville State defends its CUSA title against Kennesaw State, which won two games a year ago and is only playing its second season at the...
MAC Championship Preview: W. Michigan takes another shot at Miami
Mid-American Conference Championship,Miami, Ohio (7-5) vs. Western Michigan (8-4),Saturday, Noon ET (Ford Field, Detroit),Western Michigan won the regular season conference title outright with a 7-1 record, ending a long absence in the championship game. The Broncos' last appearance came during the ...
Taking measure of playoff teams with the most work to do this offseason
The baseball offseason waits for no one. ,Opt-outs, managerial hirings and free agent filings are the talk of the day a mere five nights after one of the greatest Game 7s of all-time. ,Here's our look at the tasks ahead of the 12 teams who made the playoffs this season, leading off with the teams wi...
Where will the top 10 free agents land? Start in Los Angeles
As the light turns green to signal the open of Major League Baseball free agency, the looming threat of the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers casts a larger shadow than ever over the other 29 teams. ,Most of them are dealing with a level of wallet envy as Los Angeles collects World Se...
Five free agents worth the risk -- and five to avoid
The MLB offseason is underway, which means it's time to spend.,Let's take a look at five players who figure to be worth the big bucks no matter what and five others who could be worth it, but also have to come with warning labels attached.,--Free Agents Worth Every Penny,Josh Naylor, 1B,Though he sa...
Grading first CFP rankings: What committee got right, wrong
The College Football Playoff committee had a few surprises in store when it released its first rankings and projected field of 12 teams of the season Tuesday night.,Much was as expected, with Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, Alabama and Georgia making up the top five. On the less anticipated side of ...
Dallas goes big, Colts snag Sauce in epic NFL trade deadline
Trades hit fast and furious at the NFL trade deadline, driven by contenders losing daylight and the overwhelming taste of disappointment in New York. ,Big names and bigger contracts were guided to iighted exits by the Jets, ushered to teams with pressing needs and aspiring playoff hopes. ,General ma...
Watch for Virginia, Indiana, BYU when first CFP bracket unveiled
After 11 weeks of play, we finally get the first set of College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night.,When the first 12-team bracket is unveiled, it will include a number of teams who were expected to be firmly in the mix (hello, Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama) while other preseason favorites...