Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and record-setting wide receiver Michael Zweifel of Dubuque headline the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America Teams selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Luck, a Heisman Trophy finalist, was honored with the Academic All-America of the Year award for Division I. The winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the top quarterback in college football, Luck has led No. 4 Stanford to an 11-1 record and a berth in the Tostito’s Fiesta Bowl where the Cardinal will face No. 3 Oklahoma State on Jan. 2. Read the rest of this entry »

Our Week 14 “expert” NFL picks and predictions have been posted and are available for your viewing pleasure on our “Beat the House” contest page. Remember, there is a game on Thursday this week. Make sure you get your picks in prior to the kickoff of the Thursday game if you want credit for that game. Voting will stay open until Sunday, but you won’t get credit for the Thursday games if you enter after 1:00pm EST.

The Week 13 “Beat the House” recap is below. Just like all NFL greats, the House is getting hot at the end of November into December, posting it’s second consecutive multiple-point victory. Four games were not agreed on in week 13 and three of them went exactly as the House predicted. Don’t look now, but after going up 4-0 to start the season, the membership only leads the House 6 weeks to 5. Read the rest of this entry »

Four weeks remain in the NFL regular season and wins are increasingly tough to come by.  With every game of vital importance in a tight playoff race, what’s the key to late-season success?

“You have to be able to win close games,” says NFL Network analyst and former NFL head coach STEVE MARIUCCI. “They’re not typically as high scoring games, they’re grind them out kind of games. You have to be poised and confident.” Read the rest of this entry »

The Green Bay Packers, who have clinched the NFC North division title, defeated the New York Giants 38-35 in Week 13 to improve to 12-0 and become the second defending Super Bowl champion (1998 Denver Broncos) to start the following season 12-0.

“It’s the NFL, so I think everybody is going to give you their best shot every week,” says quarterback AARON RODGERS, who is one of three quarterbacks – Pro Football Hall of Famer JOHNNY UNITAS (1959) and PEYTON MANNING (2004) – to throw multiple touchdown passes in each of a team’s first 12 games. “Being undefeated and the defending champions, there might be an extra motivation at times. We’re looking forward to each challenge.” Read the rest of this entry »

It’s Week 14 of the NFL season and only four games remain to decide who advances to the playoffs. And who goes is anyone’s guess as 28 teams remain in contention for a postseason berth.

“It’s good to be 9-3 and our team is in a decent position here,” says New England Patriots head coach BILL BELICHICK. “Hopefully we can keep improving through the last quarter of the season.”

With four games to go, there are 22 teams either in or within two games of a playoff spot. Read the rest of this entry »

Sunday NFL Countdown host Chris Berman and analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, and Keyshawn Johnson previewed today’s NFL’s week 13 games on ESPN, along with Suzy Kolber, analysts Merril Hoge, Bill Parcells, and NFL Insiders Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen. Some excerpts:

On the best approach for the Green Bay Packers chasing a perfect season …
Ditka: “This is a very unique football team. I don’t know what’s going to happen the rest of the way out, but I know this, ‘If you fear perfection, you’ll never seek perfection.’ That’s what happened to 2009 Colts and nobody can tell me any difference.”
Johnson: “Realistically, when you look at it, I don’t really see anyone in their way that’ll derail this football team … Their (Packers) players want it. They want to win this thing, get to 16-0.” Read the rest of this entry »

Two Missouri Southern State University football student-athletes were killed in a crash on Interstate 44 between Joplin and Springfield early Friday morning. Two other Missouri Southern State student-athletes – one a football player and the other a golfer – were seriously injured.

The two students killed in the accident were Michael McCrimmons, a freshman defensive back from Springfield, and Diondre Johnson, a redshirt freshman tight end from Springfield. Read the rest of this entry »

NEVER SAY NEVER: Since the current 12-team playoff format was instituted in 1990, 15 teams have reached the postseason despite having a losing record after 11 games. This includes an active streak of seven consecutive seasons in which a sub-.500 team after 11 games has reached the playoffs.

Six of those seven teams have gone on to win at least one playoff game. The Seattle Seahawks advanced to the Divisional Playoffs after a 5-6 start last season.

The teams with a losing record after 11 games to make the playoffs since 2004: Read the rest of this entry »

As the NFL enters Week 13, there are 17 teams either in or within one game of a playoff spot, including eight in the NFC.

The New York Giants have the toughest remaining schedule among those NFC clubs, facing opponents with a combined 35-20 (.636) mark.

The remaining strength of schedule for the eight NFC teams either in or within one game of a playoff spot: Read the rest of this entry »

As the calendar turns to December, the NFL enters the final month of the regular season. With 11 games down, only five remain for teams to make their playoff push.

“Everyone understands that there is a lot of football left,” says New Orleans head coach SEAN PAYTON. “There are a lot of teams competing for similar goals, whether it’s winning the division or trying to put yourself in the best position for a postseason berth. Our team understands the importance of playing well in the month of December.” Read the rest of this entry »

Former Atlanta Hawks National Basketball Association sensation Anthony “Spud” Webb has accepted his latest challenge – coach of a newly formed team of shapely women from Rick’s Cabaret/New York City. Webb was introduced to the media at a news conference today at the gentlemen’s club Playboy.com called the “No. 1 strip club in New York.”

The sexy women’s team was formed to give fans an entertaining option during the delay in getting the NBA season underway. The “Rick’s Basketball Association” is comprised of squads from Rick’s Cabaret International, Inc. (NASDAQ:RICK), the publicly traded group of 23 upscale gentlemen’s clubs that are popular with pro athletes and their fans. Read the rest of this entry »

Our Week 13 “expert” NFL picks and predictions have been posted and are available for your viewing pleasure on our “Beat the House” contest page. Remember, there is a game on Thursday this week. Make sure you get your picks in prior to the kickoff of the Thursday game if you want credit for that game. Voting will stay open until Sunday, but you won’t get credit for the Thursday games if you enter after 1:00pm EST.

The House beat the collective membership in Thanksgiving week (week 12) by a whole two games. The House was able to pick 14 out of the 16 games correctly, while the members only notched 12. It did not look good for the House as it got the very first pick of the week wrong (Detroit over Green Bay), and then had an almost as Dallas had to throw everything they had at the Dolphins to beat them by one point in the second game. From there it was clear sailing, though. Read the rest of this entry »

ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown host Chris Berman and analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, and Keyshawn Johnson previewed the NFL’s week 12 games with Suzy Kolber, analysts Trent Dilfer and Merril Hoge and NFL Insiders Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen. Some excerpts:

On Ndamukong Suh being ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct Thursday…
Kolber: “We don’t know what burns inside of people, what makes them who they are, but we do know is on the field, you have to maintain some sort of control.”
Jackson: “He crossed the line… this league is very conscious of perception.”
Hoge: “The person that I know and that incident that we saw are different people.”
Dilfer: “Sometimes behind the curtain is very ugly in the National Football League.”

More on Ndamukong Suh – is he out of control? Read the rest of this entry »

We are extremely concerned by the point-shaving allegations involving University of Hawaii football student-athletes and have been in contact with the school since early November. We take any allegation of point shaving very seriously as it is a crime that threatens two core NCAA principles – the well-being of student-athletes and the very integrity of intercollegiate sport. Read the rest of this entry »

As the NFL enters Week 12, there are 22 teams within two games of a playoff spot. And with six weeks to play, nothing has been settled.

“Stacking wins together is what good teams do this time of year,” says Dallas Cowboys quarterback TONY ROMO, who is 18-2 in his career as a starter in November. “You need to put yourself in position for the stretch run. It’s been big to win these past three games. It’s going to keep on getting bigger every game.” Read the rest of this entry »

An “every-down back” in the NFL combines the ability to elude defenders in the running game and attack opponents out of the backfield in the passing game.

Pro Football Hall of Fame running back and NFL Network analyst MARSHALL FAULK was a prototype every-down running back during his 12-year career. Faulk totaled 19,154 scrimmage yards, the fourth-most all-time, including 6,875 career receiving yards, the most ever among running backs.

“I was a guy that tried to play every down in the NFL,” says Faulk. “I never wanted out of the game.” Read the rest of this entry »