Past Matchups Won't Matter on NFL's Championship Sunday

Filed under: NFL Playoffs, NFL Analysis

Throw them out. Throw them all out, the regular-season games between the Packers and Bears (two), and the Jets and Steelers (one).

For when those rematches are played next Sunday for the right to go to the Super Bowl, the regular-season meetings mean nothing. The 49-point turnaround in the Jets-Patriots matchup this weekend (Pats, 45-3 in Foxborough on Dec. 6; Jets, 28-21 Sunday in the same venue) tells us all we need to know. And if you read anything in the coming days, like the note that Devin Hester's 62-yard punt return overcame a Green Bay edge from scrimmage in the first Green Bay-Chicago meeting, ignore it.

None of it matters.

Nor does home-field "advantage'' -- the Steelers have been in seven AFC title games in the past 17 seasons, six at home and one on the road. The home team is 2-5.

 

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Tony Fritz Out, Duane Ticknor in as Sioux Falls Skyforce Head Coach

Filed under: NBA D-League, Sioux Falls Skyforce

The Sioux Falls Skyforce announced late Friday evening that Tony Fritz has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the NBA Development League franchise with assistant coach Duane Ticknor (shown right) taking over as interim head coach for the time being.

"Tony led us to the best regular season record since joining the NBA D-League last year but unfortunately this season has not gone as planned and we feel it is in the best interest of the franchise to make a change," Skyforce owner/president Mike Heineman said in a press release. "We're confident that Coach Ticknor will put a competitive product on the court."
Fritz, a longtime minor league assistant who began his career as an intern with the CBA's Yakima Sun Kings during the 1997-98 season, compiled a 34-34 record after taking over the Skyforce to begin last season.

Ticknor will be the 14th head coach in team history following in the footsteps of Flip Saunders, Dave Joerger and Mo McHone. Ticknor has been around minor league basketball, becoming an assistant coach with the CBA's Rapid City Thrillers in 1989 and has been in either the CBA, IBA or NBA D-League ever since. His most recent head coaching job came with the Dakota Wizards when he guided them to a 27-23 record and ensuing playoff berth during the 2008-09 season before stepping down due to health concerns.

"It's my responsibility to put a winning club on the floor, and we weren't doing that," Fritz told the Argus Leader Friday night. "I let the Heinemans down, I let the organization down, and most importantly I let the great fan base here down. They deserve winners -- and I didn't get the job done."

While Fritz was quick to put the blame on himself, it's difficult to say that the team's record thus far this season -- two wins, 16 losses and losers of 11 straight -- was indicative of his coaching abilities.

The Skyforce chose former NBA player Cheikh Samb with their first round pick and he ended up never reporting -- the only player in the entire draft to buy out of his contract without actually reporting to the team.

The team's top three scorers were all away from the team over the past couple of weeks as Miami Heat training camp invitee Anthony Mason Jr. and veteran Chris McCray were both waived due to injury while point guard Leemire Goldwire left the league for a more lucrative offer overseas.

With the team's main players out of the lineup, one player told FanHouse after the Skyforce's most recent loss that the team's morale had simply vanished and they didn't believe they'd win another game this season. The player also believed that many of his teammates had quit playing hard for Fritz.

"I've been telling these guys that they have to play hard for Fritz or none of us are going to be able to get jobs again," the player said. "Fritz is going to get fired and it's going to be because of us, not him. We've got to play harder for him or everyone's going to be right back in the D-League next year ... hopefully."

The Skyforce will play their first game under Ticknor tonight at home against the Bakersfield Jam.

 

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Avery Bradley Assigned to D-League by Celtics

Filed under: Celtics, NBA D-League, Maine Red Claws

The Boston Celtics will assign rookie Avery Bradley to their D-League affiliate Maine Red Claws on Friday -- barring injury -- after appearing in just 14 games with the Celtics thus far this season.

Bradley, a 6-foot-2 point guard out of Texas, is shooting just 27 percent from the field in his limited stints of NBA action.

Celtics head coach Doc Rivers told CSN Northeast that Bradley's assignment will be less for development but more so he can get into some sort of rhythm with regular minutes.

"So he can get some reps, playing basketball," Rivers said. "He needs to play basketball. Especially in the stretch where we didn't practice at all."

 

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DVR Alert: Strikeforce Challengers and 'Extreme Makeover'

MMA fans have plenty of reason to crash in front of the TV this weekend, or at the very least, set the DVR.

-- Showtime is having a free preview this weekend, and you know what that means: "Inglorious Basterds!" While that's true, you can also catch the Strikeforce: Challengers show free and live. Watch Tarec Saffiedine take on Tyron Woodley in what is a match-up of two of the hottest up-and-comers in the welterweight division. Not to mention, two Olympians, Daniel Cormier and Rhadi Ferguson, will take to the cage. Action kicks off at 11 p.m. ET, and if you get cable, you can watch it.

-- Do you like feel-good programming that will likely make you cry? Do you like it better with MMA and wrestling legends? Then you're in luck. Randy Couture and Dan Gable will appear on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on ABC on Sunday night, helping a family who kept a wrestling room in their garage. 

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Facebook Shares Hit $28.26 Per Share, That?s a $70+ Billion Valuation

The SecondMarket Facebook shares auctions are back on after a holiday break, and the valuation is up big time. The last auction prior to this one closed December 15 at $22.75/share. Today it hit $28.26 per share. With 2. 5 billion or so shares outstanding, that's a $70.65 billionish valuation. A month and a half ago shares were trading on SecondMarket at a $50 billion valuation. What's changed? The Goldman Sachs investment announced earlier this month increased the hype even further. No wonder the SEC is starting to pay attention to these trades. Sounds like Accel Partners may have sold a little before the peak.

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MMA Marketplace: Eat with the Octagon Girls, support the troops

With the UFC's Fight for the Troops at Fort Hood in just a few weeks, the promotion has ramped up their efforts to support the troops. They've launched an auction with all proceeds going to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which provides assistance to military veterans who have been critically injured in the performance of their duty, and their families.

You can bid on the Ultimate VIP experience, where you go to the fights, walk out with your favorite fighter, stay with his corner during the fight, and more. In another auction item, you can bid to have dinner with these lovely ladies:

Other items on the auction block include a UFC Camaro, a training session with Randy Couture and Forrest Griffin and a real life "Ghost Hunters" experience. Place your bids here. If that's a bit too pricey for you, you can still make a donation to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund in any amount.

In the last event for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, the UFC raised more than $4 million. You can help them surpass that, and possibly have dinner with Chandella, Arianny and Britney.

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Auburn, Oregon Have New Uniform Elements for BCS National Title Game

by Kyle Stack

Filed under: Auburn, Oregon, Bowl Games, Sports Business and Media, BCS Championship Game

Auburn and Oregon know all eyes will be on them when they compete for college football's BCS national championship Monday in Glendale, Ariz.

And they figure they might as well look good while doing it.

Each school will sport new components to their uniforms; Oregon will wear practically an entirely new ensemble from Nike, while the changes Under Armour has provided for Auburn are more subtle. Yet both schools are incorporating new technology in what they wear.

New gloves and cleats are on the menu for Auburn. Two types of gloves are in store for the Tigers, with the palm of each glove sporting black tiger print over a tan background and a 'UA' logo at the center. "The designers worked with Auburn to tie it back to UA," said Matt Mirchin, SVP of sports marketing for Under Armour.

The gloves offer two designs on the top of the hand -- one has a charcoal gray base with black lines fading out from the pinky to the index finger, with 'War Eagle,' Auburn's battle cry, running along the index finger. The other glove is gray with straight black lines running from the base through the index and pinky fingers. The middle of the glove has a lightning bolt graphic that symbolizes Under Armour's Bolt line of cleats and apparel.

 

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Retirement Hasn't Quieted Billy Packer

by Viv Bernstein

Filed under: Media Watch, FanHouse Exclusive, Sports Business and Media

CHARLOTTE -- Those old, iconic CBS Sports jackets are long gone from Billy Packer's closet. The premier college basketball television analyst for three decades doesn't own a video or DVD of any of his games, either.

And that Emmy Award Packer won in 1993?

"He's probably using it as a doorstop,'' cracked his son, Charlotte radio personality Mark Packer.

Billy Packer is more likely to display his prized Picasso ceramics or Barbazon art than a faded photograph with some basketball player or coach. He is neither sentimental nor nostalgic about a career he refers to almost dismissively as a "hobby."

Nearly three years after he left CBS following the NCAA championship game between Kansas and Memphis in 2008, having broadcast 34 Final Fours with NBC and CBS and more tipoffs than he would ever care to count, Packer is focused on private business ventures in a life that remains active away from the cameras and lights.

No, he doesn't long to return to broadcasting. Nor does he spend much time watching basketball. At any given moment, his TV is just as likely to be turned to the Food Network as SportsCenter.

"I like the chef battles,'' Packer said as he turned off a cooking show he was watching one day last month.

But Packer still follows the sport that has in many ways defined his life. That has not changed for the former Wake Forest point guard and assistant coach-turned-broadcaster.

"I have a passion for the history and the value of the game and its direction,'' Packer said. "I will say this, not to be in a bragging fashion: I do understand the game. I would not be averse to debate the status of basketball with anybody.''

 

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NBA All-Star Voting: Stoudemire, Rose Move Into Starting Lineup

Filed under: Bulls, Celtics, Knicks, NBA All-Star Game

The NBA released its final update to the fan voting for the All-Star game, two weeks before the official results are announced live on TNT on Jan. 27. And this one was more interesting than most, thanks to two of the five spots in the Eastern Conference's starting lineup changing hands.

Amar'e Stoudemire -- in most people's opinion, and even that of his former head coach, the league's MVP to this point -- overtook the injured Kevin Garnett, and now holds a lead of over 93,000 votes for one of the two starting forward spots. Garnett's teammate, Rajon Rondo, was similarly surpassed by another MVP candidate, Chicago's Derrick Rose. Rondo missed some time due to injury, but the way Rose has been playing, he might have eventually surpassed Rondo in the fans' eyes anyway. Rose now has a cushion of over 54,000 votes.

These appear to be the only two real races for spots in the starting lineup, as the rest of the margins seem to be too great to overcome over the next couple of weeks. Dwight Howard, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade are the East's leading vote-getters (in that order), while out West, there were no changes to what appears to be a solid starting lineup of Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and the ever-popular All-Star vote recipient, Yao Ming. Yao is obviously injured and out for the season, so David Stern will get to choose his replacement in the starting lineup -- likely Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol, but it wouldn't be a complete shock to see him go with Tim Duncan, either.

The top 10 vote-getters at each position are listed below:

 

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Support for Carmelo Anthony to Stay in Denver Dwindles

Filed under: Cavaliers, Heat, Nets, Nuggets, Pistons, NBA Rumors

DENVER -- A guy held up a sign Thursday night at the Pepsi Center that read, "Trade ANthony To Cavs,'' with letters lined up to form "TNT.''

Get it? TNT was broadcasting Denver's 130-102 rout of Miami.

Under that slogan, it read, "Karma,'' a reference to former Cleveland and current "Heatle'' LeBron James' Tweet earlier in the week when the Cavaliers were getting throttled 112-57 by the Lakers.

Well, we do know Anthony won't be traded by Saturday to Cleveland. He guarantees he'll be playing for the Nuggets that night against them.

"I'll be here against Cleveland, too,'' the forward, who is on the trading block, said after the rout over the Heat, a game James missed due to a sprained left ankle. "I'll be in San Antonio Sunday (with Denver). You keep asking me after every game, and I'll let you know.''

 

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Cage The Elephant Carry Alt-Rock Flag Into 2011

Thank You, Happy Birthday band is one of MTV News' 11 for '11 stars to watch.
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Sasha Hamrogue

Cage the Elephant's Matthew Shultz
Photo: Roger Kisby/ Getty Images

Cage the Elephant toured long and hard behind their 2008 self-titled debut, wowing fans on both sides of the Atlantic with their high-intensity live shows, scoring a pair of rock-radio hits and generally learning the ropes from the likes of Silversun Pickups and Stone Temple Pilots, both of whom they toured with.

In other words, they earned their success the old-fashioned way, and now they're ready to take the next step. On Tuesday, they released their second album, Thank You, Happy Birthday — which is equally indebted to both the Pickups (who memorialize the 1990s) and the Pilots (who lived through them) — and they're already gaining traction with the album's first single, "Shake Me Down."

MTV News expects 2011 will be a big year for the Bowling Green, Kentucky, quintet, which is why we've tapped them as one of our 11 for '11 stars to watch.

Of course, months ago, there was a very real chance that none of this would've happened. Weary from nearly three years on the road, the band began work on Birthday, and sessions were proving difficult, to say the least.

"We had written like 80 different song ideas, and I feel like we were really trying to write to a particular sound — like, what we thought Cage the Elephant should sound like — and we were pigeonholing ourselves," frontman Matt Shultz revealed, laughing.

"We all started writing songs on our own, and they were really different from what we had written before, so we were like, 'We should use these for a side project,' " he continued. "And after a while, we realized most of the songs we liked were 'side-project songs,' [so] we made it our album."

Birthday showcases a fuzzy, rough-hewn side of Cage, which has as much to do with their decision to start fresh as it does with Shultz's personal struggles — and his newfound love of the Pixies.

"At the time, I had just broken up with my girlfriend of five years, and I'd drive around until like 3 or 4 in the morning listening to Doolittle," he said with a sigh. "It was my therapy, I guess."

And he carried that therapy into the songs he wrote for the album, which — like all great '90s alt-rock tunes — delve headlong into themes like heartbreak, loss and alienation, and they do so unapologetically.

"It's not something I think you should try to hide, and especially don't try to change your behavior," Shultz said. "You don't want to end up like some people, where their lives have been torn to shreds and they're, like, smeared in the press. I'd rather people know everything that's terrible about me than hide all the terrible things and have them come out."

So, with Birthday behind them, Cage the Elephant are pushing forward. They'll open a few dates for the Black Keys, then begin a headlining tour of their own next month. And like all the thrift-store Titans that went before them (seriously, if you're jonesing for an alt-rock fix, Thank You, Happy Birthday is the album for you), they're doing it all their way, mostly by the seat of their pants. After all, they've sort of earned that right.

"We try not to concern ourselves too much with strategic plans and all that," Shultz said, laughing. "We'll see what happens."

Related Videos

• PUSH: Cage The Elephant
• MTV News' 11 for '11

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UFC's Barry not certain anyone will beat Overeem in MMA

For some, the jury is still out on Alistair Overeem. If the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix goes down according to plan, we should get plenty of answers in 2011.

Pat Barry, a former kickboxer who fights in the UFC's heavyweight division, has already made up his mind.

"The dude is a monster. That’s what I think," he said. "Not only is he humongous, (but) he’s extremely experienced. That’s what makes him the most dangerous," Barry told MMAWeekly radio. "The dude is a monster. I don’t know how anyone is going to stop him any time soon."

Barry said it's Overeem's kickboxing that gives him the edge. 

"Not just the size, but he has so much experience in MMA and in kickboxing, and he’s a Dutch trained kickboxer. I was in Amsterdam for five years. I know what the Dutch train like out there," said Barry.

Barry also said that it's ridiculous for people to put limitations on certain fighting disciplines. If they put in the work, kickboxers can make the transition to MMA and vice versa. Barry pointed to stablemate Anthony Pettis, who he thinks would perform just fine in K-1.

MMA fans should welcome K-1 fighters with open arms. The more elite strikers in the sport, the better. Erik Fontanez pointed out that Gokhan Saki is considering the crossover from K-1 to MMA. If he has any takedown and submission defense in his arsenal, he'd be a heck of an addition to a growing group of prospects in the light heavyweight division. Saki told his Twitter followers he'd like to fight in Strikeforce in 2011. 

He fought in the K-1 WGP 2010 at just 217 pounds. His quarterfinal scrap against the massive Daniel Ghita (6-foot-5, 245) was epic but he also took major damage to the legs and body in that fight. Overeem overpowered the 6-2 Saki in the semifinals, but check out the punch-kick combinations early in the fight and his vicious left hand. That might work in MMA.

Tip via MMAMania

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Maturing Guillard doesn't want to blow opportunity at 'Fight for the Troops' card

Melvin Guillard speaks like a grizzled veteran. That's interesting coming from a dude who's still a few months short of 28. As he preps for his main-event fight at next weekend's Fight for the Troops card, Guillard is ready to launch himself into title contention after an up-and-down career with the UFC.

"You know, there's a lot of things in my past that haunted me and kept me from being at the top, a lot of mistakes I've made. I grew as an adult. I grew as a fighter and I grew just having a new team and an environment of people that care for what I'm doing," said Guillard, who's been training for the last year or so with Greg Jackson in Albuquerque.

"And right now my mental focus right now is I will be a UFC Champion in 2011. I went undefeated in 2010 and I called that in the beginning of 2010. Right now my focus right now is my career and I want to elevate it to the next level."

Guillard (26-8, 9-4 UFC) is gifted in most aspects of mixed martial arts, but he's struggled mentally at times inside and outside the Octagon.

"You know, I got caught up with drugs and just the negative people around me," Guillard said during the Fight for the Troops prefight teleconference (thanks to Spike for the transcript).

"And I think that’s what's big about what's going on in my life right now. I don’t have any negative people, no negative energy around me. I have a loving wife who supports me. She spends all her time in my training camps. You know, she gives up time from being in college to be here with me, you know."

Guillard says countless people have helped him over the years and he doesn't want to let them down.

"And, you know, the same with, you know, Dana and the UFC. You know, when Katrina hit, they came looking for me. Dana relocated me to Utah to live with Josh Burkman. You know, so many people has done so much for me and they believe in everything that I do and the skills that I have. I would be selfish not to take what people tell me and put it to use," said Guillard.

"So if I was out there still messing up and doing drugs and messing with the negative people, I'm letting down all the people that really believe in me including the fans. You know? There's so many fans out there now that love me so much that always loved me and I just felt I was being real selfish, you know, thinking of myself," said Guillard

Albuquerque and Team Jackson has brought needed structure to his life.

"I don’t do after parties anymore. I might go out and just hang out but I'm not doing after parties, getting drunk," Guillard said. "Like I'm really focused in right now on being a real champion and not only becoming a real champion but I want to hold that belt just as long as my teammate GSP has done it. You know, I want to have a legacy. I want to be a superstar and I want to be a legend in this sport but I'm just a fighter."

Guillard also knows he can go for broke. If he loses, he'll still have a job.

"Yes, I want to win it but the most important thing for me day to day and year to year is to make sure that I fight my butt off so that I don’t get cut because now, we can win fights and be a boring fight and you'll still lose your job," Guillard said.

"So, you know, I just stick to just going in there and give the crowd, especially my bosses -- you know what I mean? So, you know, and for fighters, it's easy for us to keep a job if some of the fighters would really pay attention. You know, we go in there and just leave it in the cage, win or lose. I've lost four fights in the UFC by submission and I've had Dana come to me and say, 'Kid, you were winning that fight. You just made a mistake.' You know what I mean?"

This is a huge opportunity. The promotion seems to be a big fan of Dunham. He lost his last fight against Sean Sherk due to a questionable decision. The UFC stood behind Dunham and threw right into a televised main event. Guillard is stepping in for the injured Kenny Florian.

If Dunham smokes Guillard, he may be in line for a title shot after the Frank Edgar-Gray Maynard-Anthony Pettis mix is sorted out. A huge finish by Guillard could change his career. It would be a nice chapter in what's been a pretty tumultuous story.

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Former Players Say Michigan Got the Right Man in Brady Hoke

Filed under: Ball State, Michigan, Coaching

When recruit Daniel Ifft visited the University of Michigan in 2006, he experienced the tradition and expectations that surrounded college football's winningest program. And Ifft believes the Wolverines got it right on Wednesday when they introduced Brady Hoke as the university's new coach.

Ifft should know.

Ifft played two seasons under Hoke at Ball State, and Hoke's contributions continue to be felt at the Mid-American Conference school in Muncie, Ind. Ball State was the biggest surprise in the country during Ifft's sophomore season in 2008, finishing 12-0 during the regular season and climbing to No. 12 in the country.

 

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MMA Top 10 Featherweights: New Year, New Faces

by Michael David Smith
An injury forced featherweight champion Jose Aldo to drop out of his scheduled fight at UFC 125, and while Aldo was on the sideline for New Year's, the featherweight division underwent some radical changes.

The New Year's cards for the UFC, Dream and Sengoku all had big featherweight fights that featured several surprise results, and now that the dust has settled, the featherweight division looks a whole lot different heading into 2011 than it did for most of 2010 -- with the exception, of course, that Aldo is still the king.

Check out our rankings of the rest of the featherweight division below.

 

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Chael Sonnen Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering

by Michael David SmithChael Sonnen, the UFC middleweight currently serving a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, has pleaded guilty to money laundering related to mortgage fraud.

According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of Oregon, Sonnen pleaded guilty Monday and will be sentenced on March 28. Sonnen could face up to 20 years in prison, but he is expected to cooperate as a witness against others involved in the mortgage fraud investigation, and so his sentence is likely to be considerably lighter.

Michelle Holman Kerin, the assistant U.S. attorney handling the case, told the Oregonian that Sonnen agreed to give up his Realtor's license and pay a $10,000 fine. The government is recommending Sonnen be sentenced to two years of probation.

"This office will continue to aggressively prosecute real estate professionals who committed the mortgage fraud that contributed to this country's economic downturn and wreaked havoc on our community's housing market," US Attorney Dwight Holton said in a statement. "We entrusted these professionals to honestly broker real estate transactions and instead, they defrauded lending institutions throughout the country and left financial ruin in their wake."

 

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Blake Griffin, Clippers Win Verbal, Physical Battle with Mario Chalmers, Heat

Filed under: Clippers, Heat, NBA Last Night, NBA Videos

You've seen him dunk. You've seen him pass. Against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, we saw another side of the sure-to-be 2010-11 Rookie of the Year.

We saw Blake Griffin get nasty.

Late in the fourth quarter of the Los Angeles Clippers' 111-105 win over the Heat, Griffin and Heat point guard Mario Chalmers debated the high price of beef after Griffin nearly shouldered Chalmers into the courtside seats at STAPLES Center.

Chalmers, as you would expect, took exception. He received the first technical, and after receiving, Chalmers gave back. He said something that made Griffin charge forward, earning Griffin his fifth technical of the season. Chalmers bravely (or foolishly) kept jawing as cooler headbands -- worn by LeBron James and Baron Davis -- stepped between the two.

 

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FanHouse Live: Where Do Oregon, Auburn Go From Here?

Filed under: Auburn, Oregon, BCS Championship Game

The Auburn Tigers will lose Nick Fairley and Cam Newton to the NFL Draft, but with running back Michael Dyer returning, can they remain a national threat? And even though Oregon retains Heisman candidate LaMichael James as well as quarterback Darron Thomas, find out why FanHouse's Brett McMurphy thinks they may not even win the Pac-12.

 

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