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Loaded field of CFP contenders for last 4-team playoff fuels championship weekend drama

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

The four-team College Football Playoff is going out with the most crowded field of contenders and the most consequential championship weekend in the 10-year history of the system.Eight teams have at least a glimmer of hope to make the field. Yes, that means you, too, Ohio State.The penultimate CFP rankings will be released Tuesday night. The field for the playoff will be announced Sunday.Determining which teams are CFP contenders heading into championship weekend is a bit subjective. More often than not a Power Five team with only one loss going into the conference title games — regardless of whether that team is playing — has to be considered alive.No team with two losses has ever made the CFP, but at least a couple of times a team with two losses had to be considered in contention when it played for a conference title. Auburn in 2017 is the most obvious example.That season was one of the few where championship weekend had multiple games matching CFP contenders. More commonly, cham...

Several surprises play their way into early season MVP discussion with the usual suspects

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

DENVER (AP) — SGA for MVP has a certain ring to it. The notion isn’t far-fetched, either.Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is among the early season surprises who have played their way into the MVP conversation, joining the usual list of NBA stars that includes Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Maxey, Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards, Bam Adebayo and De’Aaron Fox are turning in MVP-caliber seasons as the NBA In-Season Tournament heads into the knockout phase (minus Jokic and the defending NBA champion Nuggets). Indeed, Jokic keeps doing Jokic-type things: posting triple-doubles galore as he dishes out jaw-dropping, no-look passes. It’s the reason why the Nuggets’ big man remains the early favorite, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook. Reigning MVP Embiid is right up there, too, along with the familiar names on the list like Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.And let’s not forget about the se...

Denver Broncos are relevant heading into December for 1st time since 2016

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

DENVER (AP) — For the first time in seven seasons, the Denver Broncos will head into December with a winning record, something that seemed unfathomable when they stumbled to a 1-5 start.In their first month under Sean Payton, the Broncos (6-5) lost three games at home to underdogs — the Raiders, Commanders and Jets — who are a combined 10-22 against other opponents.Of course, their worst loss was that 70-20 meltdown in Miami in Week 3 when they surrendered 10 touchdowns — one more than they've given up in their last six games combined. Will the Broncos make it to the playoffs? They put together their most complete game yet in their 29-12 rout of the Browns (7-4), neutralizing Myles Garrett and the league's best defense, thwarting Cleveland's vaunted ground game, recovering three fumbles and scoring three red zone touchdowns, which has been their bugaboo.“There were a lot of things we did that I was pleased with,” the notoriously nitpicking Payton said after moving above ...

UK’s Michael Gove floats idea COVID ‘man made’ as he defends pandemic response

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

LONDON — There is a “significant body of judgment” that believes coronavirus “was man made,” top U.K. Minister Michael Gove said Tuesday, as he defended the way his country responded to the global pandemic. In comments that go further than any U.K. minister has so far in questioning the origins of the virus that swept the world in 2020, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove told the U.K.’s official COVID-19 inquiry the virus’s “novel” origins complicated the state’s response.“We were not as well prepared as we should have been ideally, that is true,” Gove admitted Tuesday. “Again, it’s in the nature of the fact that the virus was novel.”He went on: “And indeed, though I think this probably goes beyond the remit of the inquiry, there is a significant body of judgment that believes that the virus itself was man made — and that presents its own set of challenges as well.”Gove was promptly cut ...

LeBron James suffers worst loss of career against Joel Embiid-led Philadelphia 76ers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

(CNN) — NBA superstar LeBron James suffered the worst loss of his legendary career on Monday as his Los Angeles Lakers side was routed by 44 points on the road by the Philadelphia 76ers, 138-94.Per the NBA, the biggest margin that James had lost by coming into Monday’s matchup was 42 points, when the Lakers were thrashed by the Indiana Pacers in 2019.The 76ers were fueled by a triple-double from reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who posted an impressive stat line of 30 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, one steal and one block while shooting 60% from the floor.His co-star Tyrese Maxey, whose increased on-court production coincided with the Sixers trading James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this season, also poured in 31 points to go with eight assists.After a quick start, the Lakers never looked like they had a chance and trailed the 76ers the entire night after five minutes had gone by in the first quarter, but the game was bookended b...

Gas prices drop more than 60 days in a row

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

New York (CNN) — In a gift to American shoppers this holiday season, gasoline prices have dropped for 61 consecutive days after getting dangerously close to $4 a gallon in September.The average price for a gallon of regular gas stood at $3.25 a gallon on Tuesday, according to AAA. That’s down five cents from a week ago and 26 cents from a month ago.Gas prices have now fallen every day since the peak on September 18, AAA data shows. The streak is a victory for consumers, saving them extra cash just in time for the crucial holiday shopping season.Americans are particularly sensitive to shifts in prices at the pump as they are highly visible and largely unavoidable.“Gasoline prices are so in-your-face. This is a clear tailwind for consumer spending,” said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service.Millions of Americans hitting the road on Thanksgiving Day were greeted by the cheapest gas price for the holiday since 2020, when...

First lady Jill Biden unveils White House holiday decorations

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

(CNN) — Complete with 98 Christmas trees, 72 wreaths and 2.8 miles of ribbon, the White House has been transformed into a classic winter wonderland for the holidays.Letters to Santa Claus appear to fly magically in and out of old mailboxes and a vintage train weaves around the base of an 18.5-foot Fraser fir Christmas tree, while all manner of candied treats deck the halls — including a huge gingerbread White House.Unveiling the decorations Monday, first lady Jill Biden said this year’s theme, the “Magic, Wonder and Joy” of the holiday season, was inspired by “childlike marvel and awe.”“Children are unbound by time and inherently know beauty: the rich, colorful mosaic of autumn leaves piled high on an emerald blanket of grass; the mesmerizing rhythm of soft, powdery snow as it falls from a glistening night sky,” said Biden as she welcomed  National Guard and local military families to the White House as the first guests to experience the holiday décor.“The holidays offer a...

Plane will fly from London to New York with 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Experts say it’s not a fix

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

(CNN) — For the first time, a transatlantic flight operated by a commercial airline will be powered by 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) — a type of plane fuel that bears the promise of a much lower climate impact than traditional ones.Traveling from London Heathrow to New York’s JFK, the flight, which is meant purely as a demonstration and will not carry any paying passengers (although it will carry scientists and media), is operated by Virgin Atlantic using a Boeing 787, with both its engines running on the fuel.However, while Virgin Atlantic says that using SAF will reduce the aircraft’s emissions by 70%, critics say the flight is little more than a gimmick, and that the kind of SAF used by the plane will do little to clean up aviation’s climate impact.Commercial restrictionsCurrent regulations prohibit airlines from using a blend of more than 50% SAF on commercial flights, as engine manufacturers and aviation authorities work together to ensure that these new fuels are s...

New book ‘Ironman’ shows how Randy Hundley’s career goes far beyond catching for the Cubs and suffering 1969

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

His statistics do not jump out: 3,442 at bats in 1,061 games, 813 hits, 82 home runs, .236 batting average, 381 runs batted in. But baseball is more than cold numbers and Randy Hundley was more than a catcher for the Chicago Cubs.It is not at all odd — especially in light of the ineptitude of our professional sports teams these days — to be drawn to baseball in these winter months. Baseball is the summer game and memories bring warmth and they bring enjoyment because the game is like an ongoing novel, filled with players (heroic and the flawed) and millions of characters who populate the city’s baseball history. We get sights and sounds, feel disappointments and joys, remember goats and black cats, bats juiced with cork, that lively chorus known as sports writers, fans, owners, coaches, managers, umps, broadcasters, vendors, Andy Frains and memorable quotes.My favorite? “I’ve never played drunk. Hungover, yes. But never drunk!” from Cubs’ ce...

Patriots-Giants film review: Bill Belichick is out of options on offense

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:55 GMT

The Patriots stink.On Sunday, they became the first NFL team in 30 years to lose consecutive games where they allowed 10 points or fewer. They scored seven points or fewer for the fourth time this season. And for the fourth time, Bill Belichick benched his starting quarterback.After the game, Belichick said he believed both Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe deserved to play. With only a half apiece, Jones and Zappe managed to gave Belichick reasons to never see the field again this year. It’s that bad right now in Foxboro, home to the NFL’s worst quarterbacks room, offense and team.Again, the Patriots stink.Here’s what else the film revealed about Sunday’s loss:Mac Jones12-of-21 for 89 yards, 2 INTs, sackNew England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) walks off the field after throwing an interception against the New York Giants during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)Accurate throw per...