Football

The NFL playoffs start Saturday. Four division champions host first-round games this weekend, while Green Bay, San Francisco, New England and Baltimore enjoy a bye week and wait to begin their Super Bowl quest. Here’s a preview of this weekend’s games:

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck saved the best for last, going 27 for 31 for 347 yards and two touchdowns in what was probably his last college football game. But his stellar effort wasn’t enough as Cardinal kicker Jordan Williamson missed three field goals — including one at the end of regulation and another in overtime — and opened the door for Oklahoma State’s exciting 41-38 overtime win in Mo

The Rose Bowl between #5 Oregon and #10 Wisconsin was expected to be a shootout, and the two teams lived up to the hype in the highest scoring Rose Bowl in history. Oregon running back De’Anthony Thomas had just two carries, but made them count on touchdown runs of 91 and 64 yards and the Ducks scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to secure a 45-38 victory.

While most of the BCS drama focused on the final poll and whether Alabama or Oklahoma State should face LSU in the championship game, the Sugar Bowl was not without its own share of controversy.

The second week of bowl season usually features some exciting games, and this year was no exception. Many of the games this week gave us wild plays, last-second finishes, great individual performances and, in the case of the Alamo Bowl, the kind of unstoppable offense that would make Bo Jackson in Super Tecmo Bowl proud. Here are all the highlights from the last week in college football.

Although a late-season loss at Iowa State and a handful of poll votes kept Oklahoma State out of the national championship game, the Cowboys can still make their case for national respect, playing on the biggest stage in school history.

Oregon is no stranger to the BCS, having been to the Rose Bowl and the BCS National Championship in each of the last two years. But the Ducks lost both of those two games and are seeking their first BCS win since the 2002 Fiesta Bowl (38-16 over Colorado).

What better way to start off the new year than with a ton of firings? Raheem Morris and reportedly all the assistant coaches and coordinators of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were asking themselves this question when they lost their jobs Monday.

The Giants beat the Cowboys to win the NFC East, while the Bengals and Broncos lost, but received help from other teams to slip into the last remaining AFC playoff spots. The playoffs are scheduled to begin next Saturday, when Cincinnati travels to Houston and New Orleans hosts Detroit. On Sunday, Atlanta travels to New York, while Denver hosts Pittsburgh. Here’s a recap of all of the action from

Bowl season is hitting its high point with the biggest games of the year coming up in the next week. While much of the focus is understandably on the BCS games and the national championship, there are a lot of other good games coming up for your viewing pleasure in the next few days. We’ll have previews of the BCS games coming up shortly. But in the meantime, here is what to watch for in all the r

There were certainly a lot of big moments in football in 2011, but only one man can claim ownership of  the best of the year. Tim Tebow.

It’s the final week of the NFL’s 2011 regular season and only three playoff spots remain: the AFC West and NFC East titles and an AFC wild card berth. The AFC North is Baltimore’s to lose, but both the Ravens and the rival Pittsburgh Steelers have already qualified for the playoffs. Each game this week is a divisional rematch. Here’s a preview of the week 17 action, with all games slated for Sunda