The Messenger, Union City, Tennessee, Monday, December 4, 2017 Page Eleven Non-champ Bama Winning, gets nod over OSU not style, By RALPH D. RUSSO room knowing we had a AP College Football big task ahead of us,” said Back in January 2012, committee chairman Kirby the day after Alabama beat Hocutt, the athletic director only goal LSU in the BCS champion- at Texas Tech. ship game, the commission- The Tide had been more ers of the FBS conferences consistent and lost just once. for Titans gathered in New Orleans to The Buckeyes lost twice, By TERESA M. WALKER discuss the future of the col- including an embarrassing AP Pro Football Writer lege football postseason. 31-point loss at unranked NASHVILLE (AP) — There had already been Iowa, but have the more Tennessee left tackle Taylor movement toward tearing impressive set of victories. Lewan remembers only too up the unpopular Bowl Ohio State won the Big Ten well how the Titans always Championship Series, while Alabama did not even seemed to find a way to but the all-Southeastern win its SEC division. lose through his first two Conference champion- The committee rolled seasons in the NFL. ship game was the final with the Tide and stayed Now they’re finding ways blow. The College Football on the task of choosing the to win, and that’s all that Playoff was created soon best teams, regardless of matters. after. conference affiliation. For The Titans gave up On Sunday, the field for the second straight season the first 10 points, then the fourth College Football a team that did not win its allowed only a field goal Playoff was set and for conference is in the playoff. in the second half before the first time two teams Ohio State did it last year. LeShaun Sims intercepted a from the same conference “Of course we all know pass in the end zone to end made it. Alabama (11-1) at the end of the day what Houston’s final drive in a will face Clemson (12-1) the narrative is going to be 24-13 win over the Texans in the Sugar Bowl and fel- based on the identification on Sunday. Derrick Henry made the final margin look low SEC member Georgia of the those four very best I’LL TAKE THAT — Tennessee Titans day’s game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. (12-1) will play Oklahoma teams because we’re all a little better with a career- cornerback LeShaun Sims intercepts a pass The interception stopped Houston as the long 75-yard touchdown (12-1) in the Rose Bowl. in this profession. This is in the end zone intended for Houston Tex- team was driving for a potential go-ahead Another all-SEC champi- our livelihood. We’re very run. ans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) score in the final minutes of the game. The “A win or loss, there is no onship game could be on the familiar with it,” Hocutt near the end of the fourth quarter of Sun- Titans are now 8-4. AP horizon, and for the second said. “But does it impact asterisk by it,” Lewan said. straight year the value of our discussion in that room? PREP BASKETBALL Titans running back a conference championship And I can tell you very DeMarco Murray agrees. was diminished. Unlike in straight forward no.” “It doesn’t matter how 2012, though, the winds of Ohio State was ranked it happens,” Murray said. change are not picking up fifth by the CFP, Wisconsin Rebel teams fine on road trips, too “You get another check in — even with both the Big was sixth and Auburn The road was kind to pointer, had 12 on the night Malik Johnson had 17 the win column. We will Ten and Pac-12 sitting out was seventh. Southern Obion Central’s basketball as the Lady Rebels were points to lead the Tigers. take that any day.” this playoff altogether. California finished eighth, teams Friday night. good on 19-of-42 field Westview 48, SF 18 (G) The Titans (8-4) now have “It doesn’t change followed by Penn State and The Rebels swept goals and 15-of-16 at the The Lady Chargers won six of their last seven, my view that the present Miami. Washington was Lexington at the Tigers’ line. clamped down on South and they remain ahead of structure is best for col- 11th and unbeaten UCF gymnasium, winning 57-52 Wooten also had seven Fulton, limiting the Red Jacksonville atop the AFC lege football,” Big Ten was 12th. in the girls’ game and 78-68 rebounds. Devilettes to three points South. They also improved Commissioner Jim Delany The rest of the New in the boys’ nightcap. OC 78, Lexington 68 (B) in both the first and second to 4-1 inside a division they said during an interview Year’s Six bowls fell this A short drive to Martin Despite two three-point- quarters and then pitching a haven’t won since 2008. with ESPN. “I can be sup- way: USC (11-2) vs. did not go as well for South ers from Holden King shutout in the third frame. Beating AFC South oppo- portive of (the selection Ohio State (11-2) in the Fulton. and another from Isaac Deja Graves had six nents has been the first goal committee) and at the same Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29; Westview swept the Red Darnall, the Rebels trailed points in the first period, for Tennessee since finish- time be disappointed and a Washington (10-2) vs. Penn Devils by claiming a 48-18 17-15 after one quarter as and Emma Kelly hit a ing 9-7 and missing a play- little bit surprised.” State (10-2) in the Fiesta girls’ verdict and a 63-49 Lexington had six players pair of three-pointers in off berth yet again. When Alabama got the Bowl on Dec. 30; Miami boys’ triumph. score in the period. the second quarter to lead “It cost us a chance to go nod for the fourth and final (11-1) vs. Wisconsin (12- The county teams will be Darnall and Reed Logan Westview to a 34-6 half- to the tournament,” Titans spot over Ohio State, the 1) in the Orange Bowl on back in action on Tuesday sparked a rally in the time lead. coach Mike Mularkey said. Big Ten was left out for the Dec. 30; and UCF (12-0) night as South Fulton will second quarter, though, Amber Lemon led SF For Houston (4-8), the first time — and for the sec- vs. Auburn (10-3) in the host Greenfield and Central Darnall scoring 10 points with six points, scoring injuries and losses just keep ond time in four seasons the Peach Bowl on Jan. 1. will be back on the road to and Logan adding eight as all in the fourth period. piling up. Five Texans, Pac-12 was shut out, too. “Look at how healthy Trenton. Central held a 38-35 half- Graves had 12 points for including four on offense, When the conference com- the system is,” Scott said. OC 57, Lexington 52 (G) time advantage. Westview. left the game with injuries. missioners were putting the “From our perspective, of Hadleigh Cary hit a pair Darnall hit a pair of Westview 63, SF 49 (B) They also lost their sec- playoff together, ensuring course we’d love a team of three-pointers in the three-pointers, and Logan Ty Kelly scored 26 of his ond straight and for the fifth only conference champi- in the playoff this year, but second quarter to help the was 4-of-4 at the line in game-high 31 points in the time in six games. ons would be included was we’ve got amazing bowl Lady Rebels overcome a that quarter. second half to lead a strong “I’ve never been in this considered. Eventually, the games.” slow start. Nine more points from surge after the intermission situation, so I’m learning on compromise was to craft Hocutt said the Iowa Central trailed 10-4 after Darnall helped OC hold a by Westview. the job, too,” Texans coach a protocol that emphasized loss hurt Ohio State and one quarter, getting 6-of- slim 55-54 lead after three The Red Devils jumped Bill O’Brien said. conference championships, the Buckeyes were not 7 free throws from Leslie quarters, and then Darnall, out to a 31-18 halftime lead Here are some things to but not make them manda- close enough to the Tide Powers, but Cary’s long- Greg Nance and Braden on the strength of 10 points know about the game: tory. for the Big Ten champion- range shooting and four Griffin all hit a three-point- from Jalen Scott, eight in RUNNING TITANS: “I don’t see anything ship result — a 27-21 win points from Emma Johnson er in the fourth. the first quarter, and nine Marcus Mariota ran for a that’s happened in the first over previously unbeaten brought back Obion Central Logan was 4-of-4 at the second-quarter points from TD, his fifth this season. four years in the work of the Wisconsin — to matter. to a 21-all tie at intermis- line in the final frame, fin- Deshun Bradshaw. He teamed with DeMarco selection committee or the Alabama made it 4-for- sion. ishing 9-of-9 for the game, But, Westview outscored Murray and Henry to pile playoff that is inconsistent 4 in the playoff, the only Cary and Powers each hit and Nance had seven points SF 45-18 in the second up a season-high 198 yards with how it was designed or team that has made them two treys in the third quar- to help the Rebels close half. rushing against a Houston what was possible,” Pac-12 all. Coach Nick Saban said ter, but the Lady Rebels strong. Kelly had 12 points in the defense that came in ranked Commissioner Larry Scott he trusted the committee were able to take a 38- Darnall had 25 points, third period, hitting a pair seventh in the NFL, allowing told the AP in a phone inter- would come to the right 33 lead as Nellina Wooten Logan finished with 21 of threes, and then went 9- only 96.3 yards per game. view. conclusion. dropped in five points in points, King had 14 points of-10 at the free throw line Murray said the offensive Tide or Buckeyes was the “I really do believe the period. and Nance scored 10 for in the fourth quarter. line deserved a game ball toughest call for the com- based on the total body of Wooten finished with 15 a Rebel squad that hit 28- Scott finished with for blocking so well. “We mittee in the four-year his- work that our team really points, Johnson scored 14 of-55 field goals, includ- 16 points, and Bradshaw controlled the line of scrim- tory of the playoff. deserved to be in,” Tide points and Cary, the only ing 10-of-29 three-pointers, scored 11 points for South mage from start to finish,” “We walked into that coach Nick Saban said. OC player to hit a three- and 12-of-15 free throws. Fulton. Murray said. MESSENGER SPORTS SCOREBOARD Carolina 8 4 0 .667 269 238 New Orleans 31, Carolina 21 Atlanta 5 17 .227 7 L.A. Clippers 8 14 .364 9 1 Briefly college basketball Atlanta 7 5 0 .583 274 244 Oakland 24, N.Y. Giants 17 Central Division L.A. Lakers 8 15 .348 9 ⁄2 By The Associated Press Tampa Bay 4 8 0 .333 243 288 L.A. Rams 32, Arizona 16 W L Pct GB Phoenix 8 16 .333 10 Lake Road boys Sunday, Dec. 3 1 North Seattle 24, Philadelphia 10 Cleveland 16 7 .696 — Sacramento 7 16 .304 10 ⁄2 EAST 1 win over Yorkville W L T Pct PF PA Today’s Game Detroit 14 8 .636 1 ⁄2 Sunday’s Games George Washington 71, Temple 67 Minnesota 10 2 0 .833 285 204 Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. Milwaukee 12 9 .571 3 Orlando 105, New York 100 Georgetown 76, Coppin St. 60 Detroit 6 6 0 .500 314 308 Philadelphia at L.A. Rams, 3:25 p.m. Indiana 12 11 .522 4 Golden State 123, Miami 95 Lake Road split with Navy 66, Morgan St. 59 Green Bay 6 6 0 .500 258 281 Chicago 3 18 .143 12 Minnesota 112, L.A. Clippers 106 Yorkville in middle SOUTH Chicago 3 9 0 .250 191 267 nba WESTERN CONFERENCE Oklahoma City 90, San Antonio 87 school basketball action Auburn 79, George Mason 63 West National Basketball Association Southwest Division Houston 118, L.A. Lakers 95 Clemson 83, UNC-Asheville 52 W L T Pct PF PA At A Glance W L Pct GB Today’s Games at the LR gymnasium on Idaho 79, Nicholls 68 L.A. Rams 9 3 0 .750 361 222 By The Associated Press Houston 18 4 .818 — New York at Indiana, 6 p.m. Jacksonville St. 89, Samford 58 1 Seattle 8 4 0 .667 290 222 EASTERN CONFERENCE San Antonio 15 8 .652 3 ⁄2 Orlando at Charlotte, 6 p.m. Saturday afternoon, win- Kansas St. 84, Vanderbilt 79 1 Arizona 5 7 0 .417 219 310 Atlantic Division New Orleans 12 11 .522 6 ⁄2 Phoenix at Philadelphia, 6 p.m. ning 35-28 in the boys’ Mississippi St. 61, Dayton 59 San Francisco 2 10 0 .167 202 298 W L Pct GB Memphis 7 15 .318 11 Brooklyn at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m. North Carolina 97, Tulane 73 1 game and losing 56-36 in Sunday’s Games Boston 20 4 .833 — Dallas 6 17 .261 12 ⁄2 Milwaukee at Boston, 6:30 p.m. Seton Hall 79, Louisville 77 1 Minnesota 14, Atlanta 9 Toronto 14 7 .667 4 ⁄2 Northwest Division Cleveland at Chicago, 7 p.m. the girls’ contest. Southern Miss. 109, Rust College 61 San Francisco 15, Chicago 14 Philadelphia 13 9 .591 6 W L Pct GB Golden State at New Orleans, 7 p.m. The LR boys outscored Tennessee 77, Georgia Tech 70 New England 23, Buffalo 3 New York 11 11 .500 8 Denver 13 9 .591 — Minnesota at Memphis, 7 p.m. MIDWEST Green Bay 26, Tampa Bay 20 Brooklyn 8 14 .364 11 Minnesota 14 10 .583 — Denver at Dallas, 7:30 p.m. the visitors 25-15 in the Fort Wayne 86, SIU-Edwardsville 71 1 Jacksonville 30, Indianapolis 10 Southeast Division Portland 13 10 .565 ⁄2 Detroit at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m. Maryland 92, Illinois 91, OT 1 second half. Baltimore 44, Detroit 20 W L Pct GB Utah 12 11 .522 1 ⁄2 Washington at Utah, 8 p.m. Michigan St. 86, Nebraska 57 N.Y. Jets 38, Kansas City 31 Washington 12 10 .545 — Oklahoma City 10 12 .455 3 Tuesday’s Games Keaton Yates had 12 Minnesota 89, Rutgers 67 1 Miami 35, Denver 9 Miami 11 12 .478 1 ⁄2 Pacific Division Phoenix at Toronto, 6:30 p.m. points and eight rebounds, Notre Dame 71, St. Fran. Brooklyn 53 Tennessee 24, Houston 13 Orlando 10 14 .417 3 W L Pct GB Utah at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m. Purdue 74, Northwestern 69 1 L.A. Chargers 19, Cleveland 10 Charlotte 8 13 .381 3 ⁄2 Golden State 18 6 .750 — Washington at Portland, 9 p.m. and Dustin Pollard added SOUTHWEST 10 points to lead the Oklahoma St. 83, MVSU 62 Generals in the second FAR WEST Boise St. 77, Portland 54 game. Long Beach St. 76, Stanford 68 Congratulations Tornadoes on a Winning Season! In the girls’ game, Montana 86, CS Northridge 68 N. Colorado 87, Western State 75 Yorkville pulled away New Mexico St. 69, Prairie View 57 from an 11-all tie after Pacific 105, UA Fort Smith 68 San Diego St. 75, Bradley 52 one quarter to lead 23-13 UCLA 106, Detroit 73 at the half and 43-31 after Washington 86, Nebraska-Omaha 73 three periods. nfl Alexus Hooper had 18 National Football League points and three assists to At A Glance By The Associated Press pace the Lady Generals. AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L T Pct PF PA Mayfield denied New England 10 2 0 .833 348 223 Buffalo 6 6 0 .500 227 283 title by Danville N.Y. Jets 5 7 0 .417 266 288 Miami 5 7 0 .417 209 298 D’Mauriae VanCleave South had two touchdown runs, W L T Pct PF PA Tennessee 8 4 0 .667 266 282 a score on a pass recep- Jacksonville 8 4 0 .667 299 178 tion and another TD on Houston 4 8 0 .333 296 309 Indianapolis 3 9 0 .250 205 330 a punt return as Danville North beat Mayfield 35-21 in the W L T Pct PF PA Kentucky Class 2A state Pittsburgh 9 2 0 .818 258 193 Baltimore 7 5 0 .583 280 207 championship game in Cincinnati 5 6 0 .455 199 215 Lexington on Saturday. Cleveland 0 12 0 .000 176 308 West It marked the 11th state W L T Pct PF PA title for Danville. Kansas City 6 6 0 .500 303 274 L.A. Chargers 6 6 0 .500 268 212 Zach Thornton had a Oakland 6 6 0 .500 249 278 pair of TD passes to lead Denver 3 9 0 .250 206 315 BUY 1 GET 11/2 OFF the Admirals, who fin- NATIONAL CONFERENCE East ished with a 15-0 record. W L T Pct PF PA Jaden Stinson was 19- Philadelphia 10 2 0 .833 361 215 Dallas 6 6 0 .500 286 284 of-32 for 284 yards and Washington 5 7 0 .417 272 314 ENTIRESTORE Some exclusions apply. two touchdowns but also N.Y. Giants 2 10 0 .167 189 291 South threw three interceptions W L T Pct PF PA 1429 S. First St • Ste. 214 • Reelfoot Shopping Center / Union City • 731-886-0093 • McLendonSales on Facebook for the Cardinals (13-2). New Orleans 9 3 0 .750 353 243