20—Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, January 3, 2016
www.clevelandbanner.com
New Year’s Bowls see lower TV ratings
SCOREBOARD
on Air
sports on tV
sunday, Jan. 3
CoLLege BAsketBALL
2 p.m.
FS1 — Arizona at Arizona St.
3 p.m.
FSN — FAU at FIU
5 p.m.
BTN — Illinois at Ohio St.
NBCSN — UMass at La Salle
7 p.m.
FS1 — Oregon at Oregon St.
NBCSN — Fordham at George Washington
8 p.m.
ESPNU — Wake Forest at Louisville
10 p.m.
ESPNU — Colorado at Stanford
nfL footBALL
1 p.m.
CBS — Regional coverage
FOX — Regional coverage
4:25 p.m.
CBS — Regional coverage
FOX — Regional coverage
8:20 p.m.
NBC — Minnesota at Green Bay
PreP footBALL
9 p.m.
FS1 — Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl, at Carson, Calif.
soCCer
8:30 a.m.
NBCSN — Premier League, Chelsea at Crystal City
11 a.m.
NBCSN — Premier League, Tottenham at Everton
WoMen's CoLLege BAsketBALL
12:30 p.m.
BTN — Michigan at Indiana
1 p.m.
CBSSN — Dayton at Duquesne
ESPNU — Duke at Syracuse
SEC — Mississippi St. at Florida
2:30 p.m.
BTN — Nebraska at Northwestern
3 p.m.
CBSSN — George Washington at Saint Joseph's
ESPNU — Arkansas at South Carolina
SEC — LSU at Alabama
4:30 p.m.
FS1 — Oklahoma at Baylor
5 p.m.
CBSSN — DePaul at St. John's
ESPNU — Tulane at Memphis
SEC — Georgia at Texas A&M
on tAP
Monday, Jan. 4
BAsketBALL
Lee University at University of West Alabama, 6:30
tuesday, Jan. 5
BAsketBALL
Bradley Central at Cumberland County
Learning Tree, CAYA at Cleveland Christian, 5, 6
BoWLing
McCallie /GPS at Walker Valley, 4
WRESTLING
Ooltewah at Walker Valley, 7
Wednesday, Jan. 6
BAsketBALL
Baylor at Walker Valley, 6
BoWLing
District 5 tournament
at rhea County
Bradley Central, Walker Valley participating
thursday, Jan. 7
BAsketBALL
Cleveland State at Wallace State-Hanceville (Men), 3
Dogwood at Cleveland Christian, 6
WrestLing
Cleveland at Bradley Central, 7
Soddy-Daisy at Walker Valley, 7
friday, Jan. 8
BAsketBALL
Cleveland at Ooltewah, 6
Soddy-Daisy at Walker Valley, 6
saturday, Jan. 9
BAsketBALL
Cleveland at Model, Ga., 6
Bradley Central at Stone Memorial, 7
Delta State University at Lee University, 2
WrestLing
soddy Daisy invitational
Cleveland Participating, TBA
Walker Valley Duals, TBA
sunday, Jan. 10
BAsketBALL
Cleveland State at Martin Methodist College JV (Women),
BAsketBALL
national Basketball Association
eAstern ConferenCe
Atlantic Division
W
L
Pct
gB
Toronto
21
13
.618
—
Boston
18
15
.545
2½
New York
15
19
.441
6
Brooklyn
10
23
.303 10½
Philadelphia
3
32
.086 18½
southeast Division
W
L
Pct
gB
Atlanta
21
13
.618
—
Miami
19
13
.594
1
Orlando
19
14
.576
1½
Charlotte
17
15
.531
3
Washington
15
16
.484
4½
Central Division
W
L
Pct
gB
Cleveland
21
9
.700
—
Chicago
19
12
.613
2½
Indiana
18
14
.563
4
Detroit
18
15
.545
4½
Milwaukee
13
21
.382
10
Western ConferenCe
southwest Division
W
L
Pct
gB
San Antonio
28
6
.824
—
Dallas
19
14
.576
8½
Memphis
18
16
.529
10
Houston
16
18
.471
12
New Orleans
10
22
.313
17
northwest Division
W
L
Pct
gB
Oklahoma City
23
10
.697
—
Utah
14
17
.452
8
Portland
14
21
.400
10
Denver
12
21
.364
11
Minnesota
12
21
.364
11
Pacific Division
W
L
Pct
gB
Golden State
30
2
.938
—
L.A. Clippers
21
13
.618
10
Sacramento
13
20
.394 17½
Phoenix
12
24
.333
20
L.A. Lakers
7
27
.206
24
—friday’s games
Washington 103, Orlando 91
Toronto 104, Charlotte 94
Miami 106, Dallas 82
Chicago 108, New York 81
L.A. Lakers 93, Philadelphia 84
saturday’s games
Brooklyn 100, Boston 97
Sacramento 142, Phoenix 119
Detroit at Indiana, after presstime
Oklahoma City at Charlotte, after presstime
Orlando at Cleveland, after presstime
Milwaukee at Minnesota, after presstime
Houston at San Antonio, after presstime
New Orleans at Dallas, after presstime
Memphis at Utah, after presstime
Denver at Golden State, after presstime
Philadelphia at L.A. Clippers, after presstime
sunday’s games
Chicago at Toronto, 3:30 p.m.
Atlanta at New York, 3:30 p.m.
Miami at Washington, 6 p.m.
Portland at Denver, 9 p.m.
Phoenix at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m.
Monday’s games
Toronto at Cleveland, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Indiana at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Boston at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.
Orlando at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
San Antonio at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
Sacramento at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.
Houston at Utah, 9 p.m.
Memphis at Portland, 10 p.m.
Charlotte at Golden State, 10:30 p.m.
top 25 fared
saturday
1. Mich igan State (14-1) beat Minnesota 69-61. Next:
vs. Illinois, Thursday.
2. Kansas (12-1) beat No. 23 Baylor 102-74. Next: vs.
No. 3 Oklahoma, Monday.
3. Oklahoma (11-0) vs. No. 11 Iowa State. Next: at No.
2 Kansas, Monday.
4. Maryland (12-1) at Northwestern. Next: vs. Rutgers,
Wednesday.
5. Virginia (12-1) beat Notre Dame 77-66. Next: at
Virginia Tech, Monday.
6. Xavier (13-1) beat No. 9 Butler 88-69. Next: at St.
John’s, Wednesday.
7. North Carolina (13-2) beat Georgia Tech 86-78. Next:
at Florida State, Monday.
8. Arizona (12-1) did not play. Next: at Arizona State,
Sunday.
9. Butler (11-3) lost to No. 6 Xavier 88-69. Next: at
DePaul, Tuesday.
10. Kentucky (10-2) vs. Mississippi. Next: at LSU,
Tuesday.
11. Iowa State (11-1) at No. 3 Oklahoma. Next: vs.
Texas Tech, Wednesday.
12. Providence (14-1) beat St. John’s 83-65. Next: vs.
Marquette, Tuesday.
13. Miami (12-1) beat Syracuse 64-51. Next: vs. Florida
State, Saturday.
14. Purdue (13-2) lost to Iowa 70-63. Next: vs.
Michigan, Thursday.
15. Duke (12-2) beat Boston College 81-64. Next: at
Wake Forest, Wednesday.
16. Villanova (11-2) at Creighton. Next: vs. Seton Hall,
Wednesday.
17. SMU (12-0) vs. South Florida. Next: vs. No. 22
Cincinnati, Thursday.
18. Louisville (11-2) did not play. Next: vs. Wake Forest,
Sunday.
19. West Virginia (12-1) beat Kansas State 87-83, 2OT.
Next: at TCU, Monday.
20. Texas A&M (11-2) beat Arkansas 92-69. Next: at
Mississippi State, Wednesday.
21. Utah (11-3) did not play. Next: at California, Sunday.
22. Cincinnati (11-4) beat Tulsa 76-57. Next: at No. 17
SMU, Thursday.
23. Baylor (10-3) lost to No. 2 Kansas 102-74. Next: vs.
Oklahoma State, Tuesday.
24. South Carolina (12-0) vs. Memphis. Next: at Auburn,
Tuesday.
25. UCLA (9-5) did not play. Next: at Washington State,
Sunday.
Women’s top 25 fared
saturday
1. UConn (11-0) did not play. Next: vs. Tulsa,
Wednesday.
2. South Carolina (12-0) did not play. Next: vs.
Arkansas, Sunday.
3. Notre Dame (12-1) did not play. Next: at Pittsburgh,
Sunday.
4. Baylor (13-1) did not play. Next: vs. No. 18 Oklahoma,
Sunday.
5. Texas (12-0) vs. Texas Tech. Next: vs. Iowa State,
Wednesday.
6. Maryland (12-2) lost to No. 9 Ohio State 80-71. Next:
vs. Nebraska, Thursday.
7. Kentucky (11-0) did not play. Next: at Auburn,
Sunday.
8. Mississippi State (13-1) did not play. Next: at Florida,
Sunday.
9. Ohio State (10-3) beat No. 6 Maryland 80-71. Next:
vs. Indiana, Thursday.
10. Oregon State (9-2) at Southern Cal. Next: at No. 21
UCLA, Monday.
11. Stanford (10-2) at Arizona. Next: at No. 17 Arizona
State, Monday.
12. Duke (11-3) did not play. Next: at Syracuse, Sunday.
13. Tennessee (9-3) did not play. Next: at No. 23
Missouri, Monday.
14. Northwestern (11-2) did not play. Next: vs.
Nebraska, Sunday.
15. Florida State (9-4) did not play. Next: vs. Boston
College, Thursday.
16. Texas A&M (10-3) did not play. Next: vs. Georgia,
Sunday.
17. Arizona State (8-3) vs. No. 19 California. Next: vs.
No. 11 Stanford, Monday.
18. Oklahoma (10-2) did not play. Next: at No. 4 Baylor,
Sunday.
19. California (9-2) at No. 17 Arizona State. Next: at
Arizona, Monday.
20. South Florida (8-3) beat East Carolina 61-59. Next:
vs. UCF, Tuesday.
21. UCLA (9-3) vs. Oregon. Next: vs. No. 10 Oregon
State, Monday.
22. Miami (13-1) did not play. Next: at Virginia, Sunday.
23. Missouri (13-0) did not play. Next: vs. No. 13
Tennessee, Monday.
24. Michigan State (9-3) did not play. Next: vs.
Wisconsin, Sunday.
25. DePaul (9-5) did not play. Next: at St. John’s,
Sunday.
footBALL
national football League
AMeriCAn ConferenCe
east
W
L
t Pct
y-New England 12
3
0 .800
N.Y. Jets
10
5
0 .667
Buffalo
7
8
0 .467
Miami
5
10
0 .333
south
W
L
t Pct
Houston
8
7
0 .533
Indianapolis
7
8
0 .467
Jacksonville
5
10
0 .333
Tennessee
3
12
0 .200
north
W
L
t Pct
y-Cincinnati
11
4
0 .733
Pittsburgh
9
6
0 .600
Baltimore
5
10
0 .333
Cleveland
3
12
0 .200
West
W
L
t Pct
x-Denver
11
4
0 .733
x-Kansas City
10
5
0 .667
Oakland
7
8
0 .467
San Diego
4
11
0 .267
nAtionAL ConferenCe
east
W
L
t Pct
y-Washington
8
7
0 .533
Philadelphia
6
9
0 .400
N.Y. Giants
6
9
0 .400
Dallas
4
11
0 .267
south
W
L
t Pct
y-Carolina
14
1
0 .933
Atlanta
8
7
0 .533
Tampa Bay
6
9
0 .400
New Orleans
6
9
0 .400
north
W
L
t Pct
x-Green Bay
10
5
0 .667
x-Minnesota
10
5
0 .667
Detroit
6
9
0 .400
Chicago
6
9
0 .400
West
W
L
t Pct
y-Arizona
13
2
0 .867
x-Seattle
9
6
0 .600
St. Louis
7
8
0 .467
San Francisco
4
11
0 .267
x-clinched playoff spot
y-clinched division
sunday’s games
Houston 34, Tennessee 6
Kansas City 17, Cleveland 13
N.Y. Jets 26, New England 20, OT
Indianapolis 18, Miami 12
Detroit 32, San Francisco 17
Buffalo 16, Dallas 6
Chicago 26, Tampa Bay 21
Atlanta 20, Carolina 13
Baltimore 20, Pittsburgh 17
New Orleans 38, Jacksonville 27
St. Louis 23, Seattle 17
Arizona 38, Green Bay 8
Minnesota 49, N.Y. Giants 17
Monday’s game
Denver 20, Cincinnati 17, OT
sunday, Jan. 3
Jacksonville at Houston, 1 p.m.
Washington at Dallas, 1 p.m.
Detroit at Chicago, 1 p.m.
N.Y. Jets at Buffalo, 1 p.m.
New England at Miami, 1 p.m.
New Orleans at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Baltimore at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Cleveland, 1 p.m.
Tennessee at Indianapolis, 1 p.m.
Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m.
St. Louis at San Francisco, 4:25 p.m.
San Diego at Denver, 4:25 p.m.
Seattle at Arizona, 4:25 p.m.
Oakland at Kansas City, 4:25 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Carolina, 4:25 p.m.
Minnesota at Green Bay, 8:30 p.m.
2015-16 Bowl glance
saturday, Dec. 19
Celebration Bowl
Atlanta
NC A&T 41, Alcorn State 34
new Mexico Bowl
Albuquerque
Arizona 45, New Mexico 37
Las Vegas Bowl
Utah 35, BYU 28
Camellia Bowl
Montgomery, Ala.
Appalachian State 31, Ohio 29
Cure Bowl
orlando, fla.
San Jose State 27, Georgia State 16
new orleans Bowl
Louisiana Tech 47, Arkansas State 28
Monday, Dec. 21
Miami Beach Bowl
Western Kentucky 45, South Florida 35
tuesday, Dec. 22
famous idaho Potato Bowl
Boise
Akron 23, Utah State 21
Boca raton (fla.) Bowl
Toledo 32, Temple 17
Wednesday, Dec. 23
Poinsettia Bowl
san Diego
Boise State 55, Northern Illinois 7
goDaddy Bowl
Mobile, Ala.
Georgia Southern 58, Bowling Green 27
thursday, Dec. 24
Bahamas Bowl
nassau
Western Michigan 45, Middle Tennessee 31
hawaii Bowl
honolulu
San Diego State 42, Cincinnati 7
saturday, Dec. 26
st. Petersburg (fla.) Bowl
Marshall 16, UConn 10
sun Bowl
el Paso, texas
Washington State 20, Miami 14
heart of Dallas Bowl
Washington 44, Southern Mississippi 31
Pinstripe Bowl
Bronx, n.Y.
Duke 44, Indiana 41, OT
independence Bowl
shreveport, La.
Virginia Tech 55, Tulsa 52
foster farms Bowl
santa Clara, Calif.
Nebraska 37, UCLA 29
Monday, Dec. 28
Military Bowl
Annapolis, Md.
Navy 44, Pittsburgh 28
Quick Lane Bowl
Detroit
Minnesota 21, Central Michigan 14
tuesday, Dec. 29
Armed forces Bowl
fort Worth, texas
California 55, Air Force 36
russell Athletic Bowl
orlando, fla.
Baylor 49, North Carolina 38
Arizona Bowl
tucson
Nevada 28, Colorado State 23
texas Bowl
houston
LSU 56, Texas Tech 27
Wednesday, Dec. 30
Birmingham (Ala.) Bowl
Auburn 31, Memphis 10
Pf
455
370
357
290
PA
295
292
342
379
Pf
309
303
370
275
PA
307
384
418
393
Pf
395
395
312
266
PA
263
307
377
404
Pf
328
382
342
300
PA
276
270
376
371
Pf
354
342
390
252
PA
356
400
407
340
Pf
462
322
332
388
PA
298
325
379
459
Pf
355
345
334
315
PA
303
289
380
373
Pf
483
387
264
219
PA
277
271
311
371
Belk Bowl
Charlotte, n.C.
Mississippi St. 51, NC State 28
Music City Bowl
nashville, tenn.
Louisville 27, Texas A&M 21
holiday Bowl
san Diego
Wisconsin 23, Southern Cal 21
thursday, Dec. 31
Peach Bowl
Atlanta
Houston 38, Florida State 24
orange Bowl (Playoff semifinal)
Miami gardens, fla.
Clemson 37, Oklahoma 17
Cotton Bowl Classic (Playoff semifinal)
Arlington, texas
Alabama 38, Michigan State 0
friday, Jan. 1
outback Bowl
tampa, fla.
Tennessee 45, Northwestern 6
Citrus Bowl
orlando, fla.
Michigan 41, Florida 7
fiesta Bowl
glendale, Ariz.
Ohio State 44, Notre Dame 28
rose Bowl
Pasadena, Calif.
Stanford 45, Iowa 16
sugar Bowl
new orleans
Mississippi 48, Oklahoma State 20
saturday, Jan. 2
taxslayer Bowl
Jacksonville, fla.
Georgia 24, Penn State 17
Liberty Bowl
Memphis, tenn.
Arkansas 45, Kansas State 23
Alamo Bowl
san Antonio
Oregon (9-3) vs. TCU (10-2), after presstime
Cactus Bowl
Phoenix
West Virginia (7-5) vs. Arizona State (6-6), after presstime
Monday, Jan. 11
College football Championship game
glendale, Ariz.
Clemson (14-0) vs. Alabama (13-1), 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
saturday, Jan. 23
east-West shrine Classic
At st. Petersburg, fla.
East vs. West, 4 p.m. (NFLN)
nfLPA Collegiate Bowl
At Carson, Calif.
National vs. American, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
saturday, Jan. 30
senior Bowl
At Mobile, Ala.
North vs. South, 2:30 p.m. (NFLN)
hoCkeY
national hockey League
eAstern ConferenCe
Atlantic Division
GP W
L OT Pts GF GA
Montreal
40 22 15
3 47 116 99
Florida
37 21 12
4 46 101 84
Detroit
39 19 13
7 45 100 106
Boston
37 20 13
4 44 116 102
Ottawa
38 18 14
6 42 111 115
Tampa Bay
38 18 16
4 40 97 93
Toronto
36 14 15
7 35 95 102
Buffalo
39 15 20
4 34 91 105
Metropolitan Division
GP W
L OT Pts GF GA
Washington
37 28
7
2 58 117 78
N.Y. Islanders
38 21 12
5 47 105 89
N.Y. Rangers
38 21 13
4 46 112 100
New Jersey
38 19 14
5 43 90 92
Pittsburgh
37 18 15
4 40 86 91
Philadelphia
37 15 15
7 37 79 102
Carolina
38 16 17
5 37 91 108
Columbus
39 14 22
3 31 98 123
Western ConferenCe
Central Division
GP W
L OT Pts GF GA
Dallas
39 28
8
3 59 137 98
St. Louis
40 23 13
4 50 100 96
Chicago
39 22 13
4 48 108 97
Minnesota
36 20 10
6 46 98 85
Nashville
38 18 13
7 43 101 101
Colorado
38 18 17
3 39 109 106
Winnipeg
37 17 18
2 36 99 109
Pacific Division
GP W
L OT Pts GF GA
Los Angeles
38 25 11
2 52 104 83
Arizona
37 18 16
3 39 104 118
Vancouver
39 15 15
9 39 95 110
San Jose
36 18 16
2 38 100 102
Anaheim
37 15 15
7 37 69 89
Calgary
37 17 18
2 36 97 121
Edmonton
39 15 21
3 33 97 119
NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss.
friday’s games
Vancouver 2, Anaheim 1, SO
Montreal 5, Boston 1
saturday’s games
Detroit 4, Buffalo 3
Los Angeles 2, Philadelphia 1
Arizona at Edmonton, after presstime
St. Louis at Toronto, after presstime
Minnesota at Tampa Bay, after presstime
N.Y. Rangers at Florida, after presstime
Dallas at New Jersey, after presstime
N.Y. Islanders at Pittsburgh, after presstime
Nashville at Carolina, after presstime
Washington at Columbus, after presstime
Calgary at Colorado, after presstime
Winnipeg at San Jose, after presstime
sunday’s games
Dallas at N.Y. Islanders, 5 p.m.
Minnesota at Florida, 6 p.m.
Ottawa at Chicago, 7 p.m.
Winnipeg at Anaheim, 9 p.m.
Monday’s games
Detroit at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Ottawa at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles at Colorado, 9 p.m.
Carolina at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Arizona at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
WrestLing
Week 5
This poll is primarily a measure of dual meet strength with
some consideration to individual tournament strength. Votes
are cast by a state-wide panel of high school wrestling coaches and are based on a maximum Power Ranking of 100%.
stAte PoLL
rAnk sChooL
PoWer
1
FATHER RYAN
99
2 BRADLEY CENTRAL
91
3
BAYLOR
84
4
MCCALLIE
69
5 CHRISTIAN BRTHRS
56
6
BEECH
55
7
CLEVELAND
51
8
WILSON CENTRAL
47
9
MONT BELL ACDMY 17
10 STEWART CREEK
16
11
SODDY-DAISY
14
12
PIGEON FORGE
13
LAst Week
1
2
3
5
8
5
6
7
10 (tie)
9
—
10 (tie)
Others receiving votes: ARLINGTON, BLACKMAN, HALLS,
INDEPENDENCE, MOUNT JULIET, RED BANK, SCIENCE
HILL, SUMMIT, TENNESSEE HIGH.
trAnsACtions
saturday’s sports transactions
BAseBALL
American League
HOUSTON ASTROS — Agreed to terms with OF Eury Perez
and RHP Cesar Valdez on minor league contracts.
footBALL
national football League
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Waived WR Griff Whalen.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS — Placed DT Abry Jones on
injured reserve. Signed NT Richard Ash from the practice
squad.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS — Placed RB Kendall Hunter on
injured reserve.
ST. LOUIS RAMS — Placed DTs Nick Fairly and Doug
Worthington and CB Eric Patterson on injured reserve.
Signed WR Nick Toon and RB Malcolm Brown from the practice squad. Claimed CB Troy Hill off waivers from New
England.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS — Waived WR Torrence Allen and
G Ben Beckwith.
hoCkeY
national hockey League
FLORIDA PANTHERS — Signed coach Gerard Gallant to a
contract extension through the 2018-19 season.
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING — Assigned F Jonathan Drouin to
Syracuse (AHL).
CoLLege
EAST CAROLIN A — Named Shannon Moore special teams
coordinator.
LSU — Named Dave Aranda defensive coordinator.
MIAMI — Named Manny Diaz defensive coordinator.
PENN STATE — Announced QB Christian Hackenberg will
enter the NFL draft.
friday’s sports transactions
footBALL
national football League
PITTSBURGH STEELERS — Signed S Ross Ventrone from
the practice squad. Released WR Jacoby Jones.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — Placed S Chris Conte on
injured reserve. Signed LB Darius Eubanks from the practice
squad.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS — Signed DL Kamal Johnson to
the practice squad.
hoCkeY
national hockey League
FLORIDA PANTHERS — Signed executive vice president
and general manager Dale Tallon to a contract extension.
Named Tom Rowe associate general manager. Named Scott
Allen coach of Portland (AHL).
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING — Recalled G Andrei Vasilevskiy
from Syracuse (AHL). Reassigned G Kristers Gudlevskis to
Syracuse.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS — Recalled D Ryan Stanton
from Hershey (AHL). Re-assigned D Connor Carrick to
Hershey.
eChL
ELMIRA JACKALS — Announced F Allan McPherson was
recalled by the Rochester (AHL).
CoLLege
PURDUE — Named Ross Els defensive coordinator.
Lopsided games and having
the College Football Playoff
semifinals on New Year’s Eve for
the first time led to a 13 percent
drop in TV ratings for the New
Year’s Six Bowls from last year.
The Rose Bowl on Friday drew
its lowest rating (7.9) since it
became part of the BCS in 1999.
The overnight ratings for the
big New Year’s Day bowls were
announced Saturday by ESPN,
which broadcasts all the games.
Overall, the ratings for the six
major games played on
Thursday and Friday, including
the semifinals in the Orange
and Cotton bowls on Dec. 31,
averaged a 7.1 overnight rating,
down from 8.2 last year.
“That decline, frankly, is not
much of a surprise and it’s
modest,” College Football
Playoff executive director Bill
Hancock said. “It’s too soon to
know how much was due to the
lopsided games or how much
what I think we all thought
would be an inevitable decline
from the excitement of the first
year or the semifinals on New
Year’s Eve. I suspect it’s a combination of those three, but I
don’t have any idea what the
weighting is. ESPN is studying
the numbers and we’ll learn a
lot more in the next few
months.”
The average margin of victory
in the New Year’s Six games was
24.2 points.
All three of Friday’s major
bowls were blowouts. The Fiesta
between Ohio State and Notre
Dame, earned a 6.2 rating. That
was up 35 percent from last
AP photo
stAnforD heAD CoACh David Shaw walks off the field after
their win in the Rose Bowl against Iowa, Friday in Pasadena, Calif.
season’s Arizona-Boise State
game. The Buckeyes won 44-28.
Stanford beat Iowa 45-16 in
the Rose Bowl.
The Sugar Bowl, which
Mississippi won 48-20 against
Oklahoma State, drew a 5.3 rating. That was the lowest Sugar
Bowl rating since the Bowl
Championship Series was
established in 1999.
ESPN did see big increases in
digital viewers who streamed
the game online through the
WatchESPN. ESPN said the New
Year’s Six averaged 776,000
unique viewers and 43,871,000
total minutes for the six games,
up 54 percent and 67 percent,
respectively, from last year.
“The College Football Playoff
is a long-term, multiplatform
play for us,” Burke Magnus,
ESPN executive vice president of
programming and scheduling,
said in a statement. “With that
said, there are many variables
that impact ratings results
including what happens on the
field and the numbers this year
were obviously impacted by the
unbalanced scores of these
games.”
Last year’s College Football
Playoff semifinals, played on
New Year’s Day, drew a record
number cable viewers, and ratings that edged past 15 for both
the Oregon-Florida State Rose
Bowl and the Ohio StateAlabama Sugar Bowl.
Total viewership for the semifinals played Thursday between
Michigan State and Alabama in
the Cotton Bowl and Clemson
and Oklahoma in Orange Bowl
plunged 34.4 percent, from
28,271,000 in 2015 to
See RATINGS, Page 25
Red Wings slip past Sabres for 4-3 win
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo
Sabres
defenseman
Zach
Bogosian was bearing down on
Petr Mrazek late in the third period on Saturday. And the Detroit
Red Wings were in danger of giving up the lead for the third time.
But Mrazek kept his position
to stop Bogosian’s shot with his
chest, and Detroit went on to a 43 win over the Sabres.
“He’s got an ability to seize the
moment,” Detroit coach Jeff
Blashill said. “You don’t want to
give up the breakaway obviously
there at the end to Bogosian, but
he made the big save on it.”
From a flashy glove save on
Evander Kane to several scrums
in the crease, Mrazek was busy
with 32 saves.
“Try to be the best you can the
whole game, not just the beginning,” Mrazek said. “When we
score that helps the goaltender
as well.”
Riley
Sheahan,
Henrik
Zetterberg, Brad Richards and
Tomas Tatar scored for the Red
Wings, who snapped a threegame losing streak.
The last goal helped the most,
as Tatar snapped an eight-game
run without a goal after he collected a cross-ice pass from Mike
Green.
Buffalo’s defense gave Tatar
room to stick-handle into the
slot, where his wrist shot fooled
Sabres goaltender Chad Johnson
with 2:50 left in the third period.
“Now hopefully the confidence
is back on the stick,” Tatar said.
Rookie Jack Eichel scored
twice and Sam Reinhart also
scored for Buffalo, which has lost
four in a row.
Detroit held 2-0 and 3-2 leads,
and was outshot 35-23 by the
Sabres.
Kane put a shot off the right
post on a late 2-on-1 break,
before Tatar made it 4-3 on
Detroit’s counterattack.
“It’s a tough one to swallow,”
Eichel said. “You think you play
a good game, then they score
with three minutes left.”
Pressure in Detroit’s end got
the Sabres their first power play
when Darren Helm was whistled
for hooking at 9:00 of the first
period. Both Brian Gionta and
ond period, Gionta navigated
around the check of Green to test
AP photo
Detroit reD Wings left winger Justin Abdelkader (8) deflects
the puck on Buffalo Sabres goaltender Chad Johns on, right, during
the second period, Saturday in Buffalo, N.Y.
Johan Larsson had in-tight
chances to put Buffalo ahead,
but Mrazek held the puck for a
whistle.
Soon after, Jamie McGinn
picked Mrazek’s clearing attempt
off the right board, but couldn’t
beat Mrazek.
At the other end, Detroit took
the lead because of Sheahan.
Sheahan carried the puck
down the left of the ice on a 2-on1 break, and slid a pass past a
sliding Mike Weber. Brad
Richards snapped a one-time
shot past Johnson to make it 1-0
at 12:59 of the first.
Sheahan finished with a goal
and assist.
“It just gets your confidence
going when you can contribute
on the score sheet,” Sheahan
said. “It’s huge.”
After a quiet start to the sec-
Mrazek.
Sheahan then increased
Detroit’s lead to 2-0 by deflecting
Green’s wrist shot past Johnson
at 7:59 of the second.
Mrazek was back at it on the
next rush, making a flashy glove
save on Kane’s hard shot from
the slot.
“He saved us tonight,”
Zetterberg said. “There were
some key moments and some big
saves, and it makes it easier for
us to play defense.”
Eichel put Buffalo on the
board when he caught Mrazek
leaning left to see around
McGinn’s screen and put a wrist
shot far side for his 12th goal of
the season at 14:26 of the second.
And the rookie star tied it on a
See RED WINGS, Page 25
Contributed photo
seAn BuCkner, age 14, killed his first deer while hunting with his father, Jason, brother, Canaan
and his Gun Safety Instructor, James Chapman, on property leased by Chapman in West Bradley
County. This was Buckner’s first deer.