Lineup

FEATURES

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
40 All the Way Back
Thanks to linebacker Paul Posluszny, Penn State earned its first BCS bid
by Mark Beech

PRO FOOTBALL

44 Unbeatable?
After outgunning Cincinnati to climb to 10-0, Peyton Manning and the Colts are making a run at NFL history
by Peter King

HOCKEY

48 Great to Be Back
Wayne Gretzky has returned as the Coyotes' coach--and he's loving it
by E.M. Swift

PRO BASKETBALL

54 A New Steve Nash?
Which point guard will turn his team around? Will it be the Bucks' T.J. Ford? Or Golden State's Baron Davis?
by Ian Thomsen and Chris Ballard

BONUS

Eye witness
At 62, photographer Neil Leifer wanted to show what was new in sports, so he picked up where he started 45 years ago PAGE 59

Departments

8 Leading Off
17 Letters

21 Air and Space
In their nine-mph laps around the ice, Zambonis generate nothing but warm memories by Steve Rushin

22 Scorecard
• Bobby Valentine's hold on Japan
• The many faces of Clinton Portis

33 Faces in the Crowd
35 Players

80 Life of Reilly
On Thanksgiving the Reillys play touch football just like the Mannings: They love to cheat by Rick Reilly

Inside ...

72 College Football
• Central Florida's turnaround

75 The NFL
• The Seahawks (quietly) surge

78 Motor Sports
• "A true American racer" triumphs

Cover
PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID BERGMAN
INSET PHOTOS: Robert Beck (Gretzky); John Biever (Manning); David Bergman (Posluszny)

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PHOTO

JOHN BIEVER (POINT GUARDS)

54

CRITICAL POINTS T.J. Ford (left) and Baron Davis have breathed life into their moribund teams.

PHOTO

JOHN IACONO (LEIFER)

PHOTO

ROBERT BECK (TATUPU)

75

BALL HAWK A Rookie of the Year contender, linebacker Lofa Tatupu is one of several young stars on Seattle's unsung D.

PHOTO

PETER READ MILLER (CLAUSEN)

PHOTO

SEAN BRADY/WIREIMAGE.COM (WARD)

PHOTO

AUTOMEDIA/WIREIMAGE.COM (ARMSTRONG)