January 9, 2006 Table Of Contents
Cover
Air and Space
By Steve Rushin
SI Players: Life On and Off the Field
BUCCANEERS QUARTERBACK
Ask your favorite QB: The pain in games stays plainly on the brain
College Football
In perhaps the most stunning bowl performance ever, Texas quarterback Vince Young put the Longhorns on his back and carried them to the title, beating USC in the final seconds to end the Trojans' 34-game winning streak
Playmakers Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. led Ohio State over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, sending an early message that the Buckeyes could be primed for a return to the desert next January
The Bowden-Paterno Bowl turned into a survival contest
By Tim Layden
Here are the highs (and lows) from a college postseason that was dominated by offenses and filled with fantastic finishes, along with a sneak peek at who will rise and who will fall in 2006
Pro Football
A speedy and spirited defense led by All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher has upstart Chicago believing in itself--and its Super Bowl chances
Dr. Z's All-Pro team features a veteran who finally gets his due and many new faces who've just begun to make their marks
Denver's revitalized defense gives Mike Shanahan his best playoff shot since number 7 hung 'em up
College Basketball
Ohio State is off to its best start in 15 years and boasts the nation's hottest coach in charismatic Thad Matta. And this is all sweet prelude to next season, when a dazzling recruiting class arrives
By Grant Wahl
Hockey
Washington Capitals left wing Alexander Ovechkin—the NHL's other top rookie alongside Sidney Crosby—has the tools to carry a team the way none of his countrymen ever has
Special Report: Teen Suicide
One high school football team, five suicides in three years. Can we learn anything?
By E.M. Swift
Inside
While a title clash between San Antonio and Detroit seems inevitable, at least a few teams are keeping their eyes on the prize
By Ian Thomsen
Skilled beyond their years, fearless freshmen are boosting many top teams-none more than Memphis
By Rick Reilly
Departments
By Ann Moore, Chairman and CEO, Time Inc.
No, it may not have quite the same ring to it, but a playoff system by any name would add thrills and drama to the bloated bowl season
By Tim Layden
While his former teammates celebrated, Maurice Clarett faced felony charges
Edited by Mark Bechtel and Stephen Cannella
Edited by Mark Bechtel and Stephen Cannella
Packers fan, born in 1902, attends first game; doesn't care that they're in a rebuilding phase
By Adam Duerson
After seven NFL coaches get sacked, Chiefs assistant Al Saunders becomes a wanted man
Edited by Mark Bechtel and Stephen Cannella
Even as he grieves for his son, coach Tony Dungy is teaching the Colts about life and football
By Peter King
The actor plays Don Haskins, who coached Texas Western to the 1966 NCAA title, in Glory Road, which opens on Jan. 13
By Adam Duerson
What to watch and watch for
By Chris Mannix
Edited by Mark Bechtel and Stephen Cannella
By David Sabino