Lineup
FEATURES
BASEBALL
46 On to the Pennant Races
With the Bonds watch over, the spotlight is on rookies who are shaping tight playoff battles
By Tom Verducci
PRO FOOTBALL
50 Just Win, Baby!
Lane Kiffin, the youngest head coach in the NFL, might just be able to rebuild the Raiders
By Peter King
GOLF
54 No Sweat
In the punishing Oklahoma heat, a coolly efficient Tiger Woods won his 13th major
By Alan Shipnuck
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2007
60 RUNNING BACKS RULE
Between USC's stable of tailbacks and most of last year's top talent, this is the best crop of rushers since the late 1970s
By Austin Murphy
70 BEST BACK IN THE LAND
A fun-loving prankster off the field, Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden usually has the last laugh on it too
By Phil Taylor
79 CAN'T-MISS MATCHUPS
Sixty-seven games that will go a long way in determining the 10 BCS bids—and who plays for the national title
By Gene Menez
86 SCOUTING REPORTS
USC is the team to beat, while SEC powers LSU and Florida will be among the other schools slugging it out to earn a spot in the BCS championship game on Jan. 7 in New Orleans
118 CONFERENCE ROUNDUPS
128 5 MINUTE GUIDE
Departments
10 Leading Off
20 Letters
25 Players
• Rick Ankiel's astounding return
• First Person: Andruw Jones
• The Discovery team breaks up
• Athletes who have also wrestled
• The Cubs' well-schooled DP duo
• An NHL MVP's workout
• Move over, Madden?
• A Q&A with Buster Douglas
42 Faces in the Crowd
136 Life of Reilly
How the Madden NFL rankings can take the joy out of some pros' joysticks
by Rick Reilly
Inside ...
132 Baseball
• Cleveland's Cy Young candidate
• The next slugger from Japan
134 NASCAR
• The top rookie trades paint
• Dale Jr.'s Chase chances
Cover
PHOTOGRAPHS BY PETER READ MILLER
INSET PHOTO: Robert Beck
SI Extra
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The Dream Teams
VINCE YOUNG
ALEX RODRIGUEZ
TIM DUNCAN
SIDNEY CROSBY
THE BEST OF YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW
This week four writers live out a general manager's dream: Pick three Dream Teams in one of the four major team sports—one for the best of all time, one that will win right now and one built for five years from now. Each team includes a complete roster, with reserves as well as coaches. Check out SI's experts' picks and then weigh in with your thoughts.
> Peter King on pro football
His starting quarterback picks may surprise you (hint: no Tom Brady)
> Tom Verducci on baseball
Who's the alltime centerfielder: Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays?
> Ian Thomsen on pro basketball
Are phenoms like Yi Jianlian and O.J. Mayo worthy of a Future Team spot?
> Michael Farber on hockey
Goalie conundrum: Dominik Hasek, Jacques Plante or Patrick Roy?
> Peruse the complete rosters of Dream Team players and coaches at SI.com/dreamteams.
TRAFFIC REPORT
> MOST VIEWED
1. Top NFL defenders under age 25
2. Peter King reports from training camp
3. Barry Bonds hits home run number 756
> OUR PICKS
1. GOLF.com rates the Top 100 Courses
2. Florida-LSU tops list of college football's games to watch in '07
3. Sports TV blog
THE 10 SPOT BLOG
FanNation
Pacman vs. The Titans
> While Jones grapples in yet another courtroom, here are some other notable litigants through the years, from Al Davis to Yogi Berra.
> Weigh in with your thoughts or challenge Pete McEntegart to a Throwdown at fannation.com.
PACMAN JONES
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A SPECIAL RUN OF COVERS
For the 2007 College Football Preview issue this week, SI has five regional covers.
LINEBACKERS BRIAN CUSHING (10) AND REY MAUALUGA OF USC
FIVE PHOTOS
PHOTO
LISA BLUMENFELD/GETTY IMAGES (CUSHING AND MAUALUGA)
PHOTO
JOHN BIEVER (YOUNG)
PHOTO
JOHN BIEVER (FLORIDA-LSU)
PHOTO
JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (DUNCAN)
PHOTO
HEINZ KLUETMEIER (RODRIGUEZ)
PHOTO
LOU CAPOZZOLA (CROSBY)
PHOTO
ROBERT BECK (BONDS)
PHOTO
MARK HUMPHREY/AP (JONES)
ILLUSTRATION